Northern Bibliosphere

You might recall today's guest's voice from our previous Nairn Book & Arts Festival preview, but today Sean Lusk is here talking to us about his wonderful debut novel The Second Sight of Zachary Cloudesley. The book is an adventure through time and space - we travel between Britain and the Ottoman empire in the 18th century, explore the complex relationship between father and son, and...

Today we have a special talk with one of our wonderful local publishers here in the Highlands: Inverness-based Pauline Mackay is an author and the founder of Ablekids Press, an independent publisher specialised in bilingual books for children. Her stories, drawing from Scottish folklore - but also from myths and legends around the world - are translated in an impressive variety of languages and ar...

In this episode we connect with writer, teacher and journalist Iain Maloney, a Scotsman living his best life in Japan. His latest book The Japan Lights is very aptly, about a fellow Scotsman in Japan - but who lived there around 150 years ago, when it wasn't quite as easy to jump on a flight and you couldn't videocall your family. The book tells of Iain's travel across the country foll...

We met with the wonderful Shona Maclean in Inverness to talk about her book The Bookseller of Inverness. We talked about her book, the pressure of writing about a place close to home, her characters and who she would cast in case of a movie adaptation. Find out more about her work on quercusbooks.co.uk/contributor/s-g-maclean/ If you have a book you love send us a voice message on ⁠⁠⁠speakpipe.com...

A seaside Highland village, a Celtic legend and two women yearning for a different life. These are some of the elements you will find in Fiona Gillan Kerr's first novel, The Bone on The Beach. We spoke to Fiona about life in the Highlands, myths and legends, strong female characters and a portal to the underworld. I hope you love this interview - and the book - as I did! You can find out more...

We are back with a shiny brand new season! And because there are some excellent events ahead of us, we didn't want you to arrive unprepared to the cracking St Duthac Book & Arts Festival, which will run from next week (Monday 11) to to Monday 18. There is a vast array of events and we delve into this year's programme as well as the birth of the festival with the lovely Coral Allan and...

We are back with a shiny brand new season! Today we kick off with a chat with the wonderful Anita Sethi, who is the first ever writer in residence at the Nairn Book & Arts Festival (which is running until Sunday! Check the programme). Anita hails from Manchester and is a writer and journalist - at the festival, she brings her book I Belong Here: a Journey Along the Backbone of Britain, in whic...

Summer's here and the time is right to get excited about all the wonderful book fests on the horizon! One of them is the Nairn Book & Arts Festival which will run from August 30 to September 3. We were invited to the launch party for their programme and we got to seat down with the festival's chair Sean Lusk fora sneak peek on their 20th anniversary programme. Find our more at nairnfes...

Another day, another behind-the-scenes interview with some wonderful publishers from the North of Scotland! Today we head to Caithness to talk to Dr Keith Whittles from Whittles publishing. They specialize in academic and non-fiction books - the topics they cover range from geology to engineering, history and nature - and more! Find out more about their work and books as whittlespublishing.com Plu...

In our very first itinerant interview, we visited Dornoch and some of the key locations on which The Last Witch of Scotland by Philip Paris is based.  The author takes us from the cemetery and Cathedral to the stone marking the place where Janet Horne - the last person to be condemned for witchcraft in the UK - was executed.  A moving story told through the eyes of Janet’s daughter, the book is fu...

Our first episode meeting the wonderful publishers making books happen across the North of Scotland. Today we bring you a very tasty conversation with Anne Glennie, who is the founder and director at Cranachan Publishing. She is a mastermind behind the wonderful books and authors Cranachan offers - mostly for a younger audience but also making wonderful lighter reads for adults. With Anne we talk...

"Cynthia’s mother is dying. Often" That's what I first read about Cynthia Rogertson's latest book, Wah! Things I Never Told My Mother. Back then, I could hardly believe how much humor is packed into this story.  Longlisted for the Highland Book Prize 2022, Wah! is full of wit, memories and adventures. We spoke to Cynthia about becoming a writer, moving to Scotland and the process of writing this v...

Some reading tips for today's episode! Find out some great reads which are yet to come! Did yGiveaway:  If you want to be in for a chance have this bundle of stories sent at home: Like and share this post (make sure you tag us or add the hashtag #northbibliopod so we can keep track!)   Go to your favourite podcast provider and give a listen to our latest episodes (hit subscribe if you li...

Our first interview of 2023 is with the wonderful John McLellan, author of The Faultline, a novel set in Wester Ross in the 70s which is very much a testament to the stunning and fascinating landscape of the region as well as a story of personal discovery and human relationships. The Faultline is John's first novel and with him we spoke about embracing his new identity as an author, geology, authe...

We are back! Happy 2023 and happy Burns Night to everyone celebrating it, we hope you will enjoy all the whisky, poems and haggis (regular and veg) you can.  To kick things off, we bring you a selection of best books to read suggested by four incredible indie bookshops: The Ullapool Bookshop, Picaresque Books, The Bookmark and The Nairn Bookshop.  Find a full list of the recommended read...

What if a festival was to last for months? John O' Groats Book Festival kicked off in March and will be running until the Festival Weekend at the end of October.  Today former librarian and festival coordinator Ian Leith is our guest to tell us more about the festival and the coming guests! More information about the festival and the coming events can be found at johnogroatsdt.org/book-festiv...

Are you ready to go wild? In her latest book, Hindsight, the award-winning theatre maker Jenna Watt takes us on her personal journey researching and taking a plunge into the various facets of the conservation movement. The book is a wonderful way into the conversations happening around land management, deer culling, rewilding, ecological grief and ecofeminism across different areas in the Highland...

A dive into one of the oldest Book Festivals in the North: Nairn Book & Arts Festival is back as from today (August 27) to celebrate Scotland's Year of Stories. Creative Coordinator Tanera Bryden takes us through the story of the festival and some highlights that this year will offer.  From book talks to workshops and more, the festival will run until September 4 and it will turn the seas...

In this episode we hear from body therapist and author Olukemi Ogunyemi about her first book Brown Girl in The Ring, a memoir of her upbringing in Scotland as a mixed-race child.  Based in the north of Scotland after living in the Central Belt, Olukemi brings her own experience alive to spark a conversation about racism in Scotland, whether that is from the institutions or from people on the...

2022 marks Scotland's Year of Stories and we couldn't do without a dip into how the North of Scotland will be celebrating its incredible storytelling traditions. In this new episode dedicated to the themed year, we explore the tradition and history of storytelling in Caithness. We meet local playwright and poet in residence at Lyth Arts Centre, George Gunn and Charlotte Mountford, Co-Director at L...

In this episode we dig deeper into storytelling and the community of creatives inspired by the reach landscape of myths and legends of the Highlands.  Our guests are Virginia Crow, author of Haunting Whispers of Highland Waters - a book created from stories submitted for the Spirit: 360 project.  The initiative reached out to people of the Highlands in order to collect stories that refle...

2022 marks Scotland's Year of Stories and we couldn't do without a dip into how the North of Scotland will be celebrating its incredible storytelling traditions. To start off, we hear from Elaine Downs, who is on the committee for Ness Book Fest, a literary festival in Inverness which will (finally!) be returning from 6th October until 8th October 2022.  Find out more about the festival here:...

To end our mini-series in conversation with the finalists of the Highland Book Prize 2021, we bring you a dive into the past and present of the award with Moniack Mhor center director Rachel Humphries. You can follow the Awards Ceremony from Zoom and book your place at: https://www.moniackmhor.org.uk/courses/2021-highland-book-prize-award-ceremony/ Or if you are interested in becoming a volunteer...

A mini-series in conversation with the finalists of the Highland Book Prize 2021 ahead of the awards ceremony on May 26. We end on a high with the fantastic work of journalist and writer Cal Flynn. Her latest work, Islands of Abandonment, explores the past, present and becoming of places where mankind has left its print and then gone away, and the mesmerizing changes that nature can go through in...

Time has come for us to close up with our mini-series. In this last glimpse into the amazing experience that was the Ullapool Book Festival, we talk to the powerhouse behind the festival.  Last but not least, this episode of our Dispatches From Ullapool features the fantastic Joan Michael, who has been running the event since it first started 18 years ago. We talk to her about the very start...