Graeme Armstrong, Jenni Fagan & Caleb Femi: Take Your Place 

Captioned

Since early 2020 our sense of home and our relationship to place has changed dramatically. Recurring lockdowns and ‘stay at home’ orders have seen people confined to their houses, flats and immediate local area. For some, discoveries of outdoor hidden gems have provided a new way to connect with a familiar place, while others have felt trapped and isolated. During the Book Festival’s Citizen workshops, which have been taking place with local people from North Edinburgh and Musselburgh, the importance of place and the participants’ relationship to their local area and environment has been an ongoing theme. With this in mind, we have invited authors Jenni Fagan (Luckenbooth), Caleb Femi (Poor) and Graeme Armstrong (The Young Team), all of whom have placed locality at the centre of their writing in their most recent books, to discuss what home, environment and community will mean in a post-pandemic world.   This event is part of Citizen, our long-term creative programme working in partnership with organisations across Edinburgh and Musselburgh, offering local people a platform to explore identity, connection and place. Find out about our Communities Programme: ontheroad.edbookfest.co.uk   

This is a live event, with an author Q&A. Authors and participants will be on stage, in the venue. After the event, Jenni Fagan will be doing an in-person book signing on the Festival site.

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

Watch more

Interview - Billy Collins (2014) Interview - Billy Collins (2014) He’s twice been poet laureate in the US and says he hopes his poems ‘begin in Kansas and end in Oz’. Now Billy Collins returns with Aimless Love, his first collection of new and selected poems for 12 years. Elegant, poignant and… Simon Callow (2017 Event) Simon Callow (2017 Event) As an actor, he’s played Charles Dickens, Winston Churchill and Gareth in Four Weddings and a Funeral. As an author, he’s written compellingly about Oscar Wilde, Peggy Ramsay and about Being an Actor. But that’s not the half of what Simon Callow has… Edinburgh International Book Festival 2019 Highlights 13–16 August Edinburgh International Book Festival 2019 Highlights 13–16 August An unforgettable few days with appearances from Val McDermid, Chris Hoy, Konnie Huq and more… Stories & Scran Stories & Scran Join us for an evening of food and entertainment, hosted by our Citizen Writers in Residence Eleanor Thom and Leyla Josephine. With live readings, audio recordings and a film created by Citizen participants, our community meal will showcase the insightful… Should Capitalism Survive Climate Change? Should Capitalism Survive Climate Change? As COVID-19 has spread, the varying responses from the world’s governments has demonstrated catastrophic disparity and underpreparedness. In the push for growth and the prioritisation of short-term economic gain, the most vulnerable communities have been… Pat Nevin with Val McDermid: Scottish Football’s Indie Star Pat Nevin with Val McDermid: Scottish Football’s Indie Star At the height of a luminous playing career, Pat Nevin spent evenings at theatre and ballet performances, and wrote a column in the Chelsea club newspaper, championing his favourite indie bands. He even had the joy of helping John Peel with the admin for… Noam Chomsky: Dissent Across the Decades Noam Chomsky: Dissent Across the Decades Whether it’s discussing linguistics with Foucault in a televised debate, authoring more than 100 books or being a fierce critic of American foreign policy, Noam Chomsky has been a highly influential figure for nearly seven decades. Now in his mid 90s, he… Writing Wrongs: Voices from the Queer Arab Vanguard Writing Wrongs: Voices from the Queer Arab Vanguard Gender non-conforming and sexually diverse people are oppressed, persecuted and erased all over the world. The cultural concepts used to justify this — religious or secular, traditional or imported — are various, as are the histories that got us here. But… Torrey Peters: The Remaking of the Family Torrey Peters: The Remaking of the Family Detransition, Baby, Torrey Peters’s Women’s Prize-longlisted debut novel, remakes a classic comedy of manners for the 21st century. When trans woman Reese is approached by her ex-partner Ames (who has detransitioned) with a tantalising chance at… Women in Politics: A Year of Reckoning Women in Politics: A Year of Reckoning In November, the United States will embark on arguably its most consequential political election in decades, as President Donald Trump seeks another term in office. In the 2018 midterms, a record 117 women were elected to office, including record numbers…