The programme for the sixth Word – University of Aberdeen Writers Festival –is launched today, Tuesday 28 March, and features an impressive line-up of some of the world’s finest writers.
The line-up for WORD 06 is the most international ever with writers participating from as far afield as New Zealand, Canada and China.
The Word Festival is one of Scotland’s most popular literary events and takes place over three days from 12 – 14 May at the University of Aberdeen and other arts venues around the city.
This year celebrities, big international names and the cream of local talent will be participating in a packed programme of talks, readings, film screenings, art exhibitions Gaelic literary events, children’s workshops and storytelling, and four days of events for primary and secondary school pupils.
Word 06 Highlights
A celebrity, high quality line-up of authors participating at the Festival including:
· Richard E Grant, one of Britain's best loved actors introducing his semi-autobiographical directorial debut film Wah-Wah!
· Opening this year's Festival will be Alistair MacLeod, one of the world's greatest living writers. This will be an exclusive Word Festival appearance by the peerless Canadian author of No Great Mischief and Island
· Liz Smith – the nation's favourite grandmother and nana from The Royle Family reading from her recently published memoirs Our Betty – Scenes from a Life
· Mick O'Hare – Editor of the New Scientist whose book Does Anything Eat Wasps? answers some of life’s long unanswered questions including ‘Why people have eyebrows?’ and ‘How long can I live on beer alone?’
· Alain de Botton – the UK’s most popular philosopher and best-selling author talking about his new book and Channel Four series The Architecture of Happiness
· Marina Lewycka author of the runaway best-seller A Short History of Tractors in the Ukranian that scooped the Bollinger Prize for best comic novel reading with Jane Harris, first-time novelist, tipped to be one of the hottest literary debuts of the year.
· Award-winning poet Simon Armitage, Don Paterson & Carol Ann Duffy, Orange Long-listed novelist Hilary Mantel, scholar, poet and polemicist Tom Leonard and former Skids frontman and filmmaker Richard Jobson
And much more…
The second year of the Gaelic Literary Festival with some of the finest voices in Gaelic including Iain Finlay Macleod, Meg Bateman and Martin McIntyre.
The Children's WORD Festival will be held over the weekend with many of the events taking place in the brand new CALA homes storytelling teepee and feature writers Mairi Hedderwick creator of the hugely popular Katie Morag series, storyteller and illustrator Moira Munro author of the Hamish the Bear series, plus workshops on the natural world, writing rap, drawing cartoons and solving problems with the AA's latest story character Patrolman Pete.
Professor C Duncan Rice, Principal and Vice-Chancellor, University of Aberdeen said:
The Word Festival has established itself as one of Scotland's most popular and exciting literary events and a landmark cultural and educational event for the City of Aberdeen.
This year's festival will be the biggest literary event the North-east has ever seen and will include prominent international authors from as far afield as New Zealand and Ontario, as well as a hugely expanded schools programme which will involve hundreds of young people in literary activity.
The diverse, stimulating programme for Word 06 will enrich our own community and contribute to the wider cultural landscape in this exciting time for Scottish Literature.
Alan Spence, Artistic Director of Word said:
The sixth Word Festival, like every one before it, is the best yet!
The festival features some big international names and some genuine celebrities, alongside local talent.
There's a truly jam-packed programme, catering for all tastes. The literary standard is higher than ever, with poetry particularly well represented - one mouth-watering line-up features three of the finest talents in the UK today, Carol Ann Duffy, Don Paterson and Simon Armitage.
The Children's Festival will be bigger, brighter and noisier! (Check out the tepee on Kings' Lawn!) and the Gaelic Festival consolidates with a programme of real strength and depth.
WORD now sets the standard for similar-sized festivals, and is quite simply the best of its kind in the UK.