1-5 May

BIG LIT, now in its ninth year, just gets bigger and bigger! It’s now five bumper days of poetry, launches, prose, talks, film, puppets, history, workshop, buskers, song, installation, exhibition, politics, music and cabaret, and a children’s programme of magical time travel, folk tale and madcappery. 

We have also spread our mighty wings into Kirkcudbright with events at Kirkcudbright Primary School and in Kirkcudbright Galleries - an exciting new venue.

As always our programme is a mixed bag of local talent as well as talent from further afield. We’re hosting a Booker Prize nominee, a former Master Chef Winner, a winner of a Scottish Children’s Book Award, a nominee for a Best First Novel Award and there’ll be a tasting of award winning cheeses from The Ethical Dairy up at Rainton.  Awards all round! Scotland’s story features large - Scotland’s history told from the point of view of women who lived it, benefits of Scottish cooking, the story of the Scottish clarsach, Gaelic Song, how The Church of Scotland rose to the challenges of The Great War, a memoir about Scottish novelist Muriel Spark and a commemoration of The Battle of George Square, Glasgow in this centenary year.  All this and so much more.

Trawl through our brochure and I’m sure you’ll find something to entertain, engage or make you think about the issues we all care about and need to address.  In the absence of lovely Franca Bruno – thank you Franca and Liz for all your support in previous years - our new Box Office will be in The Galloway Lodge.  The Crafty Crow (Franca’s old shop) joins our list of Gatehouse venues bringing some tasty vegetarian fare to events across the Festival.

Thanks to the support of The Holywood Trust, The Barfil Trust,  The Galloway Association of Glasgow, The Scottish Book Trust, The Gatehouse Development Initiative, The Gatehouse Community Council, The Regional Arts Fund, The Murray Usher Foundation,  local businesses and supporters and other project funders - not to mention our trusty band of volunteers - we are once again able to bring some of the finest talent to Gatehouse and Kirkcudbright. Have a wonderful time.

www.biglit.org