Sunday, July 12

I attend... WESTPORT BOOK FESTIVAL launch

Westport Book Festival runs from 13 to 16 August and is based in and around characterful Westport Street in Edinburgh. The area is known locally as the Pubic Triangle, because of its isosceles of lap-dancing joints, but strangely "The Pubic Triangle Book Festival" didn't attract many sponsors.

The programme launch party took place on Saturday night at the fine second-hand bookshop Edinburgh Books, with Directors Hannah Adcock and Peggy Hughes making pithy speeches to a packed shop under the benevolent gaze of a water buffalo called Clarence...

To mark the bosomy aspect of the festival's location ("Edinburgh's Soho - a heady mix of books, bespoke-tailoring, booze and bosoms") there were cakes in different bra sizes: A, B, C, D and Double D. Double D was a lot of cake. I went for a delightful B, but that doesn't mean anything. I like all sizes of cake.

Only slightly more important than the bosoms and the cakes are the authors at the festival. I'll write more nearer the time, but big poetry beast Douglas Dunn kicks things off at 3p.m. on Thursday 13 August, and the legendary John Hegley closes the festival on Sunday 16 August at 8p.m. Between these two are a host of poets, novelists and non-fiction writers, including me and Gregory Norminton on Thursday 13 August at 7.30pm.

It's a small, newish, special festival going from strength to strength, and includes what promises to be the world's first 'Literary Twestival' for Twitter addicts...

For tickets, programme and bra-sized-cake queries, check out the festival website.

1 comment:

irishpoetry said...

Was browsing the net and stumbled upon your site. Haven't been to this book festival before but will sure be looking out for it in the future. I must add I really appreciate the quality info you offer poets and browsers alike, so useful for me. Thanks for sharing.