Nicola Sturgeon will be among some of Scotland’s biggest literary names appearing at Byres Road Book Festival.
The first female and longest-serving First Minister will be heading to Glasgow’s West End to discuss her memoir Frankly at Òran Mór.
In this deeply personal memoir - a Sunday Times Bestseller - Sturgeon recounts her journey from working-class Ayrshire to the steps of Bute House. Revealing the person behind the politician, she explores the schism between her private and public personas: one painfully shy and self-critical, the other a consummate public performer. And yet, she pulls no punches, candidly recounting her interactions with figures including Theresa May, Boris Johnson, Donald Trump, and Alex Salmond – her mentor and, ultimately, her staunch adversary.
The Byres Road Book Festival returns for four days of free author events, live conversations, workshops and family activities will take place across the West End from September 24–27.
The programme also includes bestselling author John Niven who makes his debut at the festival and joins BAFTA-winning screenwriter Andrea Gibb to talk about what happens when stories move from the page to the screen.
The seventh annual festival will see authors, writers, screenwriters and performers take over venues including Òran Mór, Hillhead Library, Oxfam Bookshop and Glasgow University’s’ Clarice Pears building.
Andrea said: “I’m really delighted to be back at the Byres Road Book Festival. It’s a fantastic festival, really well managed and very friendly. I love that it has such a strong local appeal, yet the programme is varied enough to attract an audience from elsewhere. It’s a proper gem.”
There’s plenty for younger readers too. Award-winning author Maisie Chan will bring her new picture book Chi Chi the Panda to Hillhead Library, with the festival also featuring storytimes, creative workshops and an interactive monster-making session with illustrator Tom Morgan-Jones.
Maisie said: “I’m super excited to be bringing my new picture book, Chi Chi the Panda to the Byres Road Book Festival this year. The festival is a brilliant way for Glasgow families to come together during this National Year of Reading to celebrate and share books in our local community.”
The festival opens on Thursday, September 24 with a special evening celebrating the work of acclaimed Scottish writer Agnes Owens, presented in collaboration with the Agnes Owens Archive. The event will include readings and conversations with writers including Kirstin Innes, William Letford and Chitra Ramaswamy.
Elsewhere across the weekend, visitors can take part in a Murder Mystery at Oxfam Bookshop, spend a day developing their writing at the Writing Wrongs workshop at Glasgow University’s Clarice Pears Building, hear from some of Scotland’s leading crime writers and take part in book swaps for both children and adults.
Organised by Visit West End, the festival brings together established authors and new voices, with a programme designed to appeal to everyone from serious readers and aspiring writers to families looking for something to do at the weekend.
And there’s no ticket price barrier – all events are free, although booking is required.
The full programme and tickets are available through Eventbrite.