Tag: Islay Book Festival 2025

Author Spotlight: Graeme Macrae Burnet

by Fiona McDerment

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.

Author Spotlight: Jane Smith

by Fiona McDerment

Jane Smith is a wildlife filmmaker, artist and author. Her new book Community is drawn from her travels around the west of Scotland. In fact, one of the book’s chapters focuses on Islay, so she’s looking forward to returning soon for the Festival.  “Fed up with doom and gloom? My book is a positive take on what Communities are doing to help nature.” She’s also looking forward to meeting Hamza (Yassin), for his genuine enthusiasm about all things wild. 

Jane will be with us for not just one, but TWO sessions at this year’s Festival!

9am – 10.30am on Saturday 30th August at RSPB Loch Gruinart

Building on her work creating wildlife art from her home on the west coast of Scotland, Jane will share some of the ways in which she uses art to communicate her passion for the natural world. Tickets for this event are £20, which includes materials. Places for this event are limited so advance booking is essential.

11am on Saturday 30th August at RSPB Loch Gruinart, chaired by Lord Robertson

A discussion on the interactions of people and wildlife for her latest book, Community. Tickets for this event are Pay What You Can – suggested price £7.

Author Spotlight: Markus Stitz

by Fiona McDerment

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.

Spotlight: Linda NicLeòid

by Fiona McDerment

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: 

Leugh is Seinn le Linda

Author Spotlight: Andrew Meehan

by Fiona McDerment

Andrew Meehan will be with us to talk about his debut novel, Best Friends. Andrew has visited Islay just once before, in the summer of 1995, when he worked on a BBC Scotland TV show called Big Country. He tells us, “My job as a researcher was to find well known people who enjoyed certain parts of Scottish culture. In this episode, we featured the artist Ralph Steadman’s love of Islay whisky, and we received great hospitality in Bowmore. A memorable weekend that I don’t remember much about!”

Best Friends is a novel about love in later life, and Andrew says it “came from a fear and fascination with the potential loneliness that might come with growing old,” a subject which will strike a chord with many readers. “In their 70s, June and Ray are by no means at the end of life, but they are on the far side of hope, living without high expectations. Their greatest fear is loneliness. And their greatest fear has now come to pass. All the way through Best Friends, I tried to avoid using the very word lonely. Perhaps this is because one of the things we do to stave off loneliness is to pretend we’re not lonely. Best Friends is a book about not being on your own.”

Regarding other events during this year’s Festival, Andrew is looking forward to catching up with another esteemed Scottish literary name: “I recently had the pleasure of being interviewed by Len Pennie on BBC Radio Scotland, and I’d be very keen to see her read her work.” We’re looking forward to that too, Andrew!

Andrew’s event is at Little Charlotte’s, Port Ellen, on Friday 29th August at 2pm. Tickets are Pay What You Can – suggested £7. 

IBF2025 – Full Line Up Announced

by Fiona McDerment

The 2025 Islay Book Festival is just 3 months away!

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.)

Image of a hand holding open a book advertising Islay Book Festival 2025. Author names are spread around the image. There is a backdrop of sea, sand and a lighthouse

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!

Islay Book Festival 2025 – First Authors Announced

by Fiona McDerment

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

Photo of a young woman on a beach. She has red hair and is looking directly at the camera
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

Black and white photo of a man with dark hair and some stubble. He is wearing a dark coloured shirt open at the neck and is looking directly at the camera.
Peter Mackay. Photo credit Annette Mueck

‘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

A headshot of a woman with short brown hair standing in front of a yellow wall. She's wearing a dark top and a denim jacket and is looking directly at the camera.
Jen Stout. Photo credit Andrew Crawley

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!

IBF 2025 Dates Announced

by Fiona McDerment

Following the success of #IBF2024, we are thrilled to bring you the dates for Islay Book Festival 2025.

The festival will take place between Thursday 28th and Sunday 31st August 2025.

Authors and events will be announced over the coming months, so keep an eye out on this site and on social media for updates. Or sign up to our newsletter to be the first to know!

Categories

Recent Posts

With thanks to our sponsors

We promise not to overload your inboxes!