Birnam Book Festival Marks First Anniversary
Scotland’s newest book festival celebrated its first year on the literary calendar with a full day of special events at Birnam Arts on 23rd November, 2019.
Karine Polwart was the featured author/artist for the anniversary day. The seven-time winner at the BBC Radio 2 Folk Awards is also a spoken-word performer, storyteller, theatre-maker and published essayist. Polwart hosted one-off solo evening exclusively for the Birnam Book Festival, featuring songs with literary connections, conversation and storytelling. With her Scottish Songbook album hitting the Top 40, this rare opportunity for an intimate audience with one of Scotland’s most in-demand artists quickly sold out.
In the morning, Polwart was joined by acclaimed illustrator Kate Leiper to share their new picture book, “A Wee Bird Was Watching”. In the afternoon, writer Tim Mole discussed his treasure trove for book lovers, “The Secret Life of Books“. He was joined by noted author, editor and columnist Magnus Linklater CBE, along with authors Fiona Valpy and Jamie Jauncey to explore the evolution of books, from classics to kindle.
Photos by Douglas McBride
