To celebrate the beauty of the Scots language and contemporary Scottish culture, a new literary festival is coming to Perthshire this April. The Soutar Festival of Words will take place at venues and outdoor locations across Perth over the weekend of 26th to 28th April.
The inaugural Soutar Festival of Words will host over twenty events. Highlights will include author talks, a poetry slam, an open mic session, traditional Scottish music and opportunities for local people to gain an insight into the world of creative writing.
The festival, organised by the charitable trust, Culture Perth and Kinross, will take place in a number of well-known venues across the city, from the AK Bell Library and St John’s Kirk. The local area will also be explored with walking tours inspired by books, stories, and tales.
Kicking off the weekend on Friday 26th April, crime writers Denzil Meyrick, Neil Broadfoot and Douglas Skelton will take part in a crime writers panel at Perth Museum and Art Gallery.
Among the many festival events, there will be a poetry walk through well known Perth landmark, Buckie Braes with Perthshire poet Jen Cooper on Saturday 27 April. Authors Ajay Close, Susi Briggs and Alex Gray will host events through that day, which will be capped off with award-winning author Bernard MacLaverty. Forty years on from his first book, and one of Ireland’s greatest living writers, Bernard is appearing at the Soutar Theatre in the AK Bell Library.
On Sunday the festival will celebrate emerging authors with a visit from three of Scotland’s newest and most exciting authors; Conner McAleese, Tracey Emerson and Liz MacWhirter. These three are an inspiration to anyone who is thinking about writing or publishing a book for the first time.
The Festival will draw to a close on Sunday evening with a performance of Perth Chamber choir, Chansons in St John’s Kirk.
A full programme will be announced in the upcoming weeks. Tickets going on sale shortly afterward. The Soutar Festival of Words will run from 26th – 28th April 2019.
The Soutar Festival of Words is kindly supported by The Friends of William Soutar, The Jimmie Cairncross Trust and The Forteviot Trust.