A 10-day literary celebration in Scotland's National Book Town
A good festival should be an encounter : with ideas, people, cultures and the landscape. It should look outwards but rejoice at the best of what’s local. Above all, it should be festive.
Adrian Turpin. Festival Director.
Welcome To Wigtown Book Festival
The very interesting and colourful Wigtown Book Festival programme which Catherine, the Arts Administrator and Children’s Programmer of this famous Stena Line sponsored literary event, has kindly sent to us lies open on my desk. The beautifully and lavishly illustrated pages of this very inviting brochure makes you feel like going there. Here’s a literary event which is certainly worth the trip, especially since Wigtown is going to celebrate in its own way the Homecoming 2009, the Scottish event of the year.
Wigtown's Main Street - The largest street in Scotland
This autumn festival which is going to take place between 25 September and 4 October in Dumfries and Galloway, just one month after the Edinburgh Book Festival, is testifying to Scotland cultural dynamism which can be found everywhere in the country, not only in the many seasonal festivals, but also all year round in the museums, libraries, monuments and places of interest.
Readinglasses Cafe & Book Corner Shop
A few days only before the opening of the Wigtown Festival there must be quite a lot of effervescence there. The festival will begin with music and fireworks at the Mercat Cross, on Friday 25 September, and as I can see on my programme, the timetable appears to be full from the 1st day to the very last one. Very exciting indeed ! There will always be something happening in some place or other in the town, be it in the tents or marquees which are to be built up for the occasion, or in the county buildings and many shops and pubs of the town.
Were I to choose among the many events offered to the visitors by this Festival it would prove to be very difficult !
Our readers know how much we like ghost stories, so, to begin with, I certainly wouldn’t miss Marion Kenny’s Late-Night Spooky Stories on 25 September 2009 at 10:00 pm…
Wigtown Children's Festival
Also, as I can easily become a child again I would neither miss the Children’s Festival. By the way, when calling at your local library or bookshop, did you ever notice the number of adults deeply immersed in children’s books? No wonder ! Just have a look at the children’s stories which are published everyday with so beautiful illustrations full of poetry and humour.
Children's Stories
Many children’s books authors would deserved to be better known and such festivals are very good occasions to meet them.
There are going to be many events of importance at Wigtown’s Festival and as I don’t want to rush through them I will go on browsing through the 40 pages of my Wigtown Festival programme and will tell you more in my next post.
But before leaving, what about a few drops of the mythical Scottish “usquebaugh” ? You know, a very special event is preparing at Wigtown Festival this year, a “unique festival within a festival exploring the links between two of the nation greatest exports : whisky and writing”.
Chin Chin !
A bientôt.
Whisky & Words at the Stena Line Wigtown Book Festival - 30th September to 3rd October 2009
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