Author events
Our spec
ial guest writer is the internationally-acclaimed Alexander McCall Smith, author of the best-selling "Number One Ladies' Detective Agency" series, who'll be reading some of his work and taking part in a Q&A session chaired by Ardgour's own Mary Ann Kennedy.
Alexander has seen his various series of books translated into over forty languages and become bestsellers through the world.
The series' include the Scotland Street novels, first published as a serial novel in The Scotsman, the Sunday Philosophy Club series starring Isabel Dalhousie, the von Igelfeld series, and the new Corduroy Mansions novels.
Alexander is also the author of collections of short stories, academic works, and over thirty books for children. He has received numerous awards for his writing, including the British Book Awards Author of the Year Award in 2004 and a CBE for service to literature in 2007.
Find out more from his own website.
journalism, including British Weekly
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portswriter of the Year in 1996. His books include 'Camanachd: The Story of Shinty', 'Polly: The True Story Behind Whisky Galore', 'The Toon: A Complete History of Newcastle United','66: The Inside Story of England’s World Cup Triumph' and 'Aleister Crowley: the Beast Demystified'. His first book for Birlinn, 'The Soap Man: Lewis, Harris and Lord Leverhulme' was short-listed for the Saltire Scottish Book of the Year award in 2004.
Simon Willis: Shooting Kayakers - and other sports
ial guest writer is the internationally-acclaimed Alexander McCall Smith, author of the best-selling "Number One Ladies' Detective Agency" series, who'll be reading some of his work and taking part in a Q&A session chaired by Ardgour's own Mary Ann Kennedy.Alexander has seen his various series of books translated into over forty languages and become bestsellers through the world.
The series' include the Scotland Street novels, first published as a serial novel in The Scotsman, the Sunday Philosophy Club series starring Isabel Dalhousie, the von Igelfeld series, and the new Corduroy Mansions novels.
Alexander is also the author of collections of short stories, academic works, and over thirty books for children. He has received numerous awards for his writing, including the British Book Awards Author of the Year Award in 2004 and a CBE for service to literature in 2007.
Find out more from his own website.
Roger Hutchinson was born and brought up in the north of England and now lives on the Isle of Raasay off the coast of Skye. Life on the island inspired him to write the highly acclaimed 'Calum’s Road' (Birlinn, 2006), the story of one man’s struggle to preserve the island community in the face of modernisation and a dwindling population.
Roger has received a number of awards for hisjournalism, including British Weekly
S
portswriter of the Year in 1996. His books include 'Camanachd: The Story of Shinty', 'Polly: The True Story Behind Whisky Galore', 'The Toon: A Complete History of Newcastle United','66: The Inside Story of England’s World Cup Triumph' and 'Aleister Crowley: the Beast Demystified'. His first book for Birlinn, 'The Soap Man: Lewis, Harris and Lord Leverhulme' was short-listed for the Saltire Scottish Book of the Year award in 2004.
Simon Willis: Shooting Kayakers - and other sportsThe first sea kayaking film produced by his Strontian based business, Sunart Media, won awards at three international film festivals this year.
With glorious highlights shot on the Isle of Skye and revealing out-takes that would normally end up on the cutting room floor, Simon explains how he filmed in challenging conditions - like clinging to a rock with waves breaking over his head.
After twenty five years reporting news for the BBC, Simon now produces videos for business websites and for broadcast on programmes like The Adventure Show.
Simon maintains a regular blog, here.
Clio Gray is a well-travelled native North Yorkshire. Brought up in her home county and Devon, she has lived for the last 15 years in Balintore, Easter Ross.
She has won many prizes for her short stories, most notably the
Scotsman/Orange 2006 Award, and the Harry Bowling Prize in 2004. The latter leading directly to the publication of her series of historical crime novels, following the investigations of Whilbert Stroop.
“Clio is that rarest of finds, a natural writer…she has an incredible flair for atmosphere, imagery, setting and description. There is a strangeness and originality about her work – halfway between historical fiction and magic realism. Reading her is like being at a sumptuous feast in a palace, just before it is stormed.” (Alan Bissett, author of “Boy Racers” and “The Incredible Adam Spark” and mentor for the Scottish Book Trust)
www.cliogray.com
John Glenday was born in Broughty Ferry in 1952. His first collection, The Apple Ghost won a Scottish Arts Council Book Award and his second, Undark, was a Poetry Book Society Recommendation.
His most recent collection, Grain (Picador, 2009) is also a Poetry Book Society Recommendation and was shortlisted for both the Ted Hughes Award and the Griffin Prize. He lives in Drumnadrochit and works as an addictions counsellor.
Angus Peter Campbell (Aonghas Padraig Caimbeul) was born and brought up on the Island of South Uist. A novelist in both Gaelic and English, as well as a poet, actor and journalist, he has won several awards for his writing, including the Bardic Crown and a prestigious Creative Scotland Award.
He was nominated for a BAFTA Scotland Award in 2007 for the lead role in the Gaelic feature film Seachd. His Gaelic novel An Oidhche mus do Sheol Sinn was voted into the Top 10 of the 100 Best-Ever Books from Scotland in the Orange/List Awards.
He has just published his first-ever English-language novel, Archie and the North Wind. For this special session, Angus Peter will read from his new novel as well as giving a world-premiere to a new poem about Strontian, where Che Geuvera makes a guest appearance.
Writers' workshop with Stuart MacBride and Allan Guthrie
HI~Arts in association with Sunart Writers' Group is very pleased to announce a workshop for novelists and writers with two leading international crime and thriller writers.
Whilst there is no single way of writing novels or other fiction, in this workshop Stuart and Allan present their insights and advice, based on their wealth of experience and first-hand knowledge of writing best-selling crime and thriller fiction.
The workshop will cover such fundamental issues as characterisation, using simile and metaphor, the emotional and sensory experience of the reader and the do's and don't's of approaching an agent.
Orcadian Allan Guthrie's first novel, Two-Way Split, was short-listed for the CWA Debut Dagger and went on to win the 2007 Theakston's Old Peculiar Crime Novel Of The Year. His second, Kiss Her Goodbye, was nominated for Edgar, Anthony and Gumshoe awards and Allan's next book, Hard Man, was the winner of the inaugural Spinetingler award for Best Novel — New Voice. Allan is also the author of Kill Clock, a novella for emergent adult readers. His fourth novel, Savage Night, is out now. When not writing, Allan Guthrie is a leading specialist crime fiction literary agent working with Jenny Brown Associates in Edinburgh.
Stuart MacBri
de is the author of such contemporary crime classics as 'Cold Granite' and 'Dying Light' and his work is frequently to be found at the top of the Waterstones Scotland Best Seller lists. Once described as being like 'Ian Rankin on speed' his writing has received much critical acclaim. Fellow crime novelist Mark Billingham says of Stuart, 'Fierce, unflinching and shot through with the blackest of humour; this is crime fiction of the highest order by a writer whose dark star is most definitely on the rise'.
With glorious highlights shot on the Isle of Skye and revealing out-takes that would normally end up on the cutting room floor, Simon explains how he filmed in challenging conditions - like clinging to a rock with waves breaking over his head.
After twenty five years reporting news for the BBC, Simon now produces videos for business websites and for broadcast on programmes like The Adventure Show.
Simon maintains a regular blog, here.
Clio Gray is a well-travelled native North Yorkshire. Brought up in her home county and Devon, she has lived for the last 15 years in Balintore, Easter Ross.
She has won many prizes for her short stories, most notably the
Scotsman/Orange 2006 Award, and the Harry Bowling Prize in 2004. The latter leading directly to the publication of her series of historical crime novels, following the investigations of Whilbert Stroop.“Clio is that rarest of finds, a natural writer…she has an incredible flair for atmosphere, imagery, setting and description. There is a strangeness and originality about her work – halfway between historical fiction and magic realism. Reading her is like being at a sumptuous feast in a palace, just before it is stormed.” (Alan Bissett, author of “Boy Racers” and “The Incredible Adam Spark” and mentor for the Scottish Book Trust)
www.cliogray.com
John Glenday was born in Broughty Ferry in 1952. His first collection, The Apple Ghost won a Scottish Arts Council Book Award and his second, Undark, was a Poetry Book Society Recommendation.His most recent collection, Grain (Picador, 2009) is also a Poetry Book Society Recommendation and was shortlisted for both the Ted Hughes Award and the Griffin Prize. He lives in Drumnadrochit and works as an addictions counsellor.
He was nominated for a BAFTA Scotland Award in 2007 for the lead role in the Gaelic feature film Seachd. His Gaelic novel An Oidhche mus do Sheol Sinn was voted into the Top 10 of the 100 Best-Ever Books from Scotland in the Orange/List Awards.
He has just published his first-ever English-language novel, Archie and the North Wind. For this special session, Angus Peter will read from his new novel as well as giving a world-premiere to a new poem about Strontian, where Che Geuvera makes a guest appearance.
Writers' workshop with Stuart MacBride and Allan Guthrie
HI~Arts in association with Sunart Writers' Group is very pleased to announce a workshop for novelists and writers with two leading international crime and thriller writers.
Whilst there is no single way of writing novels or other fiction, in this workshop Stuart and Allan present their insights and advice, based on their wealth of experience and first-hand knowledge of writing best-selling crime and thriller fiction.
The workshop will cover such fundamental issues as characterisation, using simile and metaphor, the emotional and sensory experience of the reader and the do's and don't's of approaching an agent.
Stuart MacBri
de is the author of such contemporary crime classics as 'Cold Granite' and 'Dying Light' and his work is frequently to be found at the top of the Waterstones Scotland Best Seller lists. Once described as being like 'Ian Rankin on speed' his writing has received much critical acclaim. Fellow crime novelist Mark Billingham says of Stuart, 'Fierce, unflinching and shot through with the blackest of humour; this is crime fiction of the highest order by a writer whose dark star is most definitely on the rise'.
Sunart Centre Film Club event
The Film Club have secured a live-web link with Hollywood director Will Geiger (Free Willy: Escape From Pirate's Cove) ahead of the showing of his 2007 hit, Elvis and Annabelle.Born in New York, as the son of an undercover F.B.I. agent, Will lived in various parts of the United States. He attended the University of California as a theater major, studied acting and directing at The Royal Academy of Dramatic Arts in London.
Will Graduated from the Orange Coast Film and Video academy and won Best Director at the Los Angeles Film Festival for "Ocean Tribe", the story of four friends who journey from Bodega, California to Baja, Mexico with a dying friend on one last surfing expedition.
His short film "In Love and War", won the Silver Plaque at the Chicago Film Festival.
Watch the Elvis and Anabelle trailers here.
Children's Events
In another of the Film Club's events, Saturday morning sees the showing of Nanny McPhee and The Big Bang starring Emma Thomson. With the first film in the series already hailed as a modern children's classic, this heart-warming tale is sure to delight kids big and little.
Youngsters will also have the chance to join in with a special drop-in arts session on Saturday afternoon, organised by Fort William's Room 13 community art group.
Saturday also sees a welcome visit from the Abernethy Trust's hugely popular Children's Cook School, who'll be providing a series of "Revolting Recipes" sessions throughout the day.
In her Storyplaytime sessions, Liz Burton-King uses games, songs, stories and more to delight and entertain the very young - and all the activities are designed to be adapted and played at home. Join in the celebrations for the 65th Anniversary of the Moomins books, with a fun, interactive event for children 3-5 as well as a session based on Eric Calrle's perennial favourite, The Very Hungry Caterpillar.
