On the opening day of the Conference, there was a mood of solemnity and a politely suppressed hysteria of expectation. Will we live up to the legendary 1962? Will we talk to each other or sulk in our seats, the anxious introverts that we supposedly are? Does anyone know what’s [...]
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My 2012 Writers’ Conference began with listening to two of the founders of the 1962 conference, John Calder and Jim Haynes, speak about their experiences 50 years ago at an early morning session at the book festival. Chaired by Charlotte Higgins the event set going several themes that would return [...]
Q&A with Ahdaf Soueif Q: We are using the same topics as the 1962 conference. Why do you think 50 years on the question of should literature be political needs to be revisited and how do you think this debate will differ from the one 50 years ago? A: All [...]
Why revisit the 1962 International Writers’ Conference fifty years on? In our day jobs as academics, we have been researching the cultural and literary significance of the Scottish sixties for several years, and met by chance at a seminar in 2009. We realised how interconnected our research was and decided [...]
I’m a bit worried now, and I was so excited about the World Writers’ Conference when I was asked to participate. Do you know the theme song from the film “Team America: World Police”? It’s quite hard to reproduce in a curse-free blog but the gist of it is ‘America: [...]
Well, it’s T minus 8 days. We’re in the final throes of preparing to launch the opening salvos of the most ambitious worldwide discussion about writing, ever. So no pressure then. Travel arrangements are in hand, receptions arranged, technical aspects sorted – a million and one other bits and pieces [...]
The fifty-strong line-up of authors taking part in the Edinburgh World Writers’ Conference has been revealed and it’s a stellar list of local and international names from the world of literature. Starting on Friday 17 August, and spanning five events over five days, the conference will see the fifty writers join members [...]