This weekend, Books, Storytelling

Traditional song, poetry and storytelling competitions, plus an evening ceilidh.

An age-free arts festival with music, literature and spoken word, visual art and crafts, film and theatre as well as a programme of talks and debates. 2013 promises intimate venues, rising stars, unique collaborations, participation and mental stimulation.

Blind Poetics, Illicit Ink, Inky Fingers and Writers’ Bloc have put aside their differences to come together for National Flash Fiction Day (just kidding they probably all get along just fine). A number of Edinburgh's finest bring their terse, compact stories to the stage to prove tiny stories can still pack a wallop.

A presentation, using storytelling, song, dance, film and documents, of stories from the lives of hundreds of Orcadians who, during the 18th and 19th centuries, became servants of the Hudson Bay Company. Devised and directed by Fran Flett Hollinrake.

Relive novelist and filmmaker Marcel Pagnol's summertime memories; from the pursuit of the Rock Partridge birds to walks in the Garlaban hills.

The literary and cultural hub that is Charing Cross Road gets its day in the spotlight as it plays host to a number of authors, musicians, crafters and other cultural purveyors for a weekend mini fest. The programme includes everything from ukulele workshops, to author talks, to film screenings, to book detectives who are…

• Written by: Molly Naylor

Theatre-maker Molly Naylor presents her solo show consisting of three linked stories about love and fear, interspersed with poetry, autobiography and research extracts. Features a live soundtrack created by The Middle Ones.

A storytelling and craft activity session looking at how people from different cultures and countries work together in times of hardship and war.

A weekly story reading event, brought to you by Simon Oldfield and Elizabeth Day. Each time, a new line-up of authors, artists, actors and cultural commentators read aloud from contemporary and classic literature.

A storytelling adventure about the life of inventor and engineer Elijah McCoy, who invented a lubricating system for steam engines.

A storytelling session following a group of shapes who find out how much better things are when they get along.

The festival starts off from Edinburgh by bus and makes its way to various literary landmarks in the Highlands before alighting on Skye for walks, stories, music and a ceilidh.

Each session is on a different tale inspired by Shakespeare and the themes in his plays.

A picture book and the first chapter of a longer book will be read at each session.

Listen to themed stories.

An 'enchanting' half hour of storytelling which will keep your little ones - and you - enthralled, all in the picturesque setting of our National Trust grounds.

Storytelling session.