Leith Festival

The Leith Festival, which runs from the 2nd to the 11th of June, is now a major arts and community event featuring Drama, Music, Sport, Dance, Exhibitions, Talks, Tours, Film, and many more. As well as a full 10 days of performances, the festival also creates the biggest annual event on a single day in Leith with the Parade down Leith Walk and Gala on the Links.

Over 24,000 people attended the 2005 Leith Festival, and this year is sure to be bigger than ever.

A complete programme of events can be found at the Leith Festival website. A complete list of Literary and Poetry events is available, but here are some of BooksfromScotland.com's highlights.

Trainspotting Tour - 2nd June

Leith's very own worldwide story, on location. Meet the characters of Irvine Welsh's Trainspotting as they laugh and crash round Leith. The story behind the story. Internationally acclaimed tour from Tim Bell.

A Night With Mercat Press - 5th June

Come along to The Lighthouse on the Shore for a night with Mercat Press, and hear an eclectic mix of outstanding Scottish writers.

Bruce Durie will read and discuss a Leith story from the archives of Victorian detective Dick Donovan. Paul Reed will read from his novel The One and talk of its inspiration. The evening will be rounded off by fantastic storyteller Jess Smith, who learnt her craft growing up within travelling community.

Luath Poets Live! - 9th June

Luath Poets Live! brings you the best of Scottish poetry. Join Bashabi Fraser, Alistair Findlay, Rab Wilson and Rory Watson as they perform their poems in both Scots and English.

Featured Books

  • Cover scan of Accent O The Mind
    £8.99
    Accent O The Mind: Poems, Chiefly In The Scots Language - Paperback - Rab Wilson
    This collection of poems from Rab Wilson written predominantly in Lallans, encompasses the variety of modern Scottish life, touching on diverse aspects such as supermarket shopping, morris dancing, text messaging and reflecting on Scotland's mining communities.
  • Cover scan of Dick Donovan
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    £9.99
    Dick Donovan: The Glasgow Detective - Paperback - J. E. Muddock
    Before Sherlock Holmes, there was Dick Donovan. The name struck terror into the hearts of criminals of every class, and his exploits gave delight to millions of readers worldwide from the 1880s onwards.
  • Cover scan of Jessie's Journey
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    £9.99
    Jessie's Journey: Autobiography Of A Traveller Girl - Paperback - Jess Smith
    Between the ages of five and 15, Jess Smith lived with her parents, sisters and a dog called Tiny in an old blue Bedford bus. Free from conventional restrictions, they travelled the length and breadth of Scotland and beyond. Jess's story is full of dramatic events, colourful characters, earthy humour and a zest for life.
  • Cover scan of The One
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    £9.99
    The One - Paperback - Paul Reed
    Paul Reed takes the reader inside the mind of someone suffering the torments of schizophrenia.
  • Cover scan of Tartan & Turban
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    £8.99
    Tartan & Turban - Paperback - Bashabi Fraser
    A Bengali woman and poet living in Scotland, Bashabi Fraser creatively spans the different worlds she inhabits. The subdued hues of Scotland and the vibrant cacophony of colour that is India come alive in an outrageous game of sound patterns celebrating the contrasts of the two countries.
  • Cover scan of Trainspotting
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    £7.99
    Trainspotting - Paperback - Irvine Welsh
    The story of Edinburgh heroin addicts which changed the face of British fiction.

Friday 2nd June to Sunday 11th June 2006

The Leith Festival

http://www.leithfestival.com/