Five events to catch at Aye Write! 2018

Aye Write!, Glasgow's Book Festival, is upon us again, descending on the city across the second half of March. From the brilliant work of Scotland's indie publishers to breakthrough debuts to issue-driven events, Aye Write! features a stellar programme. Here are five recommendations to get you started:

Sam Small & Dale McMullen, Speculative Subscription Poetry

Get the lowdown on Speculative Books, Glasgow’s newest independent publishing house and their innovative “subscription service”, a scheme which means members get sent a mint fresh book every month for less than a fiver. Co-founder Dale McMullen will be joined on stage by poet Sam Small, whose warped poetry collection Pure Toilet was Speculative Books’ first release. They’ll also be joined by theatremaker Leyla Josephine, whose show Hopeless has been adapted into a book by the imprint, and Speculative favourite David Linklater. 16 Mar, Mitchell Library, 7.15pm

Louise Welsh Introduces… Laura Carlin & Imogen Hermes Gowar

Aye Write! like to pair established writers with debut authors, and one of the matchups that’s caught our eye is the great Louise Welsh speaking to both Laura Carlin and Imogen Hermes Gowar. Carlin, who’s been described as “a gifted new voice in historical fiction”, will be discussing her debut novel The Wicked Cometh, which evocatively drops us in the murky alleyways of 19th century London teeming with thieves and vagrants. Gowar will take the conversation from Victorian to Georgian London with her funny and touching The Mermaid and Mrs Hancock, which follows a portly widower whose life is turned upside down by both a blonde enchantress and the mythical sea dwelling creature of the title. 17 Mar, Mitchell Library, 4.45pm

Denise Mina introduces… Danny Denton & Mick Kitson

It’s another one of Aye Write!’s intriguing author pairings; here crime writer Denise Mina sits down with greenhorns Danny Denton and Mick Kitson. The wonderfully titled The Earlie King & the Kid in Yellow is Irish author Denton’s debut, which follows a journalist in an Ireland of the dystopian future where it never stops raining – he should feel right at home in Glasgow. Mick Kitson’s first novel, Sal, meanwhile, concerns the eponymous 13-year-old who goes on the run with her little sister into the Scottish wilderness after a violent incident at home. 18 Mar, Mitchell Library, 6.30pm

Darren McGarvey & Raoul Martinez, Freedom From Poverty

One of Scottish hip-hop's leading voices – Darren 'Loki' McGarvey – comes to Aye Write! with his first book, Poverty Safari, which mines his own life and childhood in Pollok to create a novel that gives a voice to the feelings and concerns of deprived communities all around the UK. McGarvey is joined at this Freedom From Poverty night by Raoul Martinez, whose novel Creating Freedom explores the lottery of our birth and how a faith in a free media, free markets and free elections can be dangerously misplaced. We’re told that Freedom From Poverty will see both authors present fierce and profoundly hopeful manifestos for change. 24 Mar, Tramway, 4.45pm

BHP, Full Colour Comics

Full Colour is BHP Comics' mentoring programme for young POC comics creators, and tonight they discuss the Full Colour anthology – the collection of comics that were made during the programme. Co-project lead Nyla Ahmad chairs the event, with the young comic book artists and writers discussing topics such as inclusion in the arts, creating comics and how the Full Colour initiative has impacted their lives. 25 Mar, Mitchell Library, 1.15pm

---

Aye Write! 2018 runs from 15-25 March. Check out the full programme over at ayewrite.com