A Chapter Ends

JASON ROSE is standing down after five years at the helm of the Inverness Book Festival. We look back on his experiences in establishing the festival as an annual fixture in the calendar

THE INVERNESS Book Festival grew out of a chat between Jason Rose and Colin Marr, the director of Eden Court Theatre, in the summer of 2003. Both had been thinking about establishing such an event. The inaugural event took place at Eden Court Theatre in 2004, but the closure of the theatre for its refurbishment and subsequent delayed re-opening meant that a planned two-year removal to the Royal Highland Hotel (with occasional events in other venues) actually became three years.

The festival returns to Eden Court this year (30 Setember-3 October) with a varied programme which includes sessions with Glaswegian novelist James Kelman, record producer Joe Boyd, and broadcaster Lesley Riddoch delivering the second Neil Gunn Trust Lecture. It will be Jason Rose’s final festival as director, but as he explains, that was not a sudden decision.

NORTHINGS: Jason, why have you decided to stand down as director at this point?

JASON ROSE: After the second festival in 2005 I had the regular post-mortem with Colin, and we felt that it was shaping up to be an annual event. I was vaguely worried about being sucked into doing it forever, and I said at that point that I would do three more, and after that Colin could perhaps look to bringing in someone fresh. That was the gentleman’s agreement we had, and this is now the last of that three.

I think events like this always need a change of direction from time to time. It has always been my baby, if you like, and something I very much wanted to get underway – lots of people thought it was a good idea, but no one was doing anything about it. I feel it is in good shape, and whoever takes it on is starting from a good position.

N: I imagine it entailed a fair amount of work on top of your regular job as a press officer at Scottish Water?

JR: A lot of people do say that to me, and being a spin-doctor by trade I try to play it down a bit! I say oh, well, it’s an e-mail here and a phone call there, and so it is, but that all adds up, and at certain points in the year it takes over and I basically don’t have any spare time at all. Dealing with authors and publishers and all of the people involved in it can be a bit like herding cats, and things can also change at the last minute.

I have always tried to make things as simple as possible for the authors so that they are not having to negotiate things at the last minute. I spell out what I want them to do, when I want them to do it, where they need to be and what the terms are from the outset, and really all they have to do is show up at the right time and do it. I know from speaking to writers that it doesn’t always work that way elsewhere. I have tried always to create a professional way of doing things here, and if you do that the word gets around.

N: I was going to ask you what advice you would pass on to your successor when he or she is named, and I assume that one would be high on the list?

JR: Yes, definitely, that, and also don’t underestimate the amount of work involved. You have to be as diplomatic as possible as well. From time to time you get publishers trying to foist authors upon us that we know wouldn’t work in Inverness, and you have to try to be diplomatic in that situation. You have to keep a lot of different parties happy, and it can be hard going, but when it all comes together it is incredibly satisfying. Seeing a good reaction from the audience and hearing people talk about it afterwards makes it all worthwhile.

N: Book festivals have been a huge growth area since Edinburgh took off back in the 1990s – even in the Highlands we have just had festivals in Cromarty and Boat of Garten, and Ullapool and Nairn also have successful events. What do you see as the reasons for that popularity?

JR: It is an interesting one, because to some extent you think it wouldn’t work, wouldn’t you? Reading is generally a solitary pursuit, after all, so why assume people would be interested in getting together around an event about books? But it definitely works. Everyone has their book festival these days. For Inverness it is still a bit of a novelty. There was no culture of this kind of thing in the city before the festival. I remember when we were talking up the first festival I had to explain quite often to people what it actually was.

As to why it is growing, I think readers have realised they like to meet authors, and I think authors like to meet their readers, and also catch up with other authors. There will always be some writers who are not into any of that, but we encourage our authors to stay around for a day or two and meet other writers and so forth. It is a nice social experience, and I think the right atmosphere is very important for this kind of event. Ullapool is getting a good reputation for that as well, and I think if a festival can develop its own character, it will be a long-term success.

N: I suppose the corollary of that growth is that authors have had to develop a level of performing skills as well, and some are definitely better than others when it comes to that.

JR: I have heard stories from other festivals who have invited eminent authors who turn out to not to perform very well at all. It is something you have to be aware of in programming an event – is this person going to be entertaining as well as an interesting writer? You are looking for a bit of a performer if possible, and of course, it is also vital that they have something interesting to say.

N: How significant is the return to Eden Court?

JR: I think it is crucial. It was always the intended home for the festival, and we only had it for the first one until now. The Royal Highland Hotel filled the gap, and we were grateful to them, but it was difficult to create the right atmosphere with some of the events, and I think being out of Eden Court did affect audience numbers.

There is an established “package” there, where you can have a meal or a drink as well as the event, and we can make use of different spaces within the building for specific events, so it is much more flexible now, which should help to create the festival atmosphere we want.

N: What are your favourite memories from your four previous festivals?
JR: Gosh. There are lots. Louis de Bernières was very good, and so was A L Kennedy, who I had avoided asking for the first couple of festivals because I wasn’t sure how she would go down in Inverness. Then I learned she did stand up comedy and was very droll and funny. Joanna Blythman was another particular favourite of mine. I thought the issue of junk food and supermarkets was such a big issue, and very relevant in Inverness.

Cameron McLeish was another favourite event of mine – I’m an outdoor kind of guy, and his event was quite unusual. It was in Ness Bank Church, and there was music and images, all very atmospheric. And Don Paterson. I think for me the events that had a character all of their own are the ones that stand out.

N: Do you think you are going to miss it when you hand over the reins?

JR: I really don’t know – we’ll see. I think the festival has a bright future at Eden Court, and I’m definitely looking forward to just being in the audience next year without the stress of being responsible for it.

The Inverness Book Festival runs from 29 September until 3 October

© Kenny Mathieson, 2008

Links

• Inverness Book Festival