Some of Scotland鈥檚 finest writers and poets will be in Aberdeen this weekend to round off the 黑料网鈥檚 literary extravaganza, WORD 2001.
William McIlvanney, Alasdair Gray, Liz Lochhead, Andrew O鈥橦agan, Tom Leonard, Bernard MacLaverty and Ali Smith are just some of the names which will be performing at venues throughout the city for the final two days of the festival.
WORD 2001 follows on the success of the University鈥檚 first festival, which was held in May 1999, and promises to be Scotland鈥檚 largest literary event outside the Edinburgh Book Festival.
Featuring more than 30 writers and artists from throughout Scotland and Ireland, the programme will have something for everyone, from readings in bookshops and libraries, film screenings and readings at Aberdeen鈥檚 new art house cinema, The Belmont, and children鈥檚 theatre.
Saturday鈥檚 programme is as follows:
All day: Travelling Gallery City Centre
10am: Archive Screening and Poetry Reading The Belmont
by Sheena Blackhall and John Easton
11.30am Word and Image
The making of the Kelvingrove Eight with Calum Colvin and Alan spence 鈥� a digital presentation on the creation
of Colvin鈥檚 group project of Scottish writers, from work in progress to completed image The Belmont
1pm: Lemon Tree writers鈥� group perform from their work The Lemon Tree
12.30pm: Reading by Liz Lochhead Ottakar鈥檚 Bookshop
12.30pm: Reading by Andrew O鈥橦agan Waterstone鈥檚, Union Street
12.30pm: Reading by John Burnside Waterstone鈥檚, Langstane
2pm: Reading by Kate Atkinson, Ali Smith and Sian Preece Aberdeen Art Gallery
3.30pm: Word and Image: Reading by Alasdair Gray
Tom Leonard and Agnes Owen Aberdeen Art Gallery
5pm: Reading by Bernard MacLaverty, Andrew O鈥橦agan and John Burnside The Belmont
6.30pm Cal with introduction by Bernard MacLaverty The Belmont
7.30pm Word and Music with Liz Lochhead, Ciaran Carson, Michael Marra and Donny O鈥橰ourke The Lemon Tree
10.40pm Butcher Boy, based on the novel by Pat McCabe The Belmont
Sunday鈥檚 programme:
All day: Travelling Gallery University Campus
2pm: Reading with Douglas Dunn, Robert Crawford, Medbh McGuckian and Kathleen Jamie King鈥檚 College
3pm: The Gruffalo, by Tall Stories Company The Lemon Tree
4pm: Strangers in a Strange Land? Two Centuries of the Irish in Scotland,
lecture by Tom Devine, Director of the Research Institute for Irish and Scottish Studies King鈥檚 College
6pm: Another Time, Another Place introduction by Isobel Murray The Belmont
The first Word festival, held in Aberdeen in 1999, was a highly successful event with hundreds of local people attending the many readings, music and word events, lectures and workshops. The Scotsman described it as 鈥榯he largest, and most impressive literary event ever held in Aberdeen鈥�.
This year, the festival has the very great honour of welcoming as its patrons the Nobel Prize-winning Irish poet Seamus Heaney, and Edwin Morgan, regarded by many as Scotland鈥檚 greatest living poet. Seamus Heaney, who won the Nobel Prize in Literature in 1995 鈥榝or works of lyrical beauty and ethical depth, which exalt everyday miracles and the living past鈥� officially launched WORD 2001 in February when he visited the University. Edwin Morgan was the joint winner of the 1998 Stakis Prize for Scottish Writer of the Year with his latest book of poems, Virtual and Other Realities. In 1999, his performance in Planet Wave with Tommy Smith and the Scottish National Jazz Orchestra as part of the Word 鈥�99 Festival completely packed out the Lemon Tree.
This year鈥檚 festival is supported by the Scottish Arts Council National Lottery, Aberdeen City Council, First Aberdeen, Aberdeenshire Council, the Belmont and the Lemon Tree, as well as local Aberdeen bookshops.
A full programme for WORD 2001 can be obtained by subscribing to the mailing list online at www.abdn.ac.uk/word, or by telephone (01224) 272078.
Issued by Public Relations Office, External Relations, 黑料网, King's College, Aberdeen, telephone: 01224 272014, fax: 01224 272086.
University Press Office on telephone +44 (0)1224-273778 or email a.ramsay@admin.abdn.ac.uk.