First Minister Nicola Sturgeon will be the headline guest at Paisley Book Festival later this month.
The SNP woman – and famous book lover – will be the guest host of the What Maks a Makar event on Saturday, February 26.
She’ll be in conversation with Scots Makar Kathleen Jamie who will discuss her career to date and share some insights from her first six months in the role of Makar.
Robyn Marsack, former Director of the Scottish Poetry Library, who has had significant involvement in the development and appointment of the role of Makar will also be involved in the discussion.
First Minister Nicola Sturgeon said: “There is no better time than the Year of Stories to celebrate the fantastic literary scene we have in Scotland.
“The Paisley Book Festival is a great opportunity to highlight the work of some of the fantastic writers who live here in Scotland and it provides an excellent opportunity to uncover some new and exciting authors.
“I am a firm believer in the power of reading, and the many benefits it can bring. Poetry especially plays a key part in Scotland’s culture and history and the role of the Makar is an extremely important one.
“I look forward to speaking with Makar Kathleen Jamie to discuss the part she plays in promoting poetry, as well as her own writing process.”
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The Scots Makar is a Scottish Government initiative established in 2004 and designed to celebrate the importance of poetry in Scotland’s culture and history.
Following in the footsteps of Edwin Morgan, Liz Lochhead and Jackie Kay, Kathleen Jamie was announced as the new Makar in summer 2021.
Jess Orr, Associate Programmer for the Paisley Book Festival said: “We were absolutely delighted to hear that the First Minister wanted to take part in this year’s Paisley Book Festival, as a leader whose passion and enthusiasm for the transformative power of books and stories in our lives has become well known.
“This important conversation between three of Scotland’s most inspirational advocates for the written word will be an absolute treat and we can’t wait to welcome them all to Paisley.”
Paisley Book Festival includes 90 unique events running between February 17 and 26. As well as the First Minister’s visit, the programme is filled with workshops, author events, book launches, events for schools, children and families, and opportunities for both established and emerging writers to showcase their work on the international stage.
What Maks a Makar is on Saturday, February 26 at 4pm in the UWS Student Union. For information and tickets for this and all other events, go to https://paisleybookfest.com/
The Paisley Book Festival is supported by Future Paisley, funded by Renfrewshire Council and delivered by OneRen, the new name for Renfrewshire Leisure.
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