13 October 2011

From the local to the international - Dundee Literary Festival 2011

Local authors are at the heart of the stellar line-up of writing talent appearing at this year’s Dundee Literary Festival.

Now in its fifth year, the Festival, which runs from Monday 24th October to Sunday, 30th October, has attracted not only international best-selling author Alexander McCall and favourites such as Val McDermid and Victoria Hislop, but a wealth of inspirational local talent.

Bob Servant creator Neil Forsyth will read from the third in the highly successful series of books featuring the spoof e-mails, Why Me? The Very Important E-mails of Bob Servnant. Fellow Broughty Ferry author and former journalist Andrew Nicoll will talking about crossing the line from fact to fiction with his second novel, The Love and Death of Caterina.

At ‘The Soundtrack to a Country’ event, Dundee music writer Lorraine Wilson will tell the inside story on Take it to the Bridge, Dundee’s Rock and Pop History, while Tom Doyle will delve into his biography of a legendary Dundee musician in The Glamour Chase - The Maverick Life of Billy Mackenzie.

Dundee University lecturer Fiona Watson, author of Macbeth - A True Story will reveal more about the book at an event alongside fellow local historian Julie Flavell, who has received acclaim for When London was Capital of America. Abertay University lecturer Dawn Wood will also show how science and poetry for together in her book, The Scientific Poet.

Fife women Jennie Erdal, author of The Missing Shade of Blue, and Pamela Cairns will also make an appearance. The latter wrote The Dead Don’t Hurt Us, which was inspired by her time helping the street children of Peru.

For those who have a notion to pick up the pen themselves, creative writing masterclasses in fiction and poetry will also take place.

Literary Festival Director Anna Day said, 'We're delighted to be able to draw on such a range of local talent to sit alongside the international authors in this year’s programme. Those who come along to the masterclasses might be our featured authors and poets of the future.'

Now in its fifth year, the Dundee Literary Festival takes place between Monday, 24th and Sunday, 30th October. This year's Festival is bigger than ever, and sees some of the biggest names from the world of fiction, poetry, journalism and the publishing industry take part in a series of workshops, talks, book signings, and readings. Events will take place at the Dalhousie Building, Old Hawkhill, Dundee.

The full programme can be found at www.literarydundee.co.uk, and tickets are available from Literary Dundee, 5th floor, Tower Building, University of Dundee, tel 01382 384413. Tickets are also available at Dundee Contemporary Arts.

For media enquiries contact:
Grant Hill
Press Officer
University of Dundee
Nethergate, Dundee, DD1 4HN
TEL: 01382 384768
E-MAIL: g.hill@dundee.ac.uk
MOBILE: 07854 953277