9 May 2007

Major new arts festival launched in Dundee

Dundee Literary Festival is Launched - 21st and 22nd June

Literary stars Philip Pullman and Jacqueline Wilson will headline the first Dundee Literary Festival, held at the University of Dundee.

David Profumo, Kirsty Gunn and John Fardell will also give readings and take questions at the two day event which is being held at the University of Dundee. Local author Bill Duncan will make an appearance and two of the rising stars of the literary scene, Peter Hobbs and Ben Markovits will read and debate. Tickets are on sale from today.

The festival will also see a group of the most important people in publishing hold a unique discussion on how to get your book printed where attendees will be able to ask about their own work, as well as question the experts generally. The panel will include David Graham, Managing Director of Granta and Will Atkinson, Managing Director of Faber.

The festival will take place on the 21st and 22nd June in the University of Dundee Tower Building, Perth Road, Dundee and is sponsored by the Apex Hotel, Dundee.

The festival takes place during Graduation time in the city when thousands of visitors descend on Dundee - this will be an extra attraction to encourage them to stay a little longer.

Anna Day, Festival Director, says, "Dundee has such a rich literary heritage that it seemed a natural progression for the city to have a literary festival. We’ve got an excellent array of new and exciting writers, as well as some of the most established names in the business, so there really should be somebody that appeals to everybody."

"With writers such as Jacqueline Wilson attending, who created the Tracy Beaker series on TV, we hope that people who rarely read a book will be tempted to attend and then, just maybe, they will be inspired to read more in future."

"Dundee is starting to establish itself as a culture centre for Scotland and this festival will continue its progression to being the complete package for tourists looking for their cultural fix as well as locals who deserve a prestigious festival such as this."

"The University is already a partner in the Dundee Book Prize, which is the most important award for new writing in the country, so this seemed like a great step for them to take."

The Dundee Literary Festival is sponsored by the Apex and held in partnership with Borders, Dundee.

Tickets will be available from today. They can be purchased at Borders or online at www.dundeeliteraryfest.org where the entire programme can be found. They are also available by calling 01382 384768 or in person, 5th Floor, Tower Building, Perth Road, Dundee.

For media enquiries contact:
Anna Day
Press Office
University of Dundee
Nethergate Dundee, DD1 4HN
TEL: 01382 384768
E-MAIL: a.c.day@dundee.ac.uk