The Highlands longest-running literary festival has announced it will focus on Scottish-based writing talent in a bid to work around restrictions arising from the Covid-19 pandemic.
The Ullapool Book Festival, which was first held in 2005, hopes to overcome new travel constraints with a festival line-up that includes writers who live and work in Scotland.
This year’s festival is due to be held from May 7-9.
Headline acts include Scottish historian, Sir Tom Devine, Irish writer, journalist and broadcaster Peter Geoghegan and Leela Soma the 2021 Scriever of the Federation of Writers Scotland.
Sir Tom has written and edited more than forty books on Scottish history, Irish-Scottish studies and contemporary issues – and is the only historian of Scotland to be knighted for services to the study of Scottish history.
Mr Geoghegan’s latest book, Democracy For Sale: Dark Money and Dirty Politics, is the story of how money, vested interests and digital skulduggery has destroyed trust in democracy and fuelled the rise of populism in Britain and the west.
Glasgow-based poet Leena Soma, who was born in Madras, India, has had a number of her poems and short stories published in several anthologies.
She has published three novels and two collections of poetry, some of which reflects her dual heritage of India and Scotland.
The festival will also feature authors Chris Dolan, Donald S. Murray, Linda Cracknell, Ambrose Parry and Fiona J. Mackenzie, while prize-winning poets Miriam Gamble and poet laureate of Glasgow, Jim Carruth, will hold sessions.
Ambrose Parry is the pseudonym for a collaboration between best-selling author Christopher Brookmyre and his consultant anaesthetist wife, Marisa Haetzman.
Donald S Murray, a Gaelic speaking poet, author and dramatist has two books coming out in 2021 – the novel, In a Veil of Mist, and a non-fiction book, For the Safety of All – the Story of Scotland’s Lighthouses.
Mr Muray’s 2019 award-winning novel, As the Women Lay Dreaming, was inspired by the Iolaire yacht disaster, in where 201 people died at the entrance to Stornoway harbour on the Isle of Lewis on 1 January 1919.
The first live presentation of Sunwise, a collaboration between storyteller Ian Stephen, musician Mike Vass and artist Christine Morrison will also be heard.
Ullapool Book Festival chairwoman, Jean Michael, said: “Ullapool Book Festival has a well-deserved reputation for bringing a magnificent array of home-grown and international writing talent to the North West of Scotland.
“To overcome any potential travel difficulties arising from Covid-19 restrictions the writers appearing at the 2021 festival all reside in Scotland.
“Despite restraints the festival line-up is as impressive as ever.”
Tickets for the Ullapool Book Festival, which received funding from Creative Scotland towards the 2021 event, will go on sale on April 9.
