LIZ Lochhead, Denise Mina and Ricky Ross will take centre stage at Pitlochry’s Winter Words Festival, it has been revealed.
The Pitlochry Festival Theatre has announced the line-up for the 19th annual literary arts exhibition, hosting a mingling of authors, poets, playwrights and broadcasters from across the country and beyond.
The ensemble includes BBC documentary filmmaker Paul Murton, who will be discussing his latest book, The Highlands, detailing his travels across the stunning region of Scotland.
Saltire First Book of the Year winner Chitra Ramaswamy will be talking about Homelands: The History of a Friendship, her new work telling the tale of two unlikely companions finding connection and comfort.
The festival will host a conversation series including poet and playwright Lochhead and actor and writer Nicola Ray.
Crime writer Mina will talk to playwright David Greig about her new tartan noir thriller Confidence, a story of art smuggling, deception and a race across Europe to expose murder.
Also on the roster is Deacon Blue frontman Ricky Ross, who will explore his memoir Walking Back Home with artistic director of Pitlochry Festival Theatre Elizabeth Newman.
There will also be The Makings of a Murderer, an evening with Scottish detective David Swindle, covering cases of the most notorious serial killers in the UK.
Also returning is the fan favourite Banff Mountain Film Festival, showcasing adventure filmmakers from far and wide.
The festival has established a partnership with the 2022 Highland Book Prize Longlist.
Longlisted authors Amanda Thomson (Belonging: Natural Histories of Place, Identity, Home) and Jim Crumley (Seasons of Storm and Wonder) will be discussing their individual works, both inspired by Scotland’s natural beauty and landscape.
Winter Words will also highlight Scotland’s literary art on the stage, with River City actor and writer Lesley Hart, who will address Sherlock: A Lesson in Lipstick, Ketchup and Blood, her stage adaptation of Arthur Conan Doyle’s A Study in Scarlet – the classic origin story of Sherlock Holmes and Dr Watson. Excerpts of the show will be performed at the festival by actor Deirdre Davis.
Writer, critic and stand-up comedian Viv Groskop will also host a conversation about the timelessness of Chekhov’s writing.
Acclaimed authors appearing at the Pitlochry Festival Theatre include: Rosemary Goring on Homecoming: the Scottish Years of Mary, Queen of Scots; McIlvanney Prize 2022 nominated author Louise Welsh with The Second Cut; Ben Aitken discussing The Marmalade Stories and The Gran Tour: Travel With My Elders; Ian Bradley covering The Coffin Roads; and Alistair Moffat on Islands of the Evening: Journeys to the Edge of the World.
The festival will take place between the February 9 and 12, 2023.
Tickets, available both individually and package options, are on sale now, and can be found on the Pitlochry Festival Theatre website: http://www.pitlochryfestivaltheatre.com/winterwords
