Books
The Skinny book guide – bringing you book reviews, features, events, reviews and author interviews. Find previews and on the ground reporting from festivals of literature and poetry in Scotland and beyond.
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FeaturesCarrie Brownstein on Hunger Makes Me a Modern Girl
Sleater-Kinney's Carrie Brownstein goes beyond everyday musical memoir in Hunger Makes Me a Modern Girl – as a biographical lyricist and writer on Port... Read more »| 30 Nov 2015 -
NewsPortico Prize 2015 winners announced
Benjamin Myers was awarded The Portico Prize for Literature, the North's leading literary award, at a gala ceremony held in Manchester last night Read more »| 27 Nov 2015 -
Features
John Freeman interview: Arrival
After leaving Granta under a cloud, internationally renowned literary critic John Freeman returns to the limelight with Issue 1 of his new publication Freeman's, featuring writers as vital and varied as Haruki Murakami, David Mitchell and Lydia Davis. Read more »| 27 Nov 2015 -
News
Poetry News – Scotland, December 2015
2015 has been a fine and fit year for poetry – here we first look back at key moments on both page and stage, then forward to what 2016 holds. Plus there's the small matter of some major spoken word events for you to attend between now and then Read more »| 27 Nov 2015 -
Book Reviews
Hunger Makes Me a Modern Girl by Carrie Brownstein
'This what it feels like to be a fan: curious, open, desiring for connection, to feel like art has chosen you, claimed you as its witness.' In her long form ... Read more »| 27 Nov 2015 -
News
Michel Faber wins Saltire Book of the Year Award
The Book of Strange New Things by Michel Faber has been named Book of the Year at the 2015 Saltire Literary Awards in Edinburgh Read more »| 26 Nov 2015
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MusicHollie McNish, Eugene Kelly set for Liverpool show
Spoken word star Hollie McNish joins Eugene Kelly of the Vaselines, Pete Wylie and more on a bill mixing live poetry and music at Liverpool's LEAF in January, programmed by Edinburgh collective Neu! Reekie!. Read more »| 26 Nov 2015 -
Tech
Ana Matronic interview: The Impending Robot Takeover
Against the backdrop of recent media coverage surrounding artificial intelligence, and the fact that we are on the precipice of a new wave of robot automation in the workplace – we caught up with Ana Matronic to discuss the robot takeover. Read more »| 26 Nov 2015 -
Features
Claire-Louise Bennett on debut collection, Pond
Claire-Louise Bennett’s debut collection, Pond, has already got critics labeling her one to watch. The Skinny chats to the experimental writer about her literary inspirations, and finding her feet in the writing world Read more »| 20 Nov 2015 -
Features
How to write your first novel
First time authors are being recognised in Scotland with the Dundee International Book Prize and Saltire Society First Book Awards. Some of those rewarded – Martin Cathcart Froden and Helen McClory – speak about breaking through in the world of publishing Read more »| 20 Nov 2015 -
News
Book Week Scotland set for 2015 launch
Book Week Scotland 2015 kicks off on Monday 23 November – here are a selection of the key literary events taking place across Scotland over the course of the week. Read more »| 18 Nov 2015 -
Features
Poetry News – Scotland, November 2015
We consider the pen and page with two exciting new collections and the announcement of the Saltire poetry book award nominees. We also chat to the newly appointed BBC Scotland Poet in Residence, Rachel McCrum – also one half of Rally & Broad. Read more »| 10 Nov 2015 -
Festivals
Paul Mason at Manchester Literature Festival
Journalist and author of PostCapitalism: A Guide to Our Future, Paul Mason advocates the emergence of a new, sharing economy at an event as part of Manchester Literature Festival Read more »| 09 Nov 2015 -
Features
Escaping East: Shuntaro Tanikawa
Ahead of the publication of his New Selected Poems, we look at the work of Shuntaro Tanikawa, one of Japan's best-kept literary secrets Read more »| 09 Nov 2015 -
TechCara Ellison Interview: Embed With Games
How would you like to be paid by your Twitter followers to travel the world? We caught up with Cara Ellison to talk about single-handedly charting the world map of indie game development, games as political protest and the galvanising power of pop. Read more »| 04 Nov 2015