Colgan and Monroe to celebrate Book Week Scotland

Novelist Jenny Colgan and anti-poverty campaigner Jack Monroe are among the writers taking part in this year's Book Week Scotland. 

Taking place from 18th to 24th November, Book Week Scotland is a national celebration of reading and writing with a series of events planned to mark the week. 

Critically acclaimed romance and science fiction novelist Colgan will visit Forfar Library on Thursday 21st November, 7pm – 8.30pm. ANGUSalive will invite audiences to immerse themselves in The Chatty Café at Forfar Library. The cakes featured in Colgan’s novels will be brought to life, and she will act as the café owner, with library staff as waiters. Fans of Colgan's books, such as her latest novel The Bookshop on the Shore (Sphere), are encouraged to attend to meet the author and chat about her work. 

Food writer Monroe will be travelling on a mobile library to some of the most deprived communities in West Dunbartonshire, with the opportunity for the community to informally meet Monroe and win copies of her book on  Wednesday 20th November, 9.30am – 4pm. Monroe will also spend the morning at Centre 81 in Whitecrook where she will run a cooking workshop on healthy and affordable breakfast and lunch options. In the afternoon, she will host a talk discussing poverty, diet, recipes and LGBT issues to residents from Clydebank's Blue Triangle Housing Association and local LGBT groups and also give a sneak peek of her latest cookbook Vegan(ish) (Pan MacMillan) that will be published in December.

Glasgow based-poet and young adult author Dean Atta will visit Muirhouse Library on Monday 18th November, 11am – 12.30pm. Muirhouse Library will invite S2 students from Craigroyston Community High School to join Atta in conversation about 'What It Means To Be Who We Are'. Named one of the most influential LGBT people in the UK by the Independent on Sunday, Dean will discuss his latest book The Black Flamingo (Hodder), life and work fighting for LGBTQ rights. Organisers hope that the event will offer an open forum for conversation with the young people about issues that affect them on a personal level. 

Elsewhere, comic artist Frank Quitely will visit The Prince's Trust in Glasgow on Friday 22nd November, 10.30am – 3.30pm. Taking inspiration from this year’s Book Week theme ‘Conversation’, youth organisation The Prince's Trust will invite young, emerging artists and illustrators to join Quitely who will share his journey to becoming a comic artist. He will also run small workshops giving a practical look at how people can enter this industry.

The event forms part of ‘Pitch It’, which invited groups and individuals all over Scotland to submit their dream event for one of four big names. In addition to covering the authors’ fees, Scottish Book Trust has provided each successful host with £500 to help deliver their event. 

Marc Lambert, c.e.o. of Scottish Book Trust, said: “We’ve been so impressed by the standard of pitches we received to host these authors. The energy and enthusiasm demonstrated by all applicants throughout this process is a great reflection on the health of book-loving communities all across Scotland. I hope that the opportunity to host one of our four fantastic authors will encourage and inspire conversation in communities the length and breadth of the country."