Are you missing Islay Book Festival? We know we are!
While we wait impatiently for next year’s Festival and all the new and exciting authors we’ll meet then, keep the memories alive with branded Book Festival merch – tote bags, bookmarks, notebooks, pens… everything you need to keep the creativity flowing and the pages turning.
You can browse and buy at Scottish Island Gifts. These make excellent presents for the book lover in your life – or even just for yourself!
Award-winning novelist Graeme Macrae Burnet will join us on Islay for a chat about his incredible body of work. The Kilmarnock-born author will be in conversation with translator and Islay Book Festival Chair, Charlène Busalli and will discuss his latest work, A Case of Matricide, which is the concluding chapter of his Gorski novels set in the French town of Saint-Louis.
Graeme told us that he visited Islay on three or four family holidays when he was a teenager, but this will be his first visit since then. “I enjoy the social side of small festivals like this, so it will be great to meet some readers from Islay and also perhaps to sample a Caol Ila or Bunnahabhain (or two!)”
While A Case of Matricide will be the main focus of his session on 29th August, we may also be lucky enough to hear a little about his forthcoming novella Benbecula (although unfortunately it won’t be published in time for the festival). You can find out more about Benbecula here: Polygon Acquires Next Darkland Tale – Benbecula by Graeme Macrae Burnet | Birlinn
You might also be interested in listening to this recent episode of the World Service Book Club, where Graeme talks about one of his previous novels, His Bloody Project.
Graeme will be at St John’s Church in Port Ellen on Friday 29th August at 6pm, for an event sponsored by the Scottish Book Trust. Tickets are £5.
Markus Stitz is a cyclist, adventurer and author, and we are delighted he will be joining us as part of this year’s Islay Book Festival.
This event is one of our special ‘experience’ sessions, and it really is a one-off opportunity to not just find out more about Markus and his adventures, but to enjoy a different way of viewing this beautiful island. Starting from Port Ellen, this social ride will travel along the Three Distilleries Path and back.
The ride will be followed by a Q&A over refreshments at the Machrie, and a screening of a short film to complement Markus’ newest cycling guidebook, Gravel Rides Cairngorms & Perthshire, showcasing 15 of the finest gravel cycling routes through the Cairngorms National Park, Perthshire, and the Angus Glens.
Don’t worry, you don’t need to be a super-fast or ultra-long-distance cyclist to join in! You don’t even need to have your own bike – our sponsors and friends at Islay E-Wheels will sort you out with something suitable for the event, from their premises behind No 1 Charlotte Street. More details will be sent to ticketholders nearer the event.
Linda NicLeòid (Macleod) is a musician, TV presenter, and educator. She’s originally from North Uist. Working with Comhairle nan Leabhraichean (the Gaelic Books Council), Linda delivers Gaelic-medium sessions for schools around the country.
When we asked Linda what she’s looking forward to in her visit to Islay, she told us, “Bidh e cho math clasaichean 1-7 fhaicinn a-rithist am bliadhna airson beagan Leugh is Seinn. Bha tòrr spòrs againn an-uiridh is bidh e math cluinntinn gu dè bhios a’ chlann a saoilsinn dhe na stòiridhean a bhios mi a’ leughadh dhaibh am bliadhna.”
“I’m so looking forward to visiting P1-7 again this year for some interactive reading and singing sessions. We had lots of fun last year and it will be great to hear what the children think of this year’s stories.”
Linda will form part of the Festival’s exciting schools programme, so unfortunately you aren’t able to buy tickets for these events! But look out for her on BBC Alba, and you can find out more about Leugh is Seinn le Linda here:
This year’s festival takes place from Thursday 28th to Sunday 31st August and it promises to be better than ever!
You may have seen some of our announcements on social media, but just in case you’ve missed them, let us whet your appetite for some of the incredible authors who will be coming to join us in August.
Scotland’s first Gaelic Makar, Peter Mackay, will open the festival on Thursday 28 August in the Round Church in conversation with Iseabail Mactaggart, whose wide ranging career includes experience in Gaelic media and the arts.
Peter will be followed by Hamza Yassin, renowned wildlife cameraman and presenter, whose memoir Homeward Bound will be released early as a special opportunity for Islay Book Festival audiences. (If you’re too old to have seen Hamza on the children’s show Ranger Hamza, you might remember him from 2022 when he won Strictly Come Dancing.)
Friday will feature daytime events with Andrew Meehan, author of a novel about late in life love, and crime writer Natalie Jayne Clark, who will pair her new book with tasting drams at Bruichladdich Distillery, for a session hosted by head distiller Adam Hannett. In the evening, we’ll be at St. John’s in Port Ellen, where we’ll have novelist Graeme Macrae Burnet, followed by Len Pennie sharing selected pieces from Poyums, which was a recent winner at the British Book Awards. (You may know Len from her popular “Scots Word of the Day” videos on Instagram.)
Saturday daytime will be all about experiences: a morning screen printing workshop at RSPB Gruinart with Jane Smith, Western Scotland wildlife filmmaker, artist and author, who will also be interviewed about her newest book, Community, by Lord Robertson; a midafternoon, family-friendly exploration of Bridgend Woods with Ranger Hamza; and a bike ride with Markus Stitz, author of several cycling guidebooks for Scotland, with a film, talk, and treats to follow at the Machrie.
On Saturday evening, back in the Round Church, Rory Cellan-Jones, a 40-year veteran of the BBC, will share the story of the rescue dog immortalised in his recent book Sophie from Romania. The paperback edition will be released early for the Islay Book Festival.
On Sunday, three final events all located around the Rhinns will round out the festival: in Bruichladdich Hall, journalist Jen Stout will discuss Night Train to Odesa, winner of a Scotland National Book Award, which recounts her experiences in Moscow when Russia invaded Ukraine. Award-winning Inver chef, Pam Brunton, will chat about her book Between Two Waters over bites of local delicacies at Lochindaal Seafood Kitchen. Then we’ll finish back in Bruichladdich Hall with a discussion with Manda Scott about her new genre-bending book Any Human Power, a work of fiction that strives to create a blueprint for a more regenerative future.
In addition to the public programme, the Festival will continue its substantial schools programme, this year featuring Catherine Rayner, Elle McNicoll, and Linda NicLeòid in addition to Hamza Yassin, Peter Mackay and Len Pennie. Stuart Graham, author of These Men Are Worth Your Tears – Islay and Jura in World War I, will speak to residents of Gortanvogie Care Home about his forthcoming book on World War II.
We’re sure you’ll agree that this stellar line-up is not to be missed.
If you need more convincing, visit our social media to see the best of last year’s festival.
Event specifics including locations and ticketing will be announced here and on our social media – make sure to follow us on Facebook, Bluesky, or Instagram to be the first to hear.
We hope we’ll see you in August!
It’s hard to believe that we’re already in May! IBF2025 is now less than four months away and the first brilliant authors for our 2025 festival have already been announced.
Len Pennie
Len Pennie is a poet who writes predominantly in the Scots language. She writes passionately about the promotion of minority languages, survivors of domestic abuse, and the destigmatisation of mental illness. Her debut collection, poyums, was an instant Sunday Times bestseller, won Scots Book O The Year 2024, was shortlisted for the Books Are My Bag Awards and the British Book Awards, and was the best-selling debut poetry title of 2024.
Peter Mackay
‘S ann à Leòdhas a tha Pàdraig MacAoidh, agus chaidh dà leabhar bàrdachd leis fhoillseachadh le Acair – Gu Leòr (2015) agus Nàdur De (2020) – agus pamflaid le Clutag Press, From another island (2010). Tha e ag obair mar òraidiche aig Oilthigh Chill Rìmhinn agus o 2024 tha e air a bhith Makar na h-Alba.
Peter Mackay is a poet, broadcaster, translator and lecturer. He has two collections with Acair – Galore (2015) and Some Kind of (2020) – and a pamphlet, From another island (2010), with Clutag Press. Originally from the Isle of Lewis, he lives in Edinburgh and works in the School of English at the University of St Andrews. In 2024 he was appointed Scottish Makar.
Jen Stout
Jen Stout is an award-winning journalist and author from Shetland. Her debut non-fiction book Night Train to Odesa (2024, Polygon) was named best first book by the Saltire Society and is longlisted for the Highland Book Prize. It was a BBC Radio 4 Book of the Week.
Jen has lived in Moscow and Leipzig, and has worked all over Ukraine covering the impact of Russia’s war on ordinary people. Her reporting there was shortlisted for prizes by Amnesty International, the Foreign Press Association, and the Scottish Press Awards; in 2023 she won a Travelling Scholarship from the Society of Authors. She writes most often for the Sunday Post, Prospect magazine, and the London Review of Books.
Before going freelance Jen was a local newspaper reporter, and a BBC radio and TV journalist. She lives in Edinburgh.
We can’t wait to see you all there!
Today we are delighted to bring you another in our series of author spotlights, giving you an insight into the wonderful people who will be with us at Islay Book Festival 2024. Today we’re getting to know Mike Billett.
As well as being a whisky connoisseur, Mike is a leading peatland scientist with a background in geology, soil and water science. During his 40-year career in research and education – at the Universities of Edinburgh and Stirling and at the UK Centre for Ecology and Hydrology – he researched and wrote extensively on the peatlands of the British Isles, Scandinavia and the Arctic, focusing on water quality, carbon, peatland management and environmental change, writing many research papers, book chapters, reports, and articles.
In recent years he has immersed himself in the landscapes, taste and qualities of Scotland’s single malt whiskies and has applied his deep understanding of the science of peatlands to this passion. Peat and Whisky is his first non-academic book.
We asked Mike about his previous visits to Islay, and what he’s looking forward to this time. He told us, “I have visited Islay many times, and not just for the whisky. My first trip was in my early teens. At that age I was more interested in the wild places of Islay and Jura and their inhabitants. I still am, but have since discovered ‘the Water of Life’ and the island’s rich culture and history. We now visit annually with family, friends and our dog ‘Paddy’, attracted by the warm, friendly and relaxed atmosphere of the island and the Ileachs. Each trip throws up new beaches, walks, whisky and friends, but this will be my first time at the Islay Book Festival and for Bruichladdich Distillery to host my event is special.”
Talking about his book and the session he will hold at Bruichladdich, Mike said, “As a geoscientist in a former life and most recently a peatland scientist, ‘Peat and Whisky – the Unbreakable Bond’ is about so much more than whisky. It encompasses landscape, place, travel, personal memoir, popular science, climate change; it is not just about Scotland and Scotch Whisky. It is my first book and what has really pleased me is that the book has been read and enjoyed both by whisky and non-whisky people, as well as finding its way to readers across the globe.”
Of course, there are many authors who will be with us at the Islay Book Festival this year, and Mike is keen to hear more from them too. “What really stands out to me is the special event surrounding the life of George Orwell. Featuring Les Wilson’s excellent ‘Orwell’s Island’, it marks the 75th Anniversary of the publication of Nineteen Eighty-Four. It is hard to think of a more influential novel in my generation and one that resonates deeply with today’s divided and dangerous world.”
You can buy Mike’s book at the Festival, or in advance here: Peat and Whisky: The Unbreakable Bond.
Mike will lead a special event on the Friday afternoon at Bruichladdich Distillery, which will include a whisky tasting – this event is already sold out, but you can join the waiting list.
Four days, eight venues, more than 20 different authors – what a brilliant way to spend a weekend! Tickets are on sale now via Ticketsource, and you can find out more about all our exciting events on our website.
Multi-session and single day passes for Saturday and Sunday are available for those who don’t want to miss a moment of the programme! Some sessions have limited spaces – these are not included in the passes, and we highly recommend booking for these asap to make sure you don’t miss out.
Islay Book Festival have an incredible opportunity to win £1,000 towards #IBF2024, but we need your help!
All it takes is a quick click on the link below to leave your vote and support us in the TicketSource Community Event Fund Competition.
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We are thrilled to fully unveil another stellar lineup for this year’s Islay Book Festival!
Author of Mayflies, Andrew O’Hagan, will open our festival in style on Thursday 29 August, answering questions about his new novel, Caledonian Road, from Ileach and BBC Scotland political editor Glenn Campbell.
On Friday 30 August, peat scientist Mike Billett will hold a distillery event in the afternoon, while the evening will see a lively conversation between crime fiction superstars Chris Brookmyre and Denise Mina.
Saturday 31 August will start with a sea swimming session hosted by adventurer and author of Blue Scotland, Mollie Hughes. Sue Lawrence will present her new historical novel Lady’s Rock, set on Mull and Islay. A panel on the theme of ‘Welcoming Nature’ will feature Mollie Hughes, Orkney-based nature writer Victoria Bennett, and poet Alycia Pirmohamed. Concomitantly to this event, children’s author Maisie Chan will hold a fun-filled session adapted to children with additional needs.
Gaelic poetry and translation will both be in the spotlight with a conversation between Taylor Strickland, winner of the Scottish Poetry Book of the Year Award 2023, and Niall O’Gallagher, current An Comunn Gàidhealach Bard.
We will celebrate the 75th anniversary of George Orwell’s 1984 with a special event moderated by the novelist’s son and Patron of the Orwell Society, Richard Blair. Les Wilson, author of Orwell’s Island: George, Jura and 1984, and Gary Younge, winner of the Orwell’s Prize for Journalism 2023, will both feature as participants.
On Sunday 1 September, there will be a poetry walk with Alycia Pirmohamed, organised in partnership with the Islay Natural History Trust. Ronald Black and David Caldwell will co-present their respective forthcoming books, John Dewar’s Islay, Jura and Colonsay and The Archaeology of Finlaggan. Author of All My Wild Mothers: Motherhood, Loss and An Apothecary Garden, Victoria Bennett, will be in conversation with local author Tracey Hunter on the themes of grief, nature and healing.
There will be an afternoon tea with Sue Lawrence, who will tell us all about her new Scottish baking book, featuring a few Islay bakers in its pages. And finally, we’re hugely honoured that BBC journalist and presenter Clive Myrie has accepted to join us to talk about his memoir, Everything is Everything, with Lord George Robertson of Port Ellen.
As well as this general programme, there will be a substantial school programme as usual, with authors Alan Windram, Maisie Chan, Nadine Aisha Jassat, Linda NicLeòid and Mollie Hughes visiting pupils from nursery to senior students. Author Victoria Bennett will also pay a visit to the residents at Gortanvogie Residential Home.
Please sign up to our newsletter for our announcement about event timings, locations and ticketing in due course.
See you all in August!
