Scottish Books Events: October 2023

Edinburgh International Book Festival keep the book events going with not one but two bonus October events: find Michael Palin at The Assembly Rooms on 3 Oct and Val McDermid and Kirsty Wark on 11 Oct. Glasgow small press Thi Wurd presents its second major literary event of 2023 at the Glasgow University Union, with surprise (!) performers of fiction, non-fiction, and poetry, live music, screenings, and visual arts. For more communal bookish vibes, head to Glasgow Women’s Library’s literary salon Herland (6 Oct) – it’s the first one they’ve held in years and revolves around Jackie Kay’s poem A Life in Protest.

In the bookshops, meanwhile, The Skinny’s own Rho Chung chairs queer rom-com writer Lily Lindon at Lighthouse Bookshop (6 Oct), and our book feature star Marjorie Lotfi launches her poetry collection at Portobello Bookshop on 12 Oct. For an autumnal (read: slightly spooky) vibe, head to CJ Cooke’s launch of The Haunting in the Arctic at Waterstones Argyle Street, in conversation with Sally Hinchcliffe.