Kay Ryan (2013 event)

Kay Ryan is widely regarded as one of America’s great living poets. Her book The Best of It: New and Selected Poems won her the Pulitzer Prize in 2011, and she was the US Poet Laureate from 2008-2010. However, despite the plaudits, Ryan is no creature of the establishment: she once said ‘it’s poetry’s uselessness that excites me.’ Both Ryan’s poetry and personality are on show in this event, recorded live at the 2013 Edinburgh International Book Festival. With Robyn Marsack, Director of the Scottish Poetry Library.

Download MP3

Book Festival News

Communities Programme participants celebrate success of 2024 Communities Programme participants celebrate success of 2024
Friday 13 December

Enjoying this event? You can help us produce more like it.

Donate

Share

Listen to more

Julian Clary - with Rhona Cameron Julian Clary - with Rhona Cameron This 2007 podcast features a bit of chat, a sneaky listen to each event and some audience feedback with comedians Julian Clary and Rhona Cameron as they both launch their very first novels at the Book Festival… Raja Shehadeh (2017 Event) Raja Shehadeh (2017 Event) Brave, intelligent and deeply personal, Where the Line is Drawn shows how the Israeli occupation affects every aspect of Palestinian daily life. Raja Shehadeh, Palestine's premier writer and essayist, winner of the 2008 Orwell Prize and founder of the… Ben Mezrich (2011 Event) Ben Mezrich (2011 Event) His last book was adapted to become The Social Network, one of the most successful movies of 2010. Mezrich then turned his attention to another strange-but-true American tale in his novel Sex on the Moon… Alex Gray and Denise Mina Alex Gray and Denise Mina A fantastic hour of crime fiction with two leading ladies of the Scottish crime writing world. Alex Gray's third installment from DCI Lorimer sees him searching for missing school girls and Denise Mina's new book involves a kidnapping and dark secrets in… Andre Brink Andre Brink Hear from one of the most important voices coming out of South Africa in this 2005 event. Andre Brink discusses his new novel Praying Mantis, many years in the making and steeped in African magic and dreams… Laura Bates (2016 Event) Laura Bates (2016 Event) The founder of the influential online project Everyday Sexism, Laura Bates was in the 2014 Woman's Hour Power List Game Changers Top 10 and is becoming well known for her refusal to accept the female stereotypes peddled by a normative mainstream media… Alan Hollinghurst (2011 Event) Alan Hollinghurst (2011 Event) It's many years since Alan Hollinghurst's last novel, The Line of Beauty, was published – a story so powerful that it beat David Mitchell's Cloud Atlas to win the 2004 Booker Prize. His follow-up, The Stranger's Child… Jonathan Safran Foer (2016 Event) Jonathan Safran Foer (2016 Event) The bestselling US author of Everything is Illuminated launches. Jonathan Safran Foer’s Here I Am is the story of a fracturing New York family, set against the backdrop of a much wider catastrophe as an earthquake engulfs the Middle East, sparking a… Powering the Planet (2010 Event) Powering the Planet (2010 Event) How do we provide fuel for the world without destroying it in the process, and can Scotland really be a key player? Part of our popular debates and environment strand in 2010, this event features a panel of experts to discuss the options… Sean Connery talks to Murray Grigor Sean Connery talks to Murray Grigor On his 78th birthday, 25 August 2008, Edinburgh-born international film legend Sean Connery launches his long-awaited book Being A Scot with his co-author and friend Murray Grigor at the Book Festival. Here he chats about a wide range of subjects with…