Scottish Books Events: April 2026
First Date, Edinburgh's romance book festival, returns at the end of the month. Elsewhere, Polly Barton launches her debut novel and there's a poetry open mic at Glasgow Zine Library
Love is, once again, in the air as First Date – Edinburgh's book festival dedicated to all things romance – returns to the city. Co-curated by Lighthouse Bookshop and Book Lovers Bookshop and running 24 April-8 May, this year's programme includes Beth O'Leary launching her new book The Name Game, Nadine Aisha Jassat hosting a romance book club and book swap, panels and workshops on romantasy, sports romance, and queer love, and even a late night book market. Also at Lighthouse, Niall Moorjani hosts a storytelling open mic Tales at the Lighthouse (19 Apr), and there's an evening dedicated to protest poetry with Ruth Aylett, Zain Rishi and Woman Life Freedom Edinburgh (14 Apr).
Over by the sea at Portobello Bookshop, Polly Barton launches her debut novel What Am I, A Deer on 14 April, Lisa Tuttle and Brigid Lowe discuss all things horror on 16 April, and Evelyn Clarke – AKA V.E. Schwab and Cat Clarke – launch their book The Ending Writes Itself at Portobello Town Hall on 19 April.
It's a little quieter over in Glasgow: there's a Men's Reading Circle (in a nice way) on 7 April and a book group reading Ágota Kristóf's The Proof on 29 April, both at Mount Florida Books. At Glasgow Women's Library, writer and activist Sarah Schulman celebrates her latest book The Fantasy and Necessity of Solidarity (11 Apr), and at Glasgow Zine Library, there's a Poetry Open Mic on 8 April and Trans Writes, a creative writing group for trans and non-binary people on 14 April.