Exciting things are happening as Kirkcudbright Book Week becomes Kirkcudbright Book Festival with a new website, a new programme and a new Facebook page.
The 2026 event will run from March 5-8 and details will be announced on January 1.
This website will no longer be used for updates. The new website at www.kbtbookfestival.org is now live and includes details of the new gift vouchers scheme, which allows you to treat loved ones to tickets.
If you are on Facebook, the Book Week page is to be discontinued and you can find the new one by searching for Kirkcudbright Book Festival and it’s live now.
The festival organisers can be contacted at their new email address kbtbookfestival@gmail.com
Poet Kenneth Steven has a knack of picking fascinating subjects and giving them a distinctive treatment and his latest collection A Song Among The Stones adds to that reputation.
Kenneth, who has appeared at Kirkcudbright Book Week, chose the story of 7th Century Irish hermit monks who left the island of Iona and dared to cross an unforgiving ocean to the wild, unknown shores of Iceland.
Inspired by this incredible journey, Kenneth distilled their experience into this sequence of poems that are sparse and pared to the bone, suggesting simple fragments of story recorded by the monks after their return to Scotland.
The book, which is illustrated by Frances Law, can be purchased in paperback format on Amazon.
The second crime novel by Castle Douglas writer David L Haigh has been published with the third in the series to be available in November (2025).
Hooked By The Past, the second book in the series, is published by Ingle-Haigh and follows David’s debut crime novel Land Kill, which came out in February 2024. Ingle-Haigh will publish A Fruitless Revenge, the third in the series, in the week beginning November 10.
Again drawing heavily on the Northumbrian countryside, as did Land Kill, Hooked by The Past begins when the estranged wife of criminal Barry Klaxon is found dead by local journalist Colin Jakeman.
Jakeman sets out to investigate the Klaxon Gang after the death of his brother, and also investigating the events is DCI Jeff Spencer and his team. The longer the investigation continues, the more it unearths evidence of extortion, murder and grievous bodily harm.
David, a member of the Stewartry Writers group, who came to live in Dumfries and Galloway in 2019, had not envisaged embarking on a career as a crime writer but all that changed when he attended a writing workshop run for the group.
Inspiration struck during the workshop run by John Dean, the crime writer who lives near Castle Douglas and has twenty six titles to his name, and who has continued to support David.
David, who appeared at last year’s Kirkcudbright Book Week, said: ”That workshop planted the idea in my brain and John has remained a guiding light with his encouragement and advice.
“Land Kill was my first venture into crime fiction. In the beginning, I had no intention of it being anything more than a one-off but by the end of the novel thoughts of a follow-on saga for DCI Jeff Spencer and his team began to sprout.
“Hooked By The Past grew into the second book in the series. A Fruitless Revenge is the latest.”
John Dean said: “David is the perfect example of an author who becomes inspired by the potential for storytelling offered by crime fiction. I am impressed at the way the ideas have kept coming and the way David has continued to hone his writing skills.”
David said that other support has included editing by Claire Cronshaw, of Cherry Edits, and proof-reading by freelance book editor Laura Dean. The cover designs were produced by Bespoke Author, who also carried out the formatting for sale on Amazon.
Advanced orders are being taken for an anthology of short stories produced by a new Scottish publisher working with a highly inventive format.
274 Miles features forty stories, none more than 274 words. The collection, which will be Glasgow-based Tantallon Tìr’s debut anthology when it is published on September 30, 2025, takes its title from the fact that the Scottish mainland, from the Mull of Galloway to Cape Wrath, is 274 miles.
The fact led to an anthology comprising the forty stories featuring crime, horror, sci-fi, literature, and everything in between.
Tantallon Tìr says that the collection features ‘the very best writers from, or living in, Scotland’.
Advance copies of the 274 Miles anthology (£12) can be ordered at :
A report into Scotland’s public and school libraries has underlined their importance to the communities they serve.
The research was carried out by the Scottish Book Trust, a supporter of Kirkcudbright Book Week, and our website ran an article on the interim report several months ago. Now the final version has been published.
The Trust’s survey of 2,000 library users, carried out in partnership with the National Library of Scotland, the Scottish Library and Information Council and the Chartered Institute of Library and Information Professionals in Scotland, found that 90% of respondents said that their library inspires their love of reading ‘a lot’.
More than 80% reported that their library saves them money ‘a lot’ and 92% viewed their local library as a safe space.
Worryingly, the researchers received many comments from people concerned with the imminent or recent closure of libraries – the report said that 97 of Scotland’s public libraries closed between 2008 and 2024 (more than 1 in 8, or 16%).
One in three librarians reported that their whole service is at risk of reduction or losses and 82% – 4 in 5 librarians – reported a restriction in their funding and resources.
The report said that libraries are filling their communities’ unmet needs in the wake of social cuts, deprivation and digital poverty, particularly for isolated or immobile aging people, and can be a peaceful haven for many users.
It says that libraries in smaller or more remote communities are often the only place for people to find community and support and that shutting these libraries down fails to recognise the impact on those who use the service.
Many of the replies highlighted the work that libraries do to support mental health and provide access to learning and recreation for both children and adults.
A total of 60% of librarians and 88% of library users indicated that libraries were ‘quite’ or ‘very important’ in providing further education and learning opportunities.
Two in three librarians (66%) reported their community faces digital poverty and many library users referred to their library as a lifeline for digital access. A total of 96% of librarians who took part reported that their library offers access to Wi-Fi, 98% to computers with internet, 70% to ebooks/eReaders and 95% to photocopying/printing scanning.
Recommendations in the report include a call for the Scottish Government to ensure that it empowers local authorities across Scotland with sufficient funding and resources.
Another crime writer who appeared at Kirkcudbright Book Week 2025 was shortlisted for a major award.
Hot on the tail of news that D V Bishop had been shortlisted for two Crime Writers’ Association Daggers, just missing out on winning, came the inclusion on the shortlist for the Harrogate International Festivals Theakston Old Peculier Crime Novel of the Year 2025 of Chris Brookmyre.
Chris, a past winner of the award, was shortlisted for his book The Cracked Mirror. The result were revealed on the opening night of the Theakston Old Peculier Crime Writing Festival on Thursday July 17. Unfortunately, Chris missed out on the top prize.
The six books shortlisted for the Theakston Old Peculier Crime Novel of the Year 2025, now in its twenty-first year, are:
The Cracked Mirror by Chris Brookmyre (Little, Brown Book Group, Abacus)
The Mercy Chair by M.W. Craven (Little, Brown Book Group, Constable)
The Last Word by Elly Griffiths (Quercus Books, Quercus Fiction)
Hunted by Abir Mukherjee (Vintage; Harvill Secker) – named as the winner
Deadly Animals by Marie Tierney (Bonnier Books, Zaffre)
All the Colours of the Dark by Chris Whitaker (Orion, Orion Fiction)
Chris gave a talk at Broughton House during the Kirkcudbright book festival in March 2025 with Marisa Haetzman. They write crime novels together as Ambrose Parry.
We are delighted to hear that crime writer D V Bishop, who appeared in one of the events leading up to Kirkcudbright Book Week 2025, was shortlisted for two prestigious Dagger awards.
The author was one of five who visited bookshops across Dumfries and Galloway as part of the build-up to Kirkcudbright Book Week in early March. The free events were funded by a £1,500 grant from Dumfries and Galloway Council from the Regional Cultural Fund and D V Bishop visited New Chapter Books in Wigtown in an event organised with Well Read Books and Foggie Toddle Books, also in Wigtown.
The visit promoted the author’s latest book, the paperback version of A Divine Fury (Macmillan), which was shortlisted in the Gold Dagger category for the overall best crime novel of the year and the Historical Dagger for the best historical crime novel of the year. Unfortunately, he missed out on the main prize in each category.
The awards are run by the Crime Writers’ Association. More information on the winners can be found at https://thecwa.co.uk/
Crime writer John Dean has a new website whose contents include numerous free pieces of advice for aspiring authors.
The website offers ‘handy hints’, on topics ranging from creating characters and developing plots to finding ways to be inspired by the landscape and how to make dialogue sound realistic.
John, who has had twenty five novels published by The Book Folks, lives near Kirkcudbright and supports its annual Book Week.
Long-distance cyclist and author Naomi Johnson launched a mission to inspire people to make their dreams come true through the power of positive thinking. She launched an extended version of her book The World at 15mph..ish at an event in Bristol in March, followed by online events. The book tells how she cycled 20,000 miles through 26 countries with a man she had met just three times. The extended book is available online and on order from your local bookstore.
Naomi’s new initiative has already been well received and, following a sold-out event in Bristol and an appearance at the Adventure and Cycle Show at the NEC, she will be hosting online (Zoom) sessions sharing insights from the book. Naomi, who also sits on the committee of Kirkcudbright Book Week Society, said: “I hope people will find it an inspiring story. If I can do something like my bike ride, people can do anything they set their mind to. “The trip included road and off-road adventures with rides from Cairo to Capetown, the Annapurna circuit in Nepal and attempting Alpe d’Huez with full panniers and camping gear. “During my talk, people will hear why I have extended the book as the ‘one life-one opportunity’ motto. I hope to inspire as many people as I can to live their dream, ride their bike and see the world.” More information is available at www.bikemind.co.uk and, if you wish to book Naomi as a speaker or sign up for her mailing list to hear about future bike, travel and inspiration themed events and podcasts, you can do so by emailing naomi@bikemind.co.uk
Experts from various sides of the publishing world provided plenty of entertainment in the penultimate event of Kirkcudbright Book Week.
Publisher Ian Spring, the founder of Rymour Books, Elizabeth Parsons, of Kirkcudbright Book Shop Gallovidia, and authors Anstey Spraggan and Gerry Hassan debated the dramatic changes in the industry in a debate held at The Selkirk Arms, expertly chaired by Rosie Ilett, writer, editor and co-director of the Kirkcudbright Fringe Festival.
A couple of days ago, we asked people to get in touch if they wanted to mention an outstanding moment from this year’s Kirkcudbright Book Week. George Nevin sent us a comment about the talk by war historian Prit Buttar (pictured here) on The Siege of Leningrad at The Kirkcudbright Galleries.
George said: “The talk was outstanding. Prit was a very credible presenter and knew his subject well. I found the talk fascinating – as much because of the parallels with today.”
Would you like to read work from the Kirkcudbright Book Week authors of tomorrow? Well, now you can because the winners have been announced in our short story competition for young writers from Dumfries and Galloway.
The competition, which ran for the second year, was one of the events for young writers linked to the annual Book Week, which saw a day of free events at the library to mark World Book Day, on Thursday March 6.
Entrants between the ages of nine and 15 were asked to provide examples of Flash Fiction, a form of very short fiction. The competition was run jointly by book week organisers the Kirkcudbright Book Week Society and Kirkcudbright Library, which is operated by Dumfries and Galloway Council.
You can find out who won, and read their winning stories, at
A large and appreciative audience enjoyed listening to Andy Wightman, (pictured right), a writer and researcher focusing on land governance, land ownership and community land rights, when he appeared at Kirkcudbright Book Week on Thursday (March 6).
The event was held at Kirkcudbright Parish Church and was chaired by author Gerry Hassan.
The creator of the first Kirkcudbright Book Week event to sell out (there have been plenty more since) fascinated his audience with his talk at Café Feast on Wednesday (March 5).
Phil Robinson’s talk, entitled The Evolution of Typography, saw the typographer, artist and ancient language expert take his audience on a through the changing requirements and visual nature of typography with examples of books written with different media. He looked look at books from ancient Egypt, China, medieval manuscripts, letterpress printing, digital publishing and the special requirements for graphic novels and comic book design.
Kirkcudbright Book Week is well under way and we’re hearing plenty of comments from audience members who have enjoyed particular performances or moments. Well, if you wish to suggest one of your own, don’t keep it to yourself, share it with the rest of us by sending your name and details of what you wish to recommend, to Joint Book Week Co-ordinator John Dean at deangriss@btinternet.com and we’ll post it in the news section of the website here at http://www.kirkcudbrightbookweek.org
Maybe your favourite moment was this one, the appearance at Broughton House on Monday night (March 3) of Chris Brookmyre and Marisa Haetzman, who write together as crime writer Ambrose Parry? They are pictured being introduced to the audience by event Chair and local crime writer Ian Robinson and meeting audience members afterwards.
Author Des Dillon provided plenty of entertainment when he appeared in Wigtown as part of a series of events organised by Kirkcudbright Book Week Society to celebrate the work done by bookshops.
Writers have visited shops across Dumfries and Galloway during February as part of the build-up to the fourth annual Kirkcudbright Book Week, which runs between March 3 and 9 (full details on www.kirkcudbrightbookweek.org)
The free events have been organised by Kirkcudbright Book Week Society, partly to promote its Book Week and also to thank bookshops for the support that they have offered the festival over recent years.
The events, staged under the title A Good Read, have been funded by a £1,500 grant from Dumfries and Galloway Council, one of fourteen awards made to cultural and heritage projects across the region, totalling more than £62,000, from the new Regional Cultural Fund 2024/25.
The event featuring Des Dillon was organised by Foggie Toddle Books, of Wigtown, and hosted in New Chapter Books, Main Street, Wigtown, and the poet, author and playwright, read from his work and answered questions from the audience.
Two further events have taken place in bookshops as part of the build-up to Kirkcudbright Book Week.
Authors are visiting bookshops across Dumfries and Galloway during February as part of the run up to the fourth annual Book Week, which runs between March 3 and 9 (full details on www.kirkcudbrightbookweek.org)
The free events are supported by Kirkcudbright Book Week Society, partly to promote Book Week and also to thank bookshops for the support that they offer the festival. The events are funded by a £1,500 grant from Dumfries and Galloway Council, one of fourteen awards made to cultural and heritage projects across the region, totalling more than £62,000, from the new Regional Cultural Fund 2024/25.
Dalbeattie Books in High Street, hosted a drop-in session with author Alexis Fleming, the author of No Life Too Small, which tells the story of how she set up the Maggie Fleming Animal Hospice near Kirkcudbright, the world’s first animal hospice. Alexis and friends are pictured here during the visit.
She was joined by crime writer John Dean, Joint Book Week Co-ordinator, whose latest novel The Meek Shall Inherit (The Book Folks), has just been published.
Another event was hosted by Gallovidia Books in Kirkcudbright, who saw another crime writer, Lynne McEwan, visit the Gallovidia Murder Club, a book club which holds monthly Friday evening events in the shop to celebrate the classic crime novel. She talked about her series of crime books featuring DI Shona Oliver and set in Dumfries and Galloway.
Also part of the initiative, William Hussey, an award-winning author of more than a dozen novels, ranging from thrillers and books for Young Adults to Whodunnits, visited Waterstone’s in Dumfries to promote his new book The Boy I Love, 5, which is set in the First World War.
The final two events in the programme are:
Wigtown – Organised by Foggie Toddle Books, of Wigtown, and hosted in New Chapter Books, Main Street, Wigtown. Saturday February 15, 4pm. Des Dillon, poet, author and playwright, will read from his work and take part in a Question and Answer session. There will also be a selection of artworks from the author on display. Spaces are limited and booking via New Chapter Books or online with Eventbrite is advised.
Wigtown – Wigtown Church Hall, Lochancraft Lane, event organised by Foggie Toddle Books, Main Street. Friday February 21, 6pm Crime fiction and thriller author D V Bishop, whose books are published by Macmillan, will talk about writing, science-fiction and his character Cesare Aldo. His book A Divine Fury is published in paperback in January 2025.
This is a free event but tickets are required, available from New Chapter Books in association with Well Read Books, Agnew Crescent, and Foggie Toddle Books, all in Wigtown. All three shops can provide tickets, which are also available online on Eventbrite.
The build-up to Kirkcudbright Book Week began with an excellent evening featuring writer William Hussey, who enthralled an audience at Waterstone’s in Dumfries with the story behind his new novel.
Authors are visiting bookshops across Dumfries and Galloway during February as part of the build-up to the fourth annual Kirkcudbright Book Week, which runs between March 3 and 9 (full details on www.kirkcudbrightbookweek.org)
The free events are supported by Kirkcudbright Book Week Society, partly to promote its Book Week, which it stages in the first week of March each year, and also to thank bookshops for the support that they have offered the festival over recent years. The events, staged under the title A Good Read, are being funded by a £1,500 grant from Dumfries and Galloway Council, one of fourteen awards made to cultural and heritage projects across the region, totalling more than £62,000, from the new Regional Cultural Fund 2024/25.
William, an award-winning author of more than a dozen novels, ranging from thrillers and books for Young Adults to Whodunnits, visited the store to promote his new book The Boy I Love, 5, which is set in the First World War.
Further events are
Kirkcudbright Gallovidia Books, 75 St Mary Street, Kirkcudbright Friday February 7 7-9pm. Crime writer Lynne McEwan will visit the Gallovidia Murder Club, a book club which holds monthly Friday evening events at the bookshop to celebrate the art of the classic crime novel. She will give a talk about her series of crime books featuring DI Shona Oliver and set in Dumfries and Galloway.
Dalbeattie – Dalbeattie Books, High Street, Saturday February 8, 1-3pm. Readers can drop in at any time during the two hours for a chat and refreshments with author Alexis Fleming. Alexis, author of No Life Too Small, set up the Maggie Fleming Animal Hospice near Kirkcudbright, the world’s first animal hospice.
Wigtown – Organised by Foggie Toddle Books, of Wigtown, and hosted in New Chapter Books, Main Street, Wigtown. Saturday February 15, 4pm. Des Dillon, poet, author and playwright, will read from his work and take part in a Question and Answer session. There will also be a selection of artworks from the author on display. Spaces are limited and booking via New Chapter Books or online with Eventbrite is advised.
Wigtown – Wigtown Church Hall, Lochancraft Lane, event organised by Foggie Toddle Books, Main Street. Friday February 21, 6pm Crime fiction and thriller author D V Bishop, whose books are published by Macmillan, will talk about writing, science-fiction and his character Cesare Aldo. His book A Divine Fury is published in paperback in January 2025.
This is a free event but tickets are required, available from New Chapter Books in association with Well Read Books, Agnew Crescent, and Foggie Toddle Books, all in Wigtown. All three shops can provide tickets, which are also available online on Eventbrite.
We here at Kirkcudbright Book Week greatly appreciate the support of those organisations that spread the word about our event.
So, we were delighted to witness the support of two organisations who are promoting our article which looks at how some of the writers who will appear at Book Week between March 3 and 9 draw on the communities and landscape of Dumfries and Galloway and the wider Scotland for their inspiration.
One of the organisations is the excellent Trip Fiction, which caters for the growing trend towards people visiting locations that they read about in works of fiction.
Their website at (https://www.tripfiction.com/) provides information for people hoping to track down locations featured in books, including maps and a database that you can easily search by location, title and author.
We loved the way that they mentioned our article on the subject on their social media pages Facebook and X (Twitter as was).
Organisers of the fourth annual Kirkcudbright Book Week have been awarded a £1,750 grant from the Robin Rigg Community Fund to help them develop the crime fiction component of the festival.
Kirkcudbright Book Week is designed to celebrate the growing literary scene in and around the South West Scotland town and crime fiction has proved to be a popular genre with audiences since the first event was staged.
It is the third year running that the Robin Rigg Community Fund has supported Book Week, which in addition to crime writers features appearances from authors working in genres including everything from novels, historical fiction, fantasy, romance, thrillers and memoir to children’s books, poetry, non-fiction, political commentary and cookery.
The next Book Week is due to take place between March 3-9 and organisers the Kirkcudbright Book Week Society will use some of the grant from the Robin Rigg Community Fund to support the crime fiction programme.
It will use the remainder to support the staging of crime fiction events at other times of the year, including talks and workshops delivered by crime authors. Details will be released in due course.
The initiative has earned the support of the UK-based Crime Writers’ Association (CWA), whose Chair Vaseem Khan said: “If my regular trips up to speak at Scottish crime events have taught me anything it is that locals there love a good dollop of murder. Kirkcudbright’s support of the genre is wholeheartedly welcomed by the Crime Writers’ Association, as is the warmth with which readers in the region have embraced the crime writing community.”
Kirkcudbright Book Week Society Chair Chris Walker said: “Recent years have seen Dumfries and Galloway develop a tradition for crime fiction and that is something we are keen to support.
“The area is home to a number of crime writers, several of whom have appeared during Kirkcudbright Book Week, and the stunning Dumfries and Galloway landscape has been the setting for many crime novels.
“In addition, we have brought a number of big-name authors to Kirkcudbright for Book Week as we develop a reputation for championing crime writing, something which we are keen to continue.
“Our audiences love their crime fiction and the grant from the Robin Rigg Community Fund will help us to extend our offering.”
Crime writer John Dean, who lives near Kirkcudbright and is Joint Organiser of Book Week, said: “One of our aims is to attract visitors to the Kirkcudbright area and over the past couple of years, we have seen increasing numbers of people booking holidays and short breaks around Book Week events. A growing number of them have come to see events featuring the crime writers and building on that throughout the year will be good for the local economy.
“Kirkcudbright Book Week Society is dedicated to growing its support for as many different types of writing as we can and crime fiction is proving to be very popular so the thought of developing it further is an exciting one.”
The Robin Rigg Community Fund is sponsored by RWE, the operators of the Robin Rigg wind farm, and is administered by the Solway Firth Partnership.
Clair McFarlan, Partnership Manager at the Solway Firth Partnership, said: “We’re very excited to be supporting Kirkcudbright Book Week again this year. This is a growing event which not only encourages a love of reading but also helps to support the local economy. We encourage everyone to check out the events on offer – if you like books you’re sure to find something of interest.”
This is one of a series of articles on the website that turn the focus on particular elements of Kirkcudbright Book Week 2025. Here, we look at the increase in readers who seek out locations used by writers. Picture of Kirkcudbright taken by John Smith
Readers like to immerse themselves in the locations that their favourite authors use and increasing numbers of them are visiting the places which feature in the stories they read.
If you also consider the growing trend for people to book short breaks and holidays around events staged at literary festivals like Kirkcudbright Book Week, the potential becomes clear when it comes to attracting visitors and contributing to the local economy.
To help the process, festival organiser Kirkcudbright Book Week Society has come up with a few suggestions, taken from the work of some of the authors who will feature among the many events running in the town in south-west Scotland between March 3-9, 2025.
One such event is the launch of a new edition of The Little White Town of Never Weary, a book which waswritten and illustrated by Kirkcudbright illustrator Jessie M. King, who was born in 1875.
The book, which has been out of copyright, consists of the description of a small town, widely assumed to be Kirkcudbright where King lived at the time, and is presented in the form of a fairy tale for children.
It was intended as a tribute to the town, where King had happily settled with her husband and daughter, and the new edition, complete with an introduction by publisher Ian Spring, is planned for release to coincide with the 150th anniversary of her birth on 20th March 2025.
We are sure that readers will enjoy exploring the town which so inspired the author, book in hand, and there are plenty of hotels, Bed and Breakfasts, guest houses and Air BnB places available in Kirkcudbright and the surrounding area if they wish to book short breaks or longer holidays.
Jessie M. King is not the only writer featured in this year’s Book Week who set stories in Dumfries and Galloway locations which can be visited by readers.
Crime writer Aline Templeton sets her DI Marjory Fleming series in Dumfries and Galloway and her website (https://alinetempleton.co.uk/) has a section explaining her approach to locations, which sees her blend fictional and real places.
For example, she says, although the towns mentioned in the series do not exist, they are set in a real landscape. Kirkluce, a market town where the Galloway Constabulary has its headquarters, is on the main road half-way between Newton Stewart and Stranraer, Knockhaven, the fishing village in The Darkness and the Deep, lies between the villages of Port William and Monteith on Luce Bay, and Drumbreck, the setting for Lying Dead, is on an inlet off Wigtown Bay.
When the police officers move about the area, their routes are described using real place names and road numbers.
Lovatt Island, the island that is almost a central character in Evil for Evil, is placed beside the Isles of Fleet in Wigtown Bay and a place that does exist is the lighthouse on the Mull of Galloway. You can even see the rock, below the cliffs to the north, where the dead girl’s body was found in Dead in the Water and Clatteringshaws Loch and Glenluce Abbey, which feature in Bad Blood, are real as well.
Also drawing on Dumfries and Galloway for inspiration is local crime writer John Dean, who bases his DCI Jack Harris series of novels in a fictional North Pennines valley but switched a sizeable proportion of the action to real places in Scotland for his two most recent books (The Girl in The Meadow and To Catch A Lie, published by The Book Folks), having moved to live near Kirkcudbright.
Settings include a gangster’s fictional house on the real hills to the north of the A75, on the stretch between Dumfries heading towards Castle Douglas, and a fictional wildfowl rescue centre in the real Ayrshire Hills. John has also set important scenes in a motorway service station on the northbound M74 and in a café on Sauchiehall Street in Glasgow.
A number of the other authors who will appear at Book Week also use Scottish locations as a backdrop for their work but choose places that are further afield, with the Scottish islands proving particularly attractive to them.
For example, Penny McPherson, whose book The Colours of the Sky, the first in her historical fiction trilogy, was recently published, chose Skye for the setting, based on her long association with the island, and Donald S. Murray, a non-fiction author, novelist, poet and playwright, draws on his early years spent on the Isle of Lewis and his more recent experiences of Shetland, where he now lives.
Author Kenneth Steven, who is coming back to Kirkcudbright Book Week by popular demand after his debut last year, draws on a wide variety of Scottish locations as well, including for his recently-published book Atoms of Delight Ten Pilgrimages in Nature (In the Moment), which sees the poet and essayist take the reader through some of Scotland’s most beautiful landscapes in search of his ‘atoms of delight’ – treasures, both natural and spiritual.
In the book, he invites readers to accompany him as he seeks out crystal-clear waters, a glimpse of an elusive bird, delicate orchids, plump berries, or pebbles polished by time and tide. Appreciative of the grace of silence and the value of solitude and simplicity, he takes journeys that prompt introspection and provoke memories. Readers can derive much satisfaction from treading in his footsteps, book in hand.
Away from remote landscapes, Scotland’s main cities have also proved to be an attractive setting for some of the authors due to appear at Book Week and readers can derive much fun from taking their book out and matching the narrative with the locations which are real.
One such author is another crime writer in the form of Sara Sheridan, who selected 1820s Edinburghfor The Fair Botanists, Waterstone’s Scottish Book of the Year 2022, and 1840s Glasgow for her latest novel The Secrets of Blythswood Square.
Finally, another couple of crime writers drawing on Scottish landscapes they know well are Lynne McEwan, pictured here, whose series of novels feature DI Shona Oliver and are set in Dumfries and Galloway, and May Rinaldi, who is based in Dumfries and Galloway and draws heavily on her days in Airdrie for inspiration.
The trend towards people visiting locations from books is supported by Trip Fiction (https://www.tripfiction.com/) which provides information for people hoping to track down locations featured in books, including maps and a database that you can easily search by location, title and author.
If you wish to find out full details of the events mentioned here, you can go to the ‘Programme’ section at the top of the home page on the Book Week website http://www.kirkcudbrightbookweek.org. Clicking on the ‘Tickets’ section, also at the top of the home page, will take you through to the online booking system, which is run in conjunction with Ticket Source.
December 18 2024: The Kirkcudbright Book Week Society, which receives welcome support from the Scottish Book Trust, is, in return, doing what it can to promote the Trust’s campaign to raise funds to help children who are deprived of books. Here, crime writer and Book Trust Patron Val McDermid explains why the campaign is so important. We hope that you feel moved to donate to this important initiative.
When Janey Godley died last week, you didn’t have to be her friend to mourn the passing of a woman whose voice-overs created brightness in the darkest days of the COVID lockdown.
Janey grew up in desperate poverty in Glasgow. But she found light in the darkness that led her to forge an award-winning career in comedy, writing and acting. Here’s how she managed it.
‘I remember eating out of bins and being a teenager with dirty clothes. But I was bright and I loved reading, so I had the chance to escape. And I’m not ashamed of it, because it wasn’t my fault.’
But here we are, half a century after Janey was raking through bins for something to eat, and still thousands of children in Scotland are going without. Teachers report kids struggling to concentrate because they’re hungry, or falling asleep at their desks because they don’t actually have a bed to sleep in. And those same teachers quietly bring in charity shop clothes for their pupils so they can spirit their filthy clothes away to a washing machine.
The numbers are horrifying. I could fill this article with statistics that most of us would struggle to get our heads round. The Government promises us jam tomorrow with their grand investment plans but that’s meaningless to the families skewered by the cost of living crisis, crippled by debt, bereft of aspiration. Heating or eating, clean clothes or hot food, Christmas or yet another grinding disappointment?
A recent survey of more than 76,000 children and young people revealed that only a third said they enjoyed reading in their free time. It also reported that for those readers, as well as improving their reading skills, it also increases their aptitude for learning, their wellbeing, their empathy and their confidence.
Jonathan Douglas, chief executive of the National Literacy Trust, said: ‘With children and young people’s enjoyment of reading at an all-time low, and high numbers leaving primary and secondary school without the reading skills they need to thrive, the futures of a generation are being put at risk.’
Another voice adding to the argument is Frank Cottrell-Boyce, Waterstone’s Children’s Laureate. He said: ‘We know that children who read for pleasure, and children who are read to, gain all kinds of benefits. From increased vocabulary to vastly improved mental wellbeing. But today’s survey shows that too often as a nation we are withholding those benefits from our children.
‘These benefits are becoming a kind of invisible privilege. This has gone on long enough. The bad news is that we are at risk of losing a generation. The good news is that the solution is in our hands.’
So what is the solution to prevent those children becoming another lost generation? How do we throw them a lifeline?
We can’t wave a wand like a fairy godmother or offer them three wishes like the genie in a pantomime lamp. But we can offer them something that can make a difference.
We can hand them a book.
A book.
It doesn’t sound much but a book can unlock possibilities in a way nothing else can. A book is uniquely interactive. It’s an invitation to use our imagination. It’s a doorway into worlds of possibility, the proof that if you see it, you can be it.
Reading a school story where one of the characters grew up to be a writer who was paid for her efforts was the lightbulb moment for me, the point where I realised it was possible for a working-class kid like me to make a living with words. Right now, we need to offer genuine possibilities to all our children.
This year, Scottish Book Trust’s Christmas Appeal features The Very Hungry Caterpillar, by the late Eric Carle. The charity plans to give books to families and children visiting food banks for the fourth year in a row. The demand has increased every year, with the growing impact of economic pressures on disadvantaged families.
If you can afford it, put your hand in your pocket. Not just for the sake of the children, but for the sake of the economy. We can’t afford to lose the next generation.
This appeal offers change to those who need it most. Just as The Very Hungry Caterpillar munches its way through a bewildering assortment of food, so a child who discovers the joys of reading will want to devour all they can get their hands on. We owe it to them to make that journey happen.
The Scottish Book Trust supports Kirkcudbright Book Week through its Live Literature scheme, which pays half of a performance fee and all the expenses of some of the authors who appear at Book Week. That funding means that we can reduce some ticket prices as part of our campaign to attract people who might not normally consider attending a literary event, either because they do not think it is for them or because it is too expensive.
Val McDermid’s article is reproduced here with the kind agreement of Scottish Book Trust
Storyteller Heather Taylor, from local community enterprise organisation Commingled, is working with the Kirkcudbright Book Week Society on an exciting educational project, supported by a grant to the Society from the National Lottery Community Fund.
The collaboration between Kirkcudbright Book Week and Commingled began after the success of a multi-sensory storytelling event held on World Book Day in March 2024, part of Kirkcudbright Book Week.
Commingled’s Creative Director Heather adapted the latest children’s book by Susi Briggs, a renowned Author and Scots Scriever, to create an engaging experience.
The development of this initiative into something larger was made possible thanks to funding from the National Lottery Community Fund to Kirkcudbright Book Week Society, which was granted to commission Commingled to explore how engagement and participation could be increased for Kirkcudbright Book Week, particularly focusing on developing inclusion and accessibility within the community.
We have set young writers in Dumfries and Galloway a challenge in our latest short story competition, which is linked to the forthcoming Kirkcudbright Book Week in March.
Entrants have been asked to provide examples of Flash Fiction – but what exactly is Flash Fiction? We have produced an article that may help. It was written by author John Dean, of the Kirkcudbright Book Week Society, one of the sponsors of the competition, along with Kirkcudbright Library.
John and Lesley Garbutt, of the Library, will be the judges and writers can enter one of three age group categories. The word limits are:
9-10-years-old 500 words top limit
11-12-years-old 500 words top limit
13-15-years-old 650 words top limit
The closing date is February 10, 2025 and the prize-giving will be held at 7pm at the library in Daar Road on Thursday March 6 2025 as part of a day of free events hosted by the library for young readers and writers on World Book Day.
Authors due to appear at Kirkcudbright Book Week are looking forward to the event.
Rachael Fulton said: “Kirkcudbright Book Week has a fantastic programme of authors and publishing experts lined up, and I’m so excited to be a part of it. It’s a particularly special festival to me, as it’s so close to my hometown of Castle Douglas. Dumfries and Galloway’s landscape and culture has always had a huge influence on my writing, so it’ll be wonderful to return and chat about my short stories and upcoming novel in the region, where most of the ideas began.”
Ambrose Parry said: “As the winter starts to close in, it’s a comfort to know the unique light of Kirkcudbrightshire is beckoning in the Spring. Really looking forward to talking about medicine, mesmerism and murder in the new year.”
James Robertson said: “Kirkcudbright Book Week has, in just a few years, established itself as one of the best celebrations of reading and writing anywhere in Scotland. I’m looking forward to visiting the town for the first time in many years, and to my conversation with Karen Campbell about the power of words and my favourite authors and books. I’m hoping to attend some of the other sessions in Kirkcudbright Book Week’s excellent programme.”
Kenneth Steven, pictuered at the top of this post, and who in addition to giving a performance will also run a creative writing workshop for young authors as part of events on World Book Day, which is on the Thursday of Book Week, said: “It’s nothing less than a joy to be returning to take part in Kirkcudbright’s book festival. It’s a privilege to be offering sessions to adults and youngsters alike. Book festivals are ever-exciting for authors, and this one feels special because of the location. It’s the joy of coming to the magical south-west of Scotland and to a place that feels it was meant to have a book festival.”
Jenny Colgan said: “As a writer from the South West of Scotland, Kirkcudbright means a lot to me, and it’s always a joy to be back.”
Sue Lawrence said: “I am really looking forward to my appearance at Book Week. I can’t wait to be there.”
Hugh MacMillan, who in addition to performing at Book Week, runs a project for young writers involving Kirdcudbright Book Week Society and Kirkcudbright Academy, said: “One of the Book Week’s most worthwhile and ongoing projects is with the pupils of Kirkcudbright Academy. This year, we will be again holding workshops in English and Scots and also working towards a mini-literary festival in the school itself.”
John Dean, a crime writer and Joint Book Week Co-ordinator, said: “This will be the fourth Book Week and the constantly improving quality and variety of the programme shows our increasing confidence in the idea of a literary festival in the town. Kirkcudbright is already acknowledged as an Artists’ Town. Now, Book Week is putting it on the literary map as well.”
We are delighted to announce that Dumfries and Galloway Life is to publish the winners of our short story competition for young writers in the magazine.
The competition is run jointly by Kirkcudbright Book Week Society and Kirkcudbright Library, which is operated by Dumfries and Galloway Council. This is the second year it has been part of the annual Kirkcudbright Book Week, the next one of which runs between March 3-9, 2025.
Entrants are asked to provide examples of Flash Fiction, a form of short fiction that has become increasingly popular in recent years. Writers can enter one of three age group categories and the word limits are:
9-10-years-old 500 words top limit
11-12-years-old 500 words top limit
13-15-years-old 650 words top limit
The closing date is February 10, 2025. Dumfries and Galloway Life, which has over the years supported Kirkcudbright Book Week with articles promoting events, will publish the three age group winners following the announcement of the results at an event at 7pm on Thursday March 6 as part of the library’s celebration of World Book Day.
Young writers in Dumfries and Galloway are again being given the opportunity to show their talent by entering a short story competition.
The competition, which is running for the second year, is one of the events for young writers and readers that are linked to the annual Kirkcudbright Book Week, the next one of which runs between March 3-9, 2025.
The story competition closes on February 10, 2025. Entrants between the ages of nine and 15, are asked to provide examples of Flash Fiction, a form of short fiction that has become increasingly popular in recent years. It abides by the traditional use of a beginning, middle and an end but stories are much shorter than traditional short stories.
Writers can enter one of three age group categories and the word limits are:
9-10-years-old 500 words top limit
11-12-years-old 500 words top limit
13-15-years-old 650 words top limit
There is no theme for the stories and the competition is being run by book week organisers the Kirkcudbright Book Week Society and Kirkcudbright Library, which is operated by Dumfries and Galloway Council and which hosts a number of the free events for young writers and readers in the run up to, and during, Book Week.
The judges of the competition are Lesley Garbutt, of Kirkcudbright Library, and author and Kirkcudbright Book Week Society committee member John Dean.
Entries can be emailed to John at deangriss@btinternet.com and handwritten ones can be delivered to the library. There is no entry fee.
John Dean said: “We ran the inaugural competition for young writers last year and were impressed by the enthusiasm and energy with which the stories were told. Combined with the terrific imagination and skills which the entrants displayed, judging the stories was a sheer delight. I suspect that this year’s competition will be the same.”
Winning writers will be presented with their prizes at an event during Book Week, to be held at 7pm at the library in Daar Road on Thursday March 6 2025 as part of the free events hosted by the library to mark World Book Day for young readers and writers.
The Scottish Book Trust has agreed to support some of the events staged during Kirkcudbright Book Week in 2025, through its Live Literature programme.
The programme helps organisations such as Kirkcudbright Book Week Society attract high quality writers to their events by meeting some of the authors’ costs as well as keeping some ticket prices low or even free as we seek to attract as wide an audience as possible, including people who might normally not consider attending a literary event. More details will be available when the programme is announced later in the year.
More information on the many ways that the Scottish Book Trust supports literature in Scotland can be found at https://www.scottishbooktrust.com
The search is on for the next winner of the prestigious Dagger in the Library Award, run by the Crime Writers’ Association.
Presented each year in recognition of a crime writer whose body of fiction or non-fiction is popular with readers and who supports libraries, the award is unique in that authors are nominated by library staff, volunteers and borrowers.
The CWA is asking borrowers to submit their nominations to their local library between now and December 9. Nominations will be submitted by libraries to the judges between January 1-February 28, 2025.
The panel will agree a longlist which will be reduced to a shortlist with people working in libraries invited to vote for their winner in the Spring.
Crime writer John Dean, who lives in Dumfries and Galloway and is the CWA’s Libraries Champion in Scotland, said: “We redesigned the Dagger in the Library award last year in order to attract more nominations and a number of excellent suggestions by Scottish library staff and volunteers played an important role in making the process a success.
“I am sure they will come forward with nominations again this year. Who better to identify the very best of crime writers than the people who run and use our libraries and who live and breathe books?”
Dumfries and Galloway Council has made fourteen grant awards to cultural and heritage projects across the region, totalling more than £62,000, with the beneficiaries including Kirkcudbright Book Week Society.
The funding is from the new Regional Cultural Fund 2024/25, and the grants programme has been made possible after the Council secured £96,000 from the UK Government’s Shared Prosperity Fund earlier this year. The Council is managing the Fund on behalf of the Steering Group for the Cultural Partnership in Dumfries and Galloway.
A total of £1,500 will go to the Book Week Society’s A Good Read initiative, which will fund a series of author visits to bookshops across Dumfries and Galloway in February 2025 as a way of promoting Kirkcudbright Book Week, which takes place the following month, between March 3-9 2025.
The initiative will also celebrate the important role that bookshops play in communities and thank them for their support of Book Week over the years. More details of the February programme will be announced in due course.
Society Chair Chris Walker said: “The aim of Book Week is to celebrate the power of words and this award allows us to pay homage to the vital work that bookshops do in encouraging people of all areas to read and listen to the work of authors. We thank the Council for supporting us.”
The funding will enhance cultural and heritage development across the region, for the benefit of local people and visitors. The renowned music organisation Absolute Classics are to plan and introduce a new Jazz Festival in the Spring of 2025, the Whithorn Trust will produce an in-depth new visitor guide that includes information on cycling and walking routes in the Machars, and the Henry Duncan Savings Museum in Ruthwell is being funded to modernise their displays and interpretation boards.
Among other projects being supported is a series of events at Rosefield Mills in Dumfries to create public awareness of the Mill’s history and restoration and detailed community engagement work to take forward the Annan History Town initiative.
Gail McGregor, the Leader of Dumfries and Galloway Council said, “There was a superb response to the Regional Cultural Fund, with thirty five eligible applications received, and the Council and its partners are delighted to be able to announce the funding for 14 excellent projects across Dumfries and Galloway. It is clear that dozens of organisations which are active in our region hold our culture and heritage dear and work tirelessly to support and promote it.”
Tabi Mudalier, Director of DG Unlimited said, “”DG Unlimited was delighted by the high number of excellent responses and high quality projects from all applicants. The successful projects will further enhance the cultural sector in our region, and is proving to be a positive way to share the prosperity of the funding received from the UK Government. We look forward to seeing the results of the projects in the coming months. Congratulations to all the awardees. Our thanks to Dumfries and Galloway Council for the opportunity to assist with the delivery of this funding round”
Judith Hewitt, Chair of D&G Museums and Heritage Network said, “I’m so pleased that the Regional Cultural Fund has been able to support heritage projects from across our region. There hasn’t been a regional fund that heritage organisations can apply to for some time and there is clear demand. I look forward to see how these exciting and diverse projects develop to help sustain the work of our sector in Dumfries and Galloway.”
The Regional Cultural Fund is fully funded by the UK Government through the UK Shared Prosperity Fund. Dumfries and Galloway Council will manage all aspects of the Fund with assistance from DGU – DG Unlimited
A project that supports young authors in the Kirkcudbright area of Dumfries and Galloway has received further funding.
The project, which helps young people in Kirkcudbright to develop their creative writing skills by working with writers, has received £500 from the Galloway Association of Glasgow, the second time that the organisation has supported the project. It is the third organisation to provide funding, which has allowed the project to progress into its third year.
The writing project in Kirkcudbright is a collaboration between Kirkcudbright Academy, lead tutor the author Hugh McMillan and his team of writers, and Kirkcudbright Book Week Society, which runs the town’s annual literary celebration every March. The next one will run between March 3-9, 2025.
The Galloway Association of Glasgow, which can trace its roots back to 1791, is an independent charitable trust, which supports good causes within Galloway, including the arts and education.
Angus Rex, President of the Galloway Association of Glasgow, said: “The Association is delighted to provide a further award to this inspiring and worthwhile project to enable young Gallowvidians to creatively share their thoughts and experiences in a rapidly changing world. The Association provides grants to young people from across Galloway to help them develop their unique talents.”
Hugh McMillan said: “Our thanks go to the Galloway Association of Glasgow for helping to fund this amazing project involving young poets in Kirkcudbright. Creativity is such an important part of life and personal growth and in a world full of uncertainty and fear, self-expression, and the confidence to speak out, is so very important. This funding will help this hugely important project to proceed for another year.”
Further funding for the project this year has come from the Holywood Trust, the third year it has provided support, and the National Lottery Community Fund.
John Dean, Treasurer of the Kirkcudbright Book Week Society, said: “This support has allowed us to take the project into its third year, which excites us immensely. The quality of the students’ work has been inspiring and there is a feeling that Hugh and his team are developing something really significant.”
In the project’s first two years (2023 and 2024), creative writing sessions were held with dozens of students. Outcomes included a focus on different disciplines, including the spoken word and Scots, the production of annual anthologies of poetry and prose, exhibitions of the students’ work at Kirkcudbright Library during Kirkcudbright Book Week, and recordings of students reading their work for use on websites.
The third year will see further workshops, again allowing the students to produce work and publish a publication, and the funding will allow the involvement of more authors, including spoken word specialists and young writers.
The money will also be used to support a new venture, a day-long literary Festival, organised by the students themselves at the Academy. They will work with the project team, including planning and publicising writers’ visits, learning how to cost projects and working with authors as they do.
John Dean said: “In addition to encouraging creativity, an important part of the project is supporting the learning of organisational skills, which will look good on the students’ CVs and Personal Statements to colleges and universities when they leave school. The festival at the Academy will give them a real insight into the arts sector.”
Kirkcudbright Book Week Society has been granted £4,750 to support the town’s annual literary celebration which it organises.
The society is among a number of organisations celebrating the latest round of funding awards from the National Lottery Community Fund for activities that will bring people together and help communities thrive.
Its successful application was based on the organisation’s work to increase access to events during Book Week, the next one of which happens between March 3-9, 2025.
A significant part of the funding will help develop the Society’s partnership with Kirkcudbright Library, run by Dumfries and Galloway Council, and local organisation Commingled and its Creative Director, the children’s writer and storyteller Heather Taylor, pictured here.
The partnership, which is tailored to benefit children with additional support needs, began during the Book Week held in March 2024 with a multi-sensory storytelling event. Heather worked in collaboration with children’s author and Scots language specialist Susi Briggs, to adapt Susi’s latest picture book to create an immersive and inclusive experience that celebrated the Scots language and was staged at the library on World Book Day.
The partnership aims to develop the idea with particular emphasis on increasing the participation of young people with additional support needs (ASN) and profound learning and multiple disabilities (PMLD) in events staged in the run-up to, and during, Book Week.
Heather Taylor said: “We are thrilled to collaborate once again with Kirkcudbright Book Week. This exciting project will empower readers of all ages, providing them with the opportunity to not only experience the festival but also to create and share their own sensory stories.”
Some of the grant will go towards a separate project featuring young writers from Kirkcudbright Academy, which is a collaboration between the Academy and lead tutor, and award-winning author, Hugh McMillan, and Kirkcudbright Book Week Society. Now in its third year, the project has includes workshops taken by authors and results have included exhibitions of the students’ work at Kirkcudbright Library and the publication of an anthology. Students will also organise their own literary festival at a date yet to be confirmed.
The third element which will benefit from the Community Fund award is work by the Society to stage a number of free and reduced-price events during Book Week 2025 in order to attract people who might not normally attend literary events.
Book Week Society Chair Chris Walker said: “One of big themes of Kirkcudbright Book Week is to encourage as many people as possible to take an interest in literature, some of whom might not have considered attending a live event before.
“This award from the Community Fund is welcome because it allows us to explore ways of widening the access to events connected to Book Week, and that is an exciting prospect.”
A project that supports young authors in the Kirkcudbright area of Dumfries and Galloway is to extend into its third year after funding was secured for initiatives that include a literary festival run by students.
The project, which helps young people in Kirkcudbright to develop their creative writing skills by working with authors, is a collaboration between Kirkcudbright Academy, lead tutor the author Hugh McMillan, pictured here, his team of writers which this year will include award-winning young poets Nazaret Ranea, Eleanor Tennyson and Lydia McMillan, and Kirkcudbright Book Week Society, which runs the town’s annual literary celebration every March. The next one will run between March 3-9, 2025.
The Holywood Trust, which provided funding for the first two years, has now agreed a further £3,500 to allow the work to develop even further. The Trust, founded in 1979, is a charitable organisation supporting young people aged 15-25 through grant-giving. It awards grants to individuals, groups of young people, and organisations creating opportunities for young people in Dumfries and Galloway.
In the project’s first year (2023), 17 hour-long creative writing sessions were held with four classes at the Academy, reaching 54 pupils, and year two expanded to involve far more students of younger ages and writers from different disciplines, including spoken word and Scots.
Outcomes have included the production of annual anthologies of poetry and prose, exhibitions of the students’ work at Kirkcudbright Library during Kirkcudbright Book Week, and recordings of students reading their work for use on websites.
The third year will see further workshops, again allowing the students to produce work and a publication, and will involve more authors, including spoken word specialists and young writers.
Guest authors at the Academy’s literary festival, for which a date has yet to be set, will include Denise Brown, an author living in Kirkcudbright who writes Young Adult murder mysteries – her second book It All Started With a Lie was published by Hashtag Press in February 2024. She also works freelance as a ghost writer and editor and has written 15 books, including post-apocalyptic thrillers and cosy mysteries.
Amy MacDougall, Principal Teacher of English at Kirkcudbright Academy, said: “This project has increasingly proved its value in increasing the confidence and creativity of students and I am very much looking forward to the new developments this year.”
Lead tutor Hugh McMillan said: “Thanks to the Holywood Trust, this project goes from strength to strength, and this year I am especially thrilled at the participation of young writers like Nazaret, Lydia and Charlotte, as well as the prospect of the students taking more responsibility themselves to organise an innovative Schools Lit Fest.”
Kirkcudbright Book Week Society Chair Chris Walker said: “Encouraging the next generation of writers is one of the important themes of Kirkcudbright Book Week and we are delighted that this funding will allow us to expand the project.”
Author Denise Brown, pictured here, said: “I am absolutely thrilled to be involved in the literary festival at Kirkcudbright Academy as part of Kirkcudbright Book Week, and am looking forward to discussing all things YA (Young Adults) with the students.”
Additional funding for the Young Writers project will come out of the National Lottery Community Fund award made to the society in August 2024.
Chris Walker, the Chair of Kirkcudbright Book Week Society, has welcomed the decision by Dumfries and Galloway Council to award a grant to the organisation.
The £1,995 award was part of £270,000 of funding agreed by councillors to more than 35 festivals and events across their area.
Dumfries and Galloway Council says that it has made awards to organisations which are helping the area to develop as a renowned events destination.
Chris Walker said that the award will help the Society to develop the programme for Kirkcudbright Book Week 2025, which will be staged in the town between March 3-9 and for which planning is already under way with the programme to be announced in early January.
Chris, who owns the Selkirk Arms, one of the main venues for the book week, said: “A huge thank you to Dumfries and Galloway Council for supporting Kirkcudbright Book Week.
“After a hugely successful book week this year, plans are already under way for next year’s event.
“Sponsorship and grants go a long way in ensuring we are able to bring a variety of authors to Kirkcudbright Book week which prides itself on keeping a local connection whilst exploring the wider Scottish and national literary scene.”
The funding was awarded by the Communities Committee and the council says that it is committed to supporting events organisers as they take forward their projects.
The funding is believed to be the most any rural council in Scotland is committing to developing their events sector this year.
Twenty four grant awards are being made to applicant organisations to the council’s Regional Events Growth Fund, a new Fund set up to support festivals and events with the potential to grow and attract visitors from across Dumfries and Galloway.
The £270,000 will support major events such as the Wigtown Book Festival, the Stranraer Oyster Festival, Spring Fling, the Arts Festival and many other initiatives. The Wild Goose Festival in October and Music at the Multiverse in September, both of which have grown sustainably in recent years and developed their profiles, have seen an increase in their grant awards.
You can find out which other organisations support Kirkcudbright Book Week in the Sponsors section of our website at
Dumfries and Galloway Council has announced £270,000 of funding for more than 35 festivals and events across its area, including Kirkcudbright Book Week.
Event organiser Kirkcudbright Book Week Society has been awarded £1,995 towards the annual event, which is held in the first week of March.
The Society has welcomed the award, which it says will help it to develop its programme for Book Week 2025, which will be staged in the town between March 3-9 and for which planning is already well advanced.
Dumfries and Galloway Council has made awards to organisations across its area, which it says is developing as a renowned events destination.
The council says that it is committed to supporting events organisers as they take forward their projects and the funding is believed to be the most any rural council in Scotland is committing to developing their events sector this year. The funding was awarded at the Communities Committee of the local authority.
The £270,000 will support major events in 2024 such as the Wigtown Book Festival, the Stranraer Oyster Festival, Spring Fling, the Arts Festival and many other initiatives. The Wild Goose Festival in October and Music at the Multiverse in September, both of which have grown sustainably in recent years and developed their profiles, have seen an increase in their grant awards.
Twenty four grant awards are being made to applicant organisations to the council’s Regional Events Growth Fund, a new Fund set up to support festivals and events with the potential to grow and attract visitors from across Dumfries and Galloway.
Councillor Ian Blake, Chair of the Council’s Communities Committee said, “The Council is making a significant investment in our region’s festivals and events due to their contribution to the community, cultural and sporting life of our region.
“Across Dumfries and Galloway there are superb events that are working closely with businesses and tourism agencies to bring in thousands of visitors to our region and delighting local people with their programmes. The council’s Events Strategy 2023-2027 is being fully delivered and creating tangible results for the regional economy.”
Councillor Jackie McCamon, the Vice Chair of the Communities Committee, said, “There will be something for everyone in the festivals funding we are providing this year.”
Author Carol Dean, who appeared at Kirkcudbright Book Week 2024 where she gave a talk based on her popular Native American series of books, has a new title out.
The book, the latest in the series, is titled Navajo Culture and the Unbreakable Code and tells how Native Americans worked secretly during both World Wars, using their language, which had been banned by ‘the white man’ for many years, to create unbreakable codes.
The Navajo language is so complex that you have to be a full Navajo native to begin to understand the nuances involved. The book brings to life those warriors from the Navajo Nation during World War Two who, fluent in both their own native language and English, devised code to be sent and received as messages during the American/ Japan conflict.
Kirkcudbright Book Week 