Islay Book Festival

The Festival has built its reputation on inviting authors whom readers want to hear, and was started up by a prizewinning Book Group on the island.

This year, authors Iain Banks, Ali Smith, and Alanna Knight, and poets Janet Paisley and Kenneth Steven will appear during the weekend Festival which is held in the small primary school at Port Ellen, an idyllic coastal fishing village. Linda Strachan, Keith A Charteris and Cathy Cassidy will appear as part of the children’s programme, which caters for pre-schoolers through to teenagers, as will Mairi Hedderwick, who will be doing both a children’s and adult event.

The Port Ellen Book Group came second in the Penguin/Orange Book Group Prize in 2005, but was awarded the top prize of a trip to the Edinburgh Book Festival as the original winners were a group of prisoners. Whilst at the book festival, the group of nine women were encouraged to set up a Festival of their own. Boldly approaching authors, they found that many were only too keen to visit and share their work with audiences from the island and visitors alike.

With limited access to the arts and no public library on the island, the book festival offers the community there the rare opportunity to engage with writers and enhance their love of reading. For visitors to the island, it makes a unique trip combining seeing some of Scotland’s best writers talk live with exploring the beautiful setting of Islay, its wildlife, distilleries, golf courses and beaches.

Tickets priced £3 (£2) for adults and free for children can be booked in advance by writing to PO Box 3, Port Ellen, Isle of Islay and are also available at the festival on the day, subject to availability.

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