ULLAPOOL BOOK FESTIVAL:  PRESS RELEASE

JACKIE KAY, AL KENNEDY AND BERNARD MACLAVERTY TO APPEAR AT THIS YEAR’S ULLAPOOL BOOK FESTIVAL

Award-winning authors Jackie Kay, AL Kennedy and Bernard MacLaverty are just three of the writers who will be appearing at the fifth Ullapool Book Festival to be held over the weekend of Friday 8th, Saturday 9th and Sunday 10th May.

Others appearing will be Andro Linklater, Margaret Bennett, Aonghas MacNeacail and Gerda Stevenson, Angus Peter Campbell and Derrick McClure, Nancy Nicolson, Alan Bissett, Alison Miller, Doug Johnstone, Alice Thompson and James Graham. A writing workshop will be led by Ullapool Book Festival’s honorary president Donny O’Rourke.

The festival also announced that in recognition of Homecoming Scotland 2009 all four Friday daytime sessions will be held on Isle Martin, the community owned island in Loch Broom from where emigrant ships left in the early 1800s. The audience will be taken to Isle Martin by the cruise boat Summer Queen in the morning and brought back in time for tea. This day has been made possible by funding from the Highland Culture Programme.

Festival chairman Joan Michael said that the committee was thrilled that so many leading writers have agreed so readily to come to Ullapool. She also revealed one of the writers who will be speaking on Isle Martin. “Andro Linklater spent five years living on the island from 1979 and it was there that he wrote his biography of Compton Mackenzie. We just thought it would be great to bring Andro back to read on Isle Martin and we were so pleased when he jumped at the chance.”

A spokesperson for Homecoming Scotland said “We are delighted the Ullapool Book Festival is supporting the national Homecoming celebrations.  2009 is a special year for Scotland as we welcome home many of the millions of people around the world who have an ancestral link or strong affinity to the country.  The Ullapool Book Festival grows in strength from year to year and has developed an exciting programme for 2009 that fits well with the Homecoming theme and will be of interest to many people with links to the area.”

Cllr Sandy Park, Convener of The Highland Council, said: “I’m delighted that, through the Highland Culture Programme, The Highland Council has been able to support the continued development of the Ullapool Book Festival. It’s great to see such an amazing line-up building on the success of this Highland festival. I’m sure the festival will attract many visitors to the area as well as being a delight to our own residents. It’s also good to see the festival continuing its commitment to the Gaelic language.”

The full programme will be launched in Ullapool Village Hall on Friday 27th March following a reading by award-winning author Ali Smith. Tickets will be on sale from that date; all details will be on the festival website www.ullapoolbookfestival.co.uk.

Press contact:  Joan Michael

Tel:  0788 0917532