Aye Write!

Aye Write! Glasgow Book Festival 2011

Candia McWilliam and Jackie Kay among highlights of literary festival

9 Mar 2011

This is the sixth year of the Aye Write Glasgow Book Festival, a celebration of reading, writing and storytelling with events by writers from all over Scotland. The festival is once again being held in the stunning Mitchell Library with a packed program…

Gareth Peirce to appear at Aye Write! book fest

The civil rights lawyer and author will discuss new book, Dispatches from the Dark Side

7 Mar 2011

When it comes to lawyers who have fought tooth and nail for the underdog, they don’t come much more tenacious than Gareth Peirce. Immortalised on film through Emma Thompson’s performance in Jim Sheridan’s In the Name of the Father, which portrayed her…

Super Sad True Love Story - Gary Shteyngart interview

Author of Absurdistan and The Russian Debutante’s Handbook

4 Mar 2011

Gary Shteyngart is on the phone while taking a cab to a meeting at Columbia University, where he teaches writing. He breaks off to pay the driver, whose roots are unclear but, given that this is New York, could be anything from a Berliner to…

Book and Literary festivals in Scotland 2010

28 May 2010

With Glasgow’s Aye Write! and Aberdeen’s Word behind us for another year, Scotland’s book lovers are now holding their breath for the real heavyweight of the nation’s literary calendar, the Edinburgh Book Festival (Charlotte Square, Edinburgh, Sat…

Glasgow’s Aye Write literary festival - Louise Welsh interview

5 Mar 2010

Ahead of her appearance at Glasgow’s Aye Write! literary festival, crime fiction master Louise Welsh tells Claire Sawers about the dark side of the English Lit department in her latest novel

Alain de Botton, AL Kennedy and Janice Galloway among highlights at Glasgow's Aye Write! literary festival

2 Mar 2010

Alain de Botton The terribly clever philosopher and author wonders just what our obsession with work is all about. Why do we spend most of our waking hours doing it and what makes it pleasurable? Fri 5 Mar, 6pm. Janet Paisley and Manda Scott…

Aye Write! - James Frey

5 Mar 2009

Truth is a slippery business, and those who deal in it should be careful. This was what Haruki Murakami was saying last month when he accepted the Jerusalem Prize, a controversial writers’ award. He opened his speech saying: ‘I have come to Jerusalem…

Mari Strachan

5 Mar 2009

From The Catcher in the Rye to The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-time, literature in English is littered with novelists attempting to capture the bold yet naive voice of adolescence. In her debut novel, The Earth Hums in B Flat, Welsh writer…

Aye Write! - Highlights

5 Mar 2009

Alan Bennett Everyone’s favourite northern talking head chats about The Uncommon Reader which speculates on the daring books HRH might flick through. Fri 6 Mar, 6pm. Willy Maley on Muriel Spark The man who co-edited the 100 Best Scottish Books Of…

Emmanuel Jal

5 Mar 2009

A former child soldier with the rebel army in Sudan’s civil war, Jal tells the story of his life through gospel rap as part of Aye Write! Bank of Scotland Book Festival. Mitchell Library, Glasgow. Tue 10 Mar.

Aye Write!

1 Mar 2009

Now in its fourth year, Aye Write! 2009 promises to be the biggest and best instalment of the Glasgow-based literary festival yet, and - as the name boldly hints - one which continues to blend an appraisal of the wider written world with a strong spine…

All the world’s a stage

15 Sep 2008

Merchant City Festival (25-28 Sep) www.merchantcityfestival.com Located in the heart of old Glasgow, this event locates a programme of film, theatre, comedy, visual arts, street theatre, live music, food and fashion within an area of real…

Aye Write! - China

28 Feb 2008

What do Westerners really know about the People’s Republic of China? Our understanding of the world’s biggest nation is chiefly drawn from news reports about the country’s booming economy, her patchy human rights record and controversial intervention in…

Aye Write! - Hanif Kureishi

28 Feb 2008

Hanif Kureishi is one of the most prolific, radical and ambitious writers around. He’s also one of the most multi-talented, having started out as a playwright in the 1970s and since written novels, journalism and directed films. He’s been busier than…

Aye Write! - Alistair Findlay

28 Feb 2008

On the face of it, football and poetry are not obvious bedfellows. The Tartan Army enjoy a good singalong but they’re not renowned for their linguistic prowess or their gentle poetic insights. Likewise, you can’t imagine a Poets XI mastering the 4-5-1…

National Year of Reading

28 Feb 2008

Compared to a stick that transforms into a golf club, tennis racket or aeroplane control, the book seems a poor choice of entertainment. But when was the last time a Nintendo Wii helped a child overcome bullying, get through their parents’ divorce or…

Aye Write! - Best of the rest

28 Feb 2008

Asne Seierstad The Norwegian journalist who has reported on war in Iraq, Kosovo and Afghanistan discusses her new book, Angel of Grozny: Inside Chechyna. Fri 7 Mar, 6pm. Kathleen Turner She gave young adolescents many sleepless nights with her…

From Saturn to Glasgow: a celebration of Edwin Morgan

28 Feb 2008

POETRY EVENT Mitchell Library, Glasgow, Sun 9 Mar While the guid folk of Edinburgh are enjoying Stevenson’s Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde, this year’s Glasgow City Read focuses on a new poetry collection, From Saturn to Glasgow: Fifty Favourite Poems by Edwin…

William McIlvanney interview

The big man

12 Feb 2007

The publication of William McIlvanney’s novel Weekend was like welcoming an old friend home after a very long holiday, and finding that the time away has left them in extremely rude health.

Jed Mercurio interview

Scaling the heights

12 Feb 2007

As someone who knows all about living up to a legacy, F1 racing driver Damon Hill once said: ‘Winning is everything. The only ones who remember you when you come second are your wife and your dog.’ It’s a sentiment that sits well with the protagonist of…

Aye Write! highlights

Write In

12 Feb 2007

Raj Persaud With a twinkle in his eye, the dapper broadcaster, author and psychiatrist entertains with talk about seduction. It’s fine, though, you can trust him, he’s a doctor. Fri 16 Feb, 6pm.

Aye Write!

Mitchell Library, Glasgow, Fri 16-Sun 25 Feb

12 Feb 2007

BOOK FESTIVAL At times, it might seem like the world of children’s writing is a woman’s domain. You can barely move in the kids section of a book store without bumping into a whole shelf dedicated to JK Rowling, Jacqueline Wilson, Anne Fine or Lauren…

Jennifer McCartney - in love with literary Glasgow

Staying afloat

12 Feb 2007

The photograph on the cover of Jennifer McCartney’s first novel, Afloat, has the author sitting on a bench holding two small oranges. ‘I needed a picture and only had six to choose from,’ she says. ‘It was taken in Rome in the Vatican Orange Garden. We…

Aye Write!

The write stuff

16 Jan 2007

Aye Write!, the west coast festival which celebrates Glaswegian writing and the best of Scottish and international literature, has cut the red ribbon on its 2007 programme.

Aye Write! writers' festival

Glasgow writers’ festival joins in Britain’s bigge

13 Nov 2006

Aye Write!, the Glasgow book festival inaugurated in 2005, is to participate in Britain’s biggest ever reading project. Small Island Read 2007, which is set to attract tens of thousands of readers, from the West Coast of Scotland to Cornwall, is based…