Scottish Books Events: February 2024
Poetry readings, erotic cabarets and an artists' bookmarket featuring workshops galore – here's our guide to February's best literary events
Books! You love ‘em, we love events about ‘em. For sexy Valentine’s day vibes, head to Assembly Roxy for an Erotic Cabaret put on by Lighthouse Bookshop and poet Lucy Debussy in honour of her new collection Unspeakable Shaking Pleasures (14 Feb). Also put on by Lighthouse, also at Assembly Roxy, and also a cabaret is Poyums: A Poetry Extravaganza with Len Pennie (21 Feb) featuring poets Gray Crosbie, Nasim Rebecca Asl and Shane Strachan. If you’re Glasgow-based, Pennie will be launching her collection at Waterstones Sauchiehall Street with comedy actor Karen Dunbar (19 Feb).
Elsewhere in Edinburgh, The Portobello Bookshop hosts the launch of 404 Ink’s nature writing collection, Gathering: Women of Colour on Nature (20 Feb) – writers Durre Shahwar, Nasia Sarwar-Skuse and Alycia Pirmohamed will be in conversation with Katie Goh. There’s also a very artsy book launch at Fruitmarket (15 Feb): The Vanitas & Other Tales of Art and Obsession by Jake Kendall is a collection of eight stories themed around art, art history and creative obsession. Also at Fruitmarket is the Artists' Bookmarket (10-11 Feb) featuring stalls upon stalls of zines, artist’s books and curios, as well as bookbinding and printmaking workshops.
Over in Glasgow, meanwhile, head to Glasgow Zine Library for this month’s Sex Positive Reading Group (30 Jan). There’s also more ways to get stuck in at Poetry at Inn Deep (every Tuesday) and the Candlelight Poetry Slam at The Old Toll Bar (5 Feb) if performing as well as listening to poetry is your thing.