EIBF 2008: Saturday 9th August

An opening event like no other! To celebrate our 25th anniversary and launch this year’s festival, we bring you a renowned figure from the world of politics in a unique and illuminating conversation with Ian Rankin. To keep up the suspense, we will only announce the name of our mystery guest the day before our opening.

A glorious, generous, uplifting start to our morning series of readings. Scottish writer Ali Smith’s extraordinary insight has won her numerous awards and much devotion. Her latest work, Girl Meets Boy, is a beautiful contemporary reworking of Ovid’s most joyful metamorphosis, setting the tone perfectly for our transforming literary carnival. Chaired by Brian Taylor.

To begin our hugely popular series of hands-on writing workshops, author Keith A Charters focuses on how you can get your writing career off the ground. Many authors juggle their writing with a day job but aspire to write full-time. Short of negotiating a huge advance, how can you justify taking the plunge? (Maximum 25 places)

Brevity is all. Or nearly all. This workshop will look at ways of knowing what to keep out and what to keep in. Laura Hird is the author of several short story collections and her novel Born Free was nominated for the Orange Prize and short-listed for the Whitbread. (Maximum 20 places)

We are delighted to welcome one of Scotland’s renowned and most loved actors. Tales from the Back Green is his much awaited memoir; a wonderful portrait of growing up in Glasgow’s East End in the 1950s. Chaired by Ruth Wishart.

Our ever popular series on pragmatic aspects of writing, being published and publishing returns by popular demand! What are publishers looking for? What hurdles litter the road to publication and how can you jump them? Nicola Morgan, Chair of the Society of Authors in Scotland, spent twenty one years discovering how not to be published, and has now written around ninety published books, including award-winners and UK bestsellers. She shares her knowledge and practical advice.