Kathleen Jamie, whose latest poetry collection The Tree House won the 2004 Forward Poetry Prize for the Best Poetry Collection of the Year is to launch the Word 05 Festival Programme at a special reading at the University of Aberdeen on Thursday 24 March at 1pm.
Heralded as one of Britain’s foremost poets, Kathleen was born in the West of Scotland in 1962. Her four collections of poetry and travel book, The Golden Peak: travels in Northern Pakistan (1992) which was recently updated and reissued as Among Muslims (2002) have won her many awards and nominations including the EC Gregrory Award (1982), Somerset Maugham Award (1994), Forward Prize (Best Individual Poem) (1996), Paul Hamlyn Foundation Award for Individual Artists (1997), and the Geoffrey Faber Memorial Award twice in 1996 and 2000.
Kathleen joins a prestigious list of previous festival launch speakers including Seamus Heaney, Louis de Bernières and Don Paterson. The Word Festival is an annual event and takes place over three days from 13 – 15 May 2005. Last year the festival attracted well over 6,000 people to its packed programme of events.
This year the festival celebrates its 5th birthday with its biggest and most diverse line-up to date. Over 50 national and international authors will participate in the festival’s packed weekend programme of workshops, readings, film screenings, music events and art exhibitions.
Elly Rothnie, Festival Producer said:
"We are delighted that Kathleen Jamie will be launching the programme for Word 05, audiences will get a unique opportunity to hear one of our finest living poets fresh from winning the Forward prize in 2004.
This special reading will kick-off the celebrations for the Word's fifth birthday with the announcement of our best line-up to date. Expect old friends, new directions and more opportunities than ever to get right to the heart of your favourite books. We will also be announcing details of our hugely expanded children's programme which will give hundreds of young people the chance to meet their favourite authors. Come and join us for a very special literary lunchtime."
The Word Festival takes place at the University of Aberdeen and other key arts venues around the city. It is an important cultural tourism event for Aberdeen, one of the most popular literary festivals in Scotland, and a key date in the UK’s arts calendar.