Festival promises bigger and better line up
A charity book festival is promising more sex, more music and more poetry for rural Scotland.
Organisers of the Big Lit have unveiled the programme for the four-day festival in Gatehouse of Fleet from 16 to 19 April promising an eclectic mix of highlights.
Among these will be a reading by local author Karen Campbell (pictured) from her new post-referendum book Rise.
Campbell was made famous by her four crime novels, which were based in Glasgow and featured Sergeant Anna Cameron and Cath and Jamie Worth.
She said: “Big Lit is a wee jewel of a festival. You're guaranteed a warm welcome, and an eclectic mix of writers, talks and art - everything from guerilla poets to word sculptures. It's one of my favourite literary festivals, tucked away in such a beautiful part of the world, and I'm delighted to have been asked to take part again.”
The event is organised by the renowned poet Chrys Salt whose latest collection Dancing on a Rock, was recently launched at the Bath Book Festival.
Salt said: “For four days in April we will be turning a quiet and pretty historic town in the depths of rural Dumfries and Galloway into a den of sex and revelry - which will be great fun.
“We are expecting lots of interest from writers and the public as we have so much going on, including authors like Michèle Roberts’ tackling juicy subjects like how to write about sex, and whether porn silences or empowers.”
Michèle Roberts’ workshop, The Pleasures of the Text, will consider issues like whether authors get trapped in flowery writing or clinical writing and whether the Bad Sex Award encourages good writing or puts authors off completely for fear they will be mocked.
She said: “I am delighted to be coming to read, talk, teach, listen and learn at Big Lit. I look forward to meeting other readers and writers and to being in Scotland again.”
The festival will also be offering poetry, song, installation art and special activities for children, including as an exploration in the local Cally Woods where they will encounter some of their favourite fictional characters.
