IT HAS been dubbed Scotland’s ‘most intelligent and stimulating weekend of the year’, and the line-up for this year’s Ullapool Book Festival in May promises to maintain this reputation.

AS IF the sheer magic of strolling the blossom-lined streets of the prettiest town on the west weren’t appeal enough, the unique blend of writers makes it an unmissable event.

Don Paterson (photo Murdo McLeod)

The authors range from the undeniably great, like Don Paterson, Scotland master poet and winner of the Queen’s Medal for Poetry last year, to the downright popular, such as crime writer Denise Mina. Yet the Ullapool Book Festival makes a point of not giving space only to people already established in the literary world, and of introducing Scottish audiences to important writers from other lands.

So local amateurs from the Ross-shire Writers will mingle with international greats such as the Canadian Linden Macintyre, Cape Breton journalist and winner of the Giller Prize for his novel The Bishop’s Man, and  new American novelist Nora Chassler.

One of Scotland’s literary hallmarks is its diversity of voices, and the organisers seem to have an unmatched gift for bringing them together to create a special kind of music. Is it because it’s a port that Ullapool generates such a sense of connectedness between so many different places, so many tones of voice?

As well as the Gaelic of Mark Wringe, Maoileas Campbell and Peter Mackay, this year we will be hearing Shetland writers Christine de Luca and Robert Alan Jamieson, Stornoway story teller Ian Stephen, Eleanor Thom who tells a Travelling family’s tale, the literary erudition of Stewart Kelly and John Burnside, and the current and past editors of Northwords Now, Chris Powici and Rhoda Michael, not to forget central belters Doug Johnstone and Aidan Moffat, who will be singing as well as reading.

In fact, participants are always encouraged to break into song, whether at the late-night sessions in the Parlour Bar at the Ceilidh Place or on stage, and this year will be no exception. The weekend will feature little bursts of opera, Indie rock songs, and Gaelic songs of the Polbain Bard, Niall Macleod, brought to Ullapool by Roddie, Kevin and Ali ‘Beag’ Macleod.

The festival has a new figurehead this year, in James Robertson, author of several important Scottish novels, including the recent And the Land Lay Still, his most political book. He was recently quoted in Northwords Now saying of the Ullapool Book Festival, ‘I can’t think of anything I’d rather be president of than this intimate, friendly, intellectually stimulating,beautifully located and fantastically well organised set of events.’

What makes it so special? Most book festivals are either spread out over such long periods that it is not possible to stay for the duration, or alternatively so many events are crammed together that they overlap and you cannot get to everything. A large part of the pleasure of Ullapool’s festival is the way it manages to avoid both evils, with the result that, over two-and-a-half days without parallel sessions, a conversation unfolds.

Speaking from experience the chair of the festival, Joan Michael, says, ‘A thread will appear.’ Over the weekend, as writers move from audience to stage and back to audience, questions become more penetrating and answers are informed by the dialogue so far. Boundaries between readers and writers blur and unexpected connections are made. The 2011 Festival looks set to deepen that continuing conversation. Don’t miss it.

The Ullapool Book Festival runs from 6-8 May 2011.

© Mandy Haggith, 2011

Links

Ullapool Book Festival