A Blether O Book Festival is being trialled at the Robert Burns Birthplace Museum.

The festival later this year will feature award winning and best selling authors, and books by the authors will be available for sales and signings. 

More details and tickets are available on Eventbrite, and for more information go to https://friendsofrbbm.org.uk/2024/07/24/a-blether-o-books-festival-at-rbbm.

Saturday October 26 - 11.30am to 12.30pm

Sara Sheridan is an author who has written amongst other books, ‘The Secret of Blythswood Square’; ‘The Fair Botanists’ and  ‘Where are the Women?’.

In her talk ‘Exploring Where Scotland Comes From‘ she discusses how we represent our history.

Sara Sheridan is a Glasgow-based writer and activist. She writes historical fiction and creative nonfiction. She has written 6 novels based in the period 1820 to 1850.

She is a regular contributor on BBC Radio Scotland and has also written two 5-part radio plays adapted from her own short stories – ‘On Portobello Prom‘ and ‘Robert Burns: His Psychotherapy and Cure’. 

Saturday October 26 - 2.30pm to 3.30pm

Thomas Clark is a writer, poet and translator working mainly in the Scots language.

In his most recent and award winning book  ‘Fower Legs Guid, TwaLegs Better!’, a Scots translation of George Orwell’s ‘Animal Farm’, he offers a fascinating journey through Orwell, Scots, and the language we use today asking if words still matter, if politicians can be trusted and if Scots still has a place in the modern world.

Sunday 27 October - 11.30am to 12.30pm

Alex Renton considers ‘Ayrshire, Burns, Slavery: a difficult legacy?‘ Alex is an author and journalist living in Edinburgh.

He works primarily in reportage and investigation for the BBC, The Times, The Guardian and the Daily Mail.

His recent books include ‘Blood Legacy: reckoning with a family’s story of slavery‘ (about the Fergusson and Hunter-Blair families of Ayrshire) and ‘Stiff Upper Lip: secrets, crimes and the schooling of a ruling class‘.

His most recent radio series, ‘In Dark Corners’, won multiple awards and is available on BBC Sounds. 

Sunday 27 October - 2.30pm to 3.30pm

Steven Veerapen is an author of historical fiction and nonfiction. His books include ‘The Simon Danforth murder mysteries‘ set in the Scotland of the 1540s and ‘The Wisest Fool: The Lavish Life of James VI and I’.

In his talk ‘Historical Crime Fiction: from medieval murders to modernist mysteries’ he discusses historical crime fiction as a popular genre and how it is written – from conjuring up relatable characters to authentic backgrounds with ghastly and blood drenched incidents.