Unbound 2013: Events Listings

Be Unbound every night of the Edinburgh International Book Festival in the Guardian Spiegeltent, Charlotte Square Gardens. Events start at 9pm, and are free and unticketed. Best get there early if you want a seat

Preview | 02 Jul 2013

Sun 11 Aug – MULTIPLES
To celebrate the UK publication of the translation-themed issue of McSweeney's he guest edited in 2012, novelist Adam Thirlwell and acclaimed translator Daniel Hahn improvise a wild multilingual evening. Featuring individual tasks and collective games; a sentence snaking round the room in every language possible; and short texts being remade in the languages spoken by the audience including mime and gesture.

Mon 12 Aug – LJODAHÅTT
Created by the Norwegian actor Magne Havard Brekke, Ljodahått are a musical collective that gives new life to some of Norway’s finest poetry from Henrik Ibsen to Knut Hamsun. Think of the soaring sound of Arcade Fire coupled with the dark cabaret of Tom Waits. Strange, ethereal, compelling and all wrapped up in a gorgeous book and CD.

Tue 13 Aug – Best of Young British Novelists 2013
2013 saw Granta’s fourth installment of their Best Young British Novelist Series highlighting the 20 most exciting authors under the age of 40 in the UK today. To celebrate, a night of readings brings together some of the very best of the writers: Jenni Fagan steps onto the stage with The Panopticon; Sarah Hall’s novels have been shortlisted for the Booker, the Commonwealth Prize and the Arthur C Clarke Award; Evie Wyld arrives with All the Birds, Singing, a novel which follows her prize-winning debut.

Wed 14 Aug – John Lemke & Poppy Ackroyd with Writers' Bloc
In TV and film, musicians have to work within a framework built by the writer; to respond to and underscore the drama and emotion demanded by the text.  For Jura Unbound, the Edinburgh collective Writers' Bloc turn that on its head and present new work inspired by Poppy Ackroyd's debut album, Escapement, and John Lemke's debut album, People Do.  Enjoy John and Poppy's live sets in the cosy and atmospheric Guardian Spiegeltent while taking a journey of the imagination in this unique event.

Thu 15 Aug – Kevin MacNeil & Willie Campbell
Long-time friends and artistic collaborators, Kevin MacNeil and Willie Campbell last year produced the album Visible From Space, and they'll bring together their songs and stories for a special night of Jura Unbound. Kevin is an acclaimed novelist, poet and playwright born and raised in the Outer Hebrides. His works include The Stornoway Way and Love and Zen in the Outer Hebrides. Willie was lead singer and guitarist with Astrid. He still tours both as a solo artist and as a member of The Open Day Rotation. 

Fri 16 Aug – Dan Rhodes
The author of eight books, each one a delightful discovery, each one unlike the other, Dan Rhodes delights in defying expectations, subverting conventions and finding humour in the darkest moments. Unsurprisingly, he is not a man for the regular Book Festival event. Instead we have created a special Unbound night to celebrate his work and for Dan to bring together some of his favourite authors, comedians and musicians featuring Bob Servant creator Neil Forsyth, singer-songwriter Richard James, formerly of Gorky's Zygotic Mynci and a very special guest…

Sat 17 Aug – Alan Bissett/80s
The 80s: hard times and guilty pleasures, cassette tapes and hair gel, picket lines and protest, and the birth of the Edinburgh International Book Festival. It was the decade that shaped a generation, and it did so in dubious fashions. Led by Alan Bissett’s radical feminist and anti-porn campaigner, Andrea Dworkin, this Jura Unbound evening takes a look back at that era, its wonders and horrors.

Sun 18 Aug – Out There  
Gutter, the country's leading magazine of new writing, hosts a night of queerness to mark the official announcement of Out There, a new state-of-the-nation book of LGBT writing planned for 2014. Out There editor Zoë Strachan is joined by Damian Barr, author of the acclaimed and controversial Maggie and Me, and emerging writers Kirsty Logan and Allan Radcliffe, for stories, music and more.  

Mon 19 Aug – Reel Iraq: The Golden Hour
Revel in a special evening of contemporary Iraqi culture, to mark ten years since the invasion of Iraq, with poetry, theatre and music. Featuring acclaimed Iraqi poets Sabreen Kadhim (coming direct from Baghdad) and Ghareeb Iskander, accompanied by new translations from renowned Scotland-based poets Krystelle Bamford, John Glenday, Jen Hadfield and William Letford; compelling theatre from Dina Moussawi and Iraqi Choobi dance music. This event is supported in part by Creative Scotland and LIFT Festival.

Tue 20 Aug – Back To The Future With The Bookshop Band
The Bookshop Band, fresh from touring Paris, Ireland and the UK bring their unique musical take on contemporary fiction to Jura Unbound. The band have been writing songs inspired by the books of the authors coming to their local bookshop, Mr Bs Emporium of Reading Delights in Bath. Songs are picked from their vast repertoire and themed around the Book Festival’s 30 year anniversary.

Wed 21 Aug – Five Dials Unwind To The 90s
Join a secret selection of writers and musicians (we’ve lured in Colm Tóibín and Ross Raisin in the past) as we look back at the 90s and launch the latest issue of the world’s favourite literary magazine, Five Dials, which will be sent out to subscribers around the world from the stage. A very special guest will press the send button. It could even be someone from the 90s, though we guarantee Courtney Love will not be in attendance.

Thu 22 Aug – This Is The Modern World 
Join Faber Social for an evening of stories, music and performance with a heady and decadent collection of acts including Booker Prize-winning DBC Pierre reading his new work Petit Mal; filmmaker, author and Culture Show presenter Michael Smith premiering his new book Unreal City accompanied by an exclusive soundtrack by legendary producer and DJ Andrew Weatherall; plus Luke Wright will hop over from the Fringe to put the world to rights as only he can.  @fabersocial

Fri 23 Aug v Literary Death Match
Literary Death Match are back but this time with speech bubbles and extra Kappow! to present an extra special comic cartoon caper. The live show brings together four authors to read their most electric writing for seven minutes or less before a panel of three all-star judges. The two finalists then compete in a vaguely literary competition (think ‘Pin the Moustache on Hemingway’) to determine who takes home the Literary Death Match crown.

Sat 24 Aug – Illicit Ink and Graphic Scotland: Tales from the Strip
Graphic Scotland and Illicit Ink combine stories on the page with illustrators on the stage – while our writers read, our guest cartoonists and graphic novelists draw what they hear. Performers include Stephen Collins, author of The Gigantic Beard That Was Evil and comic artist Emma Vieceli whose work includes Manga Shakespeare and Vampire Academy. Art materials are provided but feel free to bring your own.

Sun 25 Aug – Songs in the Key of Fife
Vic Galloway, BBC broadcaster, journalist and champion of the Scottish music scene, has written Songs in the Key of Fife, which documents the amazing story of the Fence Collective. In recent years the music industry has been defined by its much publicised decline, with creativity consumed by the mass market, but for the past two decades, in a little place across the water, a group of musicians have been building and battling against this. Join Vic and some special guests for a memorable night of music to celebrate the book’s publication.

Mon 26 Aug – Robots Dream of Electric Tales
Electric Tales is a cabaret of comedy storytelling, usually based at the Stand Comedy Club, but braving it down the road to the Book Festival for one night only. Tonight they imagine the future like we thought it would be, when robots were proper robots with square heads and beeping and moon boots. Hosted by Sian Bevan.

http://www.edbookfest.co.uk