WE ARE EXTREMELY GRATEFUL TO OUR SPONSORS:

High Life Highland Inverness Library

The Scotrail Foundation managed by Foundation Scotland

Live Literature, which is supported by Creative Scotland and managed by Scottish Book Trust

This project has been supported by the Inverness Common Good Fund

WEA

High Life Highland Inverness Museum and Art Gallery

Velocity

Wild Pancakes

Caring & Sharing

C.Basinski

The Highland Council

Flyer designed by Corinna Wisemanwww.wisemangraphic.com

Matters of the spirit, of love, human nature and natural law are all carefully crafted into John Glenday’s prize-winning fourth collection of poetry.

13.00–14.00 The Golden Mean

Venue: Highland Print StudioPoetry – Collection – Reflection

Travel from one side of the world to another with talented illustrator Jill Calder. For children between 5-10 years old.NB: Illustrator Jill Calder will also visit the children’s ward, Raigmore Hospital. Not open to the public.

13.00–14.00 The Picture Atlas - An Incredible Journey

Venue: Inverness LibraryIllustration – Geography – Drawing – Families

Back in her home town, this is a rare opportunity to hear the multi-award-winning author talk about topics such as her latest work ‘Seasonal Quartets’ and the part she has played in the campaign to save our public libraries.

14.00–15.00 Ali Smith

Venue: Inverness Town HouseLiterary Fiction – Award-Winning – Local-born

Poets stare in different directions and Rosemary Badcoe has her eyes firmly on the link between science and poetry as she discusses her debut collection in a beautifully illustrated talk.

14.30–15.30 Drawing a Diagram

Venue: Highland Print StudioPoetry – Science – Spoken Word

Frank Quitely is an internationally renowned comic book artist who, in his near three-decade career, has contribu-ted work to DC Comics, Marvel, Image and many more. He has drawn numerous fan favourites such as Batman: The Scottish Connection, All Star Superman, Jupiter's Legacy and Judge Dredd. Come along to hear Frank’s fascinating insight. 

16.00–17.00 The World of Comic Books

Venue: Inverness Town HouseComic Books – Art – Experience

Rosemary Badcoe, creator and co-editor of online poetry magazine Antiphon and Kenny Taylor, editor of Northwords Now, swop stories on the challenges and rewards of putting together literary magazine publications.

16.00–17.00 Publishing Literary Magazines

Venue: Highland Print StudioPublishing – Literary Magazines – Editing – Insight

Old Dunbar’s Hospital seems a fitting place to hear about the history of pandemics as Moira Forsyth of Sandstone Press interviews Lesley Kelly, author of the ‘Health of Strangers’ thriller series.

18.00–19.00 Songs by Dead Girls

Venue: Wild Pancakes, 88 Church StreetFiction – Thriller – Outbreak – Virus

Gather round for ‘Bothy Tales’ from successful self-publisher and keen hillwalker, John D. Burns.

19.30–20.30 It’s Downhill to the Summit from Here

Venue: Velocity Café, Stephen’s BraeOutdoors – Scotland – Hillwalking – Non-Fiction

As she celebrates the magic of Scotland’s Northern Highlands in her personal journey around Scotland’s far north coast, Brigid Benson shares stories of remarkable encounters and unexpected discoveries.

13.00–14.00 North Coast Journey

Venue: Waterstone’sTravel – Memoir – Scotland

Follow Terry J. Williams as she travels the drove roads from Uist to Dingwall, with campervan adventures along the way and a few stories that didn’t make it to market!

15.00–16.00 Walking with Cattle

Venue: Waterstone’sCampervan Living – Travel – Highlands and Islands

Join Norman Newton on a cycle tour round the dwelling-places of some of Inverness’s famous literary inhabitants, starting with 4 Crown Circus (Josephine Tey) and finishing at the Town House, where we admire Provost Mackenzie's biblical inscriptions on the wall of The Athenaeum. (Notes and map provided. An exhibition of books and maps relating to this event will be on display at Inverness Library during NBF. Route is flat and undemanding.)

14.00–16.00 Cycling Through Inverness Suburbia: A Literary Guided Tour

Venue: Start Velocity Café, Stephen’s Brae. Finish at Inverness Town HouseBikes – Cycling – Literary Tour – Inverness

SUNDAY 7TH OCTOBER

EVERY DAY: CHILDREN’S BOOK HUNT

THURSDAY 4TH OCTOBER

WELCOME TO NESSBOOKFEST, WHERE:

We encounter life through books and meet the people behind the words

Grassroots and emerging writers sit equally beside big names

Tickets are FREE #nobarriers

Locals put together a programme for locals and beyond

Eventbrite: In person: By phone: By email:

The best and most direct way to book. Simply search for NessBookFest/your event title on www.eventbrite.co.uk Fill a ticket request form from Inverness Library. You will be contacted.Call/text 07379789483 for individual bookingsCall/text 07766 100198 for school programme bookingsNBFinverness@gmail.com

Note: Some events do not require booking, and tickets may be available on the door. Gaelic events are included in our separate schools’ programme.

From the Isle of Lewis to the dark heart of Europe, poet and author Donald S. Murray explores the extraordinary effect living close to moors has had on him and others.

14.00–15.00 The Dark Stuff: Stories from the Peatlands

Venue: Inverness Town HouseHeritage – Evocative – Non-fiction

Novelist Polly Clark discusses her debut about a woman's struggle with isolation and sanity, interwoven with the story of the poet W. H. Auden

17.00–18.00 Larchfield

Venue: Waterstone’sFiction – Poetry – Challenge – Past – Present

Find children’s book characters and match them to their quotes. Pick up a form from our NBF base in the Victorian Market. No need to book. Children of all ages.

Venue: Victorian MarketChildren’s Activity – Family – Interactive – Prizes

What is passed down and what is lost between the cracks? The tensions between community and isolation are exposed in Malachy Tallack’s Shetland novel.

19.30–21.00 The Valley at the Centre of the World

Venue: Inverness Town HouseFiction – Isolation – Shetland – Community

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Maggie Craig, author of the acclaimed ‘Damn’ Rebel Bitches: The Women of the ’45’, talks about ‘Gathering Storm’ and ‘Dance to the Storm’, the first two novels in her Jacobite trilogy, ‘Storm over Scotland’.

10.00–11.00 Jacobite Intrigue & Romance in 1740s Scotland

Venue: Inverness Museum and Art GalleryFiction – Jacobites – History – Romance

An illustrated talk by Dr Fraser Hunter about a range of local/Moray Firth finds, including the Torvean massive silver chain and the silver coin hoards from Birnie (Elgin).

13.30–14.30 Scotland’s Early Silver – Transforming Roman Pay-offs to Pictish Treasures

Venue: Inverness Museum and Art GalleryHistory – Romans – Picts – Treasure

Lecture by Inverness-based journalist, author, broadcaster and educator Roddy Maclean (Ruairidh MacIlleathain).

13.30–14.30 The Gaelic Place-Names and Heritage of Inverness

Venue: Inverness Town HouseGaelic – Places – Heritage – History

The star of Natalie Fergie’s novel is a vintage Singer sewing machine. Come and discuss her research, her crowd-funding route to self-publishing, the role of craft in mental health and much more if there’s time!

14.30–15.30 The Sewing Machine – Creating a Story, Stitch by Stitch

Venue: The Bike Shed, Grant Street, MerkinchFiction – Crafts – Singer – Heritage

Get ready for a tale of espionage and treachery in the aftermath of the ‘45 with renowned storyteller, Donald Smith.

11.30–12.30 Flora McIvor – Looking Again at the Jacobites

Venue: Inverness Museum and Art GalleryJacobites – History – Intrigue

FRIDAY 5TH OCTOBER

Morven-May MacCallum, author of ‘Finding Joy’ and Carrie Watts of Magic Lantern Books discuss writing as a tool to raise awareness of health issues - and the obstacles and benefits of writing in the midst of challenging circumstances.

17.00–18.00 Writing and Health

Venue: Artysan’s, Strother’s Lane, InvernessPanel – Health – Writing – Awareness

There’s a touch of the chameleon about Lorraine Thomson as she moves seamlessly from crime to dystopian fiction, from self-publisher to author at one of Germany’s largest publishers with ‘Dark Times’, her dystopian trilogy for young adults.

18.30–19.30 An Intriguing Publishing Journey

Venue: Inverness Town HousePublishing – Young Adult – Fiction – Experience

The No.1 Sunday Times bestselling author of the Logan McRae and Ash Henderson crime novels will be in conversation with Reuters-trained journalist Drew Hillier for what promises to be an evening of sparkling wit and repartee.

20.00–21.00 Stuart MacBride

Venue: Inverness Town HouseFiction – Crime – Bestseller – Discussion

A look at a representative sample of the Kirk Session Library material, covering theology, classics, history, philosophy and medicine. Meet a polyglot Bible, and some of the oldest books in the special collections in Inverness Library.

09.30–11.30 Meet the Books Workshop

Venue: Inverness Library, Reference RoomHeritage – Archive – Primary Sources

No need to roll up your sleeves to enjoy this session with Magi Gibson as she reads from her latest collection of poetry. Her writing ranges from the personal to the lyrical to the political to the comic, and even in its quietest moments burns with a fierce passion.

10.00–11.00 Washing Hugh MacDiarmid's Socks

Venue: Highland Print StudioPoetry – Humour – Spoken Word

Children can enjoy hours of activities based mainly on environmental themes with Gordon MacLellan aka Creeping Toad. For more information, visit our hub in the Victorian Market. No need to book. Children of all ages.

10.00–16.00 Storytelling

Venue: Various locations in Inverness Storytelling – Activities – Environment – Fun

SATURDAY 6TH OCTOBER

Interested in self-publishing? Then get your questions ready for Debbie Young, editor of the Author Advice blog of the Alliance of Independent Authors.

10.00–11.00 Self-publishing Made Simple

Venue: Waterstone’s Self-Publishing – Expert – Writing

A WEA Creative Writing Workshop to explore your inner self. Join local writer Mairi Sutherland for a relaxed and fun session, with a variety of short writing exercises which will kick-start your creativity and free you as a writer.  A chance to meet like-minded folk!

10.00–12.00 Writing for Resilience

Venue: Inverness Town HouseWriting – Workshop – Creativity

Join poet Ali Whitelock, on her return to Scotland after 23 years, as she reads from her latest collection, ‘and my heart crumples like a coke can’ which reveals, among other things, the emptiness left by the death of an emotionally absent parent.

11.30–12.30 Coming Home

Venue: Highland Print StudioPoetry – Performance – Exile

The theme of local historian Norman Newton’s literary guided walk will be descriptions of Inverness found in both fiction and non-fiction. The route of the walk visits locations identified in printed books in downtown Inverness. (Notes and map provided; route is relatively flat and undemanding. An exhibition of books and maps relating to this event will be on display at Inverness Library during NBF.)

12.00–13.30 Inverness in Fiction and Non-Fiction: A Literary Guided Walk

Venue: Walk starts from Leakey’s Bookshop, Church Street and finishes at the Town House.Walk – Tour – Literary Locations – Inverness

Can crime novels be as much romantic comedy as murder mystery? Find out how Debbie Young’s ‘Sophie Sayers Village Mystery’ Series turn murder stories into upbeat, life-affirming, feel-good fiction!

11.30–12.30 The Reluctant Murderer

Venue: Waterstone’sFiction – Crime – Feelgood – Humour