Literature Ambassador #6: Outreach

This seems to be a quiet week for bookish events in the region, so I thought I’d broaden our horizons and show you this:

which I heard about only because it was on the evening news today. That video features the first ever Colonsay Book Festival in 2012, the fifth was held last weekend, and because I know bugger all about it I pulled this from their website:

The people of Colonsay, like many communities large and small, have always shared a love of books and literature, joining in book groups and participating in fringe poetry sessions at the music festival. At a community meeting in June 2011, the idea of a book festival for the island was tentatively mooted, and ten months later, at the end of April 2012, we were welcoming our first six authors and an eager audience.

Now in its sixth year, the festival is, we think, still one of the smallest and most remote literary events in Britain, held on the beautiful island of Colonsay in glorious springtime. In 2017 again, the festival will take place over the last weekend of April – the 29th and 30th – and this year we are delighted to be welcoming another fantastic line up of authors.

Alexander McCall Smith: “This was a wonderful start to a literary festival that I am sure will become one of the most enjoyable festivals on offer. Everything worked so well and the atmosphere was extraordinarily friendly.”

Liz Lochhead: “To say this is a BRILLIANT festival – simply the best – is not to say too much…..”

And here’s a little about the island itself:

The island of Colonsay, one of the most remote and most beautiful in the Southern Hebrides, is a 2 hours, 20 minutes sail from Oban, on the west coast of Scotland. South of Mull and west of Jura and Islay, the island is about 8 miles long and 2 wide. Famous for its golden beaches, such as Kiloran and Balnahard, it is home to a wealth of bird, animal and plant life, and has a fascinating history and archaeology. Whatever your interest – walking, swimming, fishing, golf (on the ancient machair links of Machrins), painting or photography – you will be able to enjoy it here.

And to show you how remote it is:

I’ve never been to Colonsay, but this has put me in mind of one of my favourite books, The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society, so it looks like I’ll have to change that soonest.