Extraordinary Events

Extraordinary Events

Looking for something different?

First Edition

Begin each weekday with a leading journalist as they delve into the morning papers at 10am in the Spiegeltent. Hear their take on the day’s headlines and explore where in the Festival programme you can find out more. Some sessions will include emerging journalists in collaboration with the John Schofield Trust. Supported by Claire and Mark Urquhart.

Inside Out – Earth, Sky, and Water

Endurance cyclist and author Emily Chappell is back with our popular Inside Out series. Hear Emily chatting (Inside) to a host of authors, and join a small group (Outside) on a foray to some iconic local locations, including Royal Botanic Garden Edinburgh. Tickets for Outside events are limited and booked separately to Inside events. See listings for more information.

Think Tank

Think Tank invites you to take part in small group conversations where experts share their thoughts on topics at the forefront of the global agenda, with lots of space for questions and discussion. Over 90-minutes (and a glass of wine, if you like), these intimate events get you up close and personal. In this series dig into US foreign policy with presidential advisor: Harold Hongju Koh joins with years of experience in diplomacy; Ingrid Robeyns unpacks the ethics of extreme wealth; Ken Costa discusses intergenerational wealth transfer; and Suzy Glass and Georgina Voss tackle systems-thinking.

(Lunch) Box Fresh

Come along at lunchtime to hear readings from new and vibrant talent and discover brilliant new work being created every day. Who knows, you could be the first to see the next Irvine Welsh or Jenni Fagan. These are 45-minute lunchtime sessions with Scottish Book Trust, Glasgow Women’s Library, Scottish Poetry Library, and Jenny Brown Associates. Pay what you can and show your support for the next constellation of Scottish literary stars.

Industry Days & Global Ink

Meet and connect with editors, publishers, festival organisers, translators, and other experts across three days of panels, showcases, and receptions specifically aimed at those working within the publishing industry (both Scottish and international). Expect discussions on AI, sustainability, audiobooks, pitching sessions, and accessibility.

A one-day Industry Pass is £40 [concessions £25]. Spaces are limited so check edbookfest.co.uk/industry for details on how to register. Some events will take place online too.

Wednesday 14 August: Global Ink: International Working

Monday 19 August: Industry Day 1

Wednesday 21 August: Industry Day 2

 

Shared Reading with Open Book

Wednesday 14 August 10:30 - 11:30

  • Attend in person
Join Open Book Lead Readers for an informal and relaxed shared reading session. Each session will explore a chapter from a debut book from this year’s Festival programme. No experience necessary, all reading materials will be provided on the day. Meet...
 

First Edition

Thursday 15 August 10:00 - 11:00

  • Attend in person
Quality journalism is indispensable. The model of ‘breaking the news’ has changed enormously in recent years, but we’re here to sing the praises of essential stories, well told. In an age of diminishing local resources, global conglomerates, and...
 

Think Tank: Harold Hongju Koh

Thursday 15 August 15:30 - 17:00

  • Attend in person
Advisor to four US presidents, Harold Hongju Koh is Sterling Professor and former Dean at Yale Law School. His new book explains why the structural evolution from America’s founding of a ‘National Security Constitution’ has promoted foreign policy...
 

Polly Atkin: Interior Lives, Exterior Worlds

Thursday 15 August 16:00 - 17:00

  • Watch online
In this digital event, Polly Atkin speaks with Caro Clarke about the glorious strengths and limitations of the body, mind, and our natural world. In her latest book Some of Us Just Fall, a lyrical blend of memoir, nature writing and pathography, Atkin...
 

First Edition

Friday 16 August 10:00 - 11:00

  • Attend in person
Quality journalism is indispensable. The model of ‘breaking the news’ has changed enormously in recent years, but we’re here to sing the praises of essential stories, well told. In an age of diminishing local resources, global conglomerates, and...
 

Close Read: Sinéad Gleeson on Maeve Brennan

Friday 16 August 10:15 - 11:15

  • Attend in person
In our Close Reads series, an author takes readers through a fun analysis and discussion of a classic text or genre which has inspired them. Here Sinéad Gleeson, author of the dark tale of island life, Hagstone, presents her fellow Irish writer Maeve...
 

Shared Reading with Open Book

Friday 16 August 10:30 - 11:30

  • Attend in person
Join Open Book Lead Readers for an informal and relaxed shared reading session. Each session will explore a chapter from a debut book from this year’s Festival programme. No experience necessary, all reading materials will be provided on the day. Meet...
 

(Lunch) Box Fresh

Friday 16 August 12:00 - 12:45

  • Attend in person
What better way to spend your lunch break than discovering your next favourite writer? Sit back in the Spiegeltent and discover brilliant new work from stellar emerging talent with this series of readings. In today’s editionGracie Beswick, Helen...
 

Close Read: Emma Dabiri on The Undercommons

Friday 16 August 15:30 - 16:30

  • Attend in person
Sometimes the scariest thing about a book club is the homework – not so for our Close Read series! Come together with other passionate readers to explore a text for the first time. Today, Emma Dabiri (author of Disobedient Bodies) will unpack The...