City Literary Evening With Top Author

One of Scotland’s top women fiction writers, Margaret Elphinstone will be visiting the Highlands on Wednesday (5 September) to host a special literary evening in lnverness Library.

Margaret Elphinstone was born in 1948 in Kent, and educated at Queen's College, London and the University of Durham. She is Professor of Writing at the University of Strathclyde in Glasgow, where her main areas of academic research are Scottish women writers, and the literature of small islands. She has published eight novels as well as short stories and poetry. Her fiction is mostly historical and is characterised by her portrayal of people on journeys to places on the edge – islands, frontiers - where cultures and ideas meet and evolve.

Local writing groups and anyone interested in meeting Margaret are invited to come along to Inverness Library at 7.30pm.  The event is free and part of a month long series of events at the library timed to coincide with the Inverness Book Festival.  Other events will include author visits, workshops and an appearance by well known storyteller Bob Pegg on Saturday 6 October and a visit from Mairi Hedderwick on Wednesday 26th September at 7.30pm to discuss her travel books Highland Journey and An Eye on the Hebrides.

The Highland Council’s Vice Chairman of Education, Councillor Bren Gormley said:  “Our library service was keen to organise several special events at the library during the build up to the Inverness Book Festival.  We are delighted that Margaret will be coming to share some of her expertise and read from some of her top books.  The evening will be a great chance to meet one of Scotland’s top authors and might even encourage some budding writers to pick up their pens.”

Following her appearance in Inverness, Margaret will be returning to the Highlands as one of the judges for the prestigious Highland Council Neil Gunn writing competition.  The winners of the prize will be announced on October 2nd at an event at Strathpeffer Pavilion before an audience of invited guests.  The Neil Gunn writing prize has been organised by the Highland Council libraries service and this year has attracted over three hundred entrants. 

For further details of events at Inverness Library please telephone 01463 236463.