News

In conversation with political editor for BBC Scotland Glenn Campbell, Jen Stout will discuss her book Night Train to Odesa, which recounts her experiences as a reporter covering the human cost of Russian aggression against Ukraine. Jen left Moscow when Russia invaded Ukraine, ending up on a border post in southeast Romania as she continued to report about people on front lines and in cities across Ukraine: stories of night trains, birthday parties, military hospitals and bunkers. 

Through her reporting on individuals and relationships, Jen seeks to understand questions of identity, history, hopes and fears in this region of Europe.  

Jen will be at Bruichladdich Hall on Sunday 31st August at 11.30am. Tickets for this event are Pay What You Can with a suggested price of £7.

BBC veteran Rory Cellan-Jones, who left the role of principal technology correspondent in 2021, will talk with writer and associate editor of The Bookseller Caroline Sanderson about his work, his reporting on medical innovation and Parkinson’s, and his rescue dog Sophie, immortalised in his recent book Sophie from Romania: A Year of Love and Hope with a Rescue Dog. The paperback edition of Sophie from Romania will be released early for our festival.

Rory will appear at the Round Church in Bowmore at 6pm on Saturday 30th August (sadly without Sophie!). Tickets for this event are Pay What You Can with a suggested price of £7.

Over a bespoke whisky tasting with Adam Hannett, head distiller at Bruichladdich Distillery, Natalie Jayne Clark will talk about her darkly comic crime novel, The Malt Whisky Murders, shortlisted for the Bloody Scotland Debut Prize 2025.  Set in Campbeltown, it features Eilidh and her wife Morag, who hope to run the first women-owned distillery in Scotland – until a grisly, decades-old secret is revealed in some old barrels. 

Natalie is excited to visit the island. “This will be my very first time setting foot on Islay, although it has long been on my list of islands to visit, not least because I have examined and savoured whiskies from all over the isle for many years and wish to experience the winds, waters and land that so influence their final flavours and drinking experience. I am most looking forward to spending time with other bookish people and having wild debates and conversations about our current obsessions and interests. One of mine at the moment is rare bees, and it just so happens that Islay is one of the few places in the world with ‘machairs’, a place where wildflowers, and therefore rarer bee species, flourish! So I am also looking forward to traversing the island to see what I can spot.”

When asked about the session at Bruichladdich, Natalie told us, “expect a session where I am super passionate and excited about all parts of the whisky process – including barley, barrel, bottling and branding – and women’s role in the industry in the past and today. It’s not just for those with an interest in whisky either – the book contains lots of humour, amateur sleuthing, visitations from ghosts, LGBTQ+ relationships, and more.”

Of course, there’s a programme full of exciting and interesting events for the Festival, and Natalie can’t wait to get involved. “The whole line up for Islay Book Festival for 2025 is full of writers I am an enormous fan of. As a neurodivergent woman, Elle McNicoll’s book ‘A Kind of Spark‘ is one I hold close to my heart, and definitely helped heal a part of my inner child, and is a book I am so grateful exists for the young people growing up now. I can’t wait to hear more about McNicoll’s writing process. I’m also a big fan of Graeme Macrae Burnet, Len Pennie, and Peter Mackay and am really looking forward to their events.”

Tickets for this event are £20, and strictly over-18s only. There is only very limited availability remaining – get booking if you don’t want to miss out!

Please note the room in which this event will take place is accessed via a short flight of stairs; do get in touch if this would prevent you from attending.

Renowned wildlife cameraman and presenter Hamza Yassin will talk with Peter Roberts about his new memoir, Homeward Bound.  Released early for our festival, Homeward Bound tells the story of Hamza’s love of the outdoors. From his struggles in the classroom to the realisation that his dyslexia allowed him to see the world in a different way; from his passion for nature first inspired by a forward-thinking teacher who encouraged him to run round the field before a lesson to his day job filming wildlife, Hamza’s memoir is packed with charming personal stories and fascinating insights, and will help you see nature in new ways.

Hamza has filmed on Islay before, and tells us, “I’m looking forward to seeing the landscape and wildlife again – it’s such a unique place!”. He’s excited to talk to us about how amazing the UK really is for wildlife, and how we can appreciate and care for it. 

We have not just one, but two opportunities to hear from Hamza at this year’s festival. 

On Thursday 28th August at 8pm, Hamza will speak with Peter Roberts at the Round Church in Bowmore. Tickets are Pay What You Can with a suggested price of £7. This event follows on from Peter Mackay’s event earlier in the evening, and refreshments will be available between the events sponsored by The Islay Whisky Shop. 

There is also a special family event on Saturday 30th August at 2pm in Bridgend Woods – tickets are free for this event, and only required for children taking part, but must be booked in advance.