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

  • Attend in person
Human Verses Machine is a performative intervention developed as part of Pip Thornton's BRAID Fellowship project Writing the Wrongs of AI. Designed by Ray Interactive with the help of the WWAI participants, Human Verses Machine invites writers and...
 

First Edition

Tuesday 20 August 10:00 - 11:00

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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: Tony Birch

Tuesday 20 August 10:15 - 11:45

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In today’s Close Read, the beloved author, academic, and activist, Tony Birch, will explore the novel, A Kestrel for a Knave by Barry Hines, and the feature film adaptation, Kes, by Ken Loach. Bring your curiosity and passion for great literature (and...
 

Spirit Case Tour

Tuesday 20 August 11:00 - 11:30

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Join the Recycling a Hospital Project Team from the University of Edinburgh for a mini tour of The Spirit Case. A project of remembering, the object has been created by artisans from slates and floorboards from the original Royal Infirmary building and...
  • Attend in person
Can stories from the past inspire dreams of the future? Recycling a Hospital encourages us to think about the Edinburgh Futures Institute’s history as a place of care, and how we can carry stories from the hospital’s past meaningfully into the...
 

First Edition

Wednesday 21 August 10:00 - 11:00

  • Attend in person
Quality journalism is indispensable. In an age of diminishing local resources, global conglomerates, and misinformation, raise a morning coffee with leading journalists from across the media as they discuss today’s news. Today’s session will be led...
 

Shakespeare & Co Podcast – Live

Wednesday 21 August 15:30 - 16:30

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Bookshops have always been sites for reading, togetherness, and organising. Shakespeare and Company provides this space for readers in Paris and beyond, and this sense of community is what novelist Lauren Groff is building at her new bookstore in...
 

If the World Was Mine

Wednesday 21 August 19:45 - 20:45

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Can you imagine a different future? What would you change if the world was yours? Our Writer in Residence Chris Barkley, filmmaker Sophie Van Bree and illustrator Katie Quinn have been working with young people from the Spartans Alternative School to...