Outlander author Diana Gabaldon in Inverness tomorrow

EDEN Court Theatre in Inverness will host Outlander creator Diana Gabaldon tomorrow for a special event organised by her fans. Hundreds of fans have traveled to the Highland capital from throughout the world for tomorrow’s even, which was set up by local fan group Inverness Outlanders. Gabaldon’s books and subsequent television series have boosted visitor…

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Wigtown Book Festival welcomes fiddlers

MUSICIANS from throughout Dumfries & Galloway joined members of the Scottish Fiddle Orchestra (SFO) for a concert yesterday lunchtime at Wigtown Book Festival. Beth Porter of The Bookshop Band was among the fiddlers taking part, along with her baby, Emmy Please. The SFO was co-founded by the late John Mason, who spent much of his…

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Winners revealed at Bloody Scotland book festival

TWO crime writers carried off the top prizes last night as the Bloody Scotland book festival got underway in Stirling. Alan Parks won the McIlvanney Prize for May God Forgive, while Tariq Ashkanani took the Bloody Scotland Debut Prize with Welcome to Cooper. Ayo Onatade, chair of the McIlvanney Prize judges, described May God Forgive…

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Host named for Outlander author Diana Gabaldon event

THE host has been named for an event in Inverness with Outlander author Diana Gabaldon. Local historian and author Sarah Fraser will interview the writer on stage at Eden Court theatre on 15 October. Fraser appeared in the Men in Kilts television series alongside Outlander stars Sam Heughan and Graham MacTavish “I am very excited…

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Doric scriever starts residency

DORIC writer Shane Strachan has been named as the next Scots scriever by the National Library of Scotland. The role involves promoting the Scots language by carrying out research at the library and producing original work. Strachan said: “I’m fair trickit tae be this year’s Scots scriever, especially gettin tae promote the Doric o my…

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Artificial intelligence gets arty for Scotland

TOURISM marketing body VisitScotland has used an artificial intelligence (AI) program to create pictures of Scotland. Photographs and paintings were fed into the NightCafe AI art generator, which then produced images in-keeping with the originals. The agency is using the images to promote the 13 sites on Scotland’s United Nations Educational, Scientific & Cultural Organisation…

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Voxblock plays audiobooks without a screen

AN EDINBURGH couple has today launched Voxblock, a device for playing audiobooks without a screen. Rebecca Lundgren and Tom Williams were inspired to create the machine after watching their daughter play Lundgren’s childhood audiobooks on an old cassette player. ‘‘Watching our own daughter listen to and love my old storybook cassettes was a revelation and…

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Bloody Scotland shines spotlight on new authors

THE Bloody Scotland International Crime Writing Festival has chosen 22 new writers for its “Crime in the Spotlight” feature. Each author will appear alongside more famous writers, either on stage or online. The idea was inspired by the support acts at music festivals. More than 100 new writers have been supported by the project in…

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Donna Ashworth shares exclusive poem

Poet Donna Ashworth shares her new work, Home, written for Scottish Field. HAILING from Tillicoultry, Donna Ashworth rose to fame on social media, with her poetry winning a legion of celebrity fans, including Cat Deeley, Lisa Faulkner, and Lisa Snowden. A new collection of her poems, I Wish I Knew, has been released by Black…

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Abbotsford prepares for tomorrow’s ScottFest

SIR Walter Scott’s home at Abbotsford near Tweedbank is making the final preparations for its “ScottFest”. The three-day festival celebrating the life of Scotland’s most famous author begins tomorrow. Events include jousting, terrier racing, and birds of prey displays. The festival marks Scott’s birthday, which this year coincides with the 200th anniversary of the author’s…

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