BOOKMARK Book Festival
Perthshire's Book Festival
BOOKMARK 2025
Opening event gets BOOKMARK’s 2025 programme off to a great start
BOOKMARK chair Gail Wylie in conversation with award-winning author and illustrator Natalie Russell at the opening event of the 2025 Blairgowrie and Rattray Book Festival programme. Image credit: Clare McMicking / CraicN Communications
The opening event of the Blairgowrie and Rattray Book Festival’s 2025 programme has been hailed as a great success.
The much-anticipated event, held on Saturday, March 15, in the St Catharine’s Hall, Blairgowrie, was a continuation of one of the discussions that took place at the main BOOKMARK festival in October last year.
Award-winning author and illustrator of 12 children’s books and a senior lecturer at Duncan of Jordanstone College of Art in Dundee, Natalie Russell returned to east Perthshire to talk about the centuries old tradition of combining art with words and how her hand-drawn images bring her characters and their stories to life.
Natalie and Gail also shared some of their favourite illustrated books and the stories behind them with the audience.
Commenting after the event, Gail said: “We began 2025 by picking up where we left off in 2024 with a wonderful discussion with Natalie Russell about the importance of illustration in storytelling.
“As well as revealing some of her favourite illustrated books, Natalie shared with us the painstaking process she goes through to tell the stories of her characters and to ensure that the illustrations depicting those tales are reflective of their significance.
“Our two discussions with Natalie have certainly demonstrated that imagery can make an invaluable contribution to people’s love of stories.”
Natalie added: “It was lovely to see so many familiar faces who had been at session at the main festival in October back at this event.
“I’m always delighted to be in Blairgowrie and am very grateful to the organisers of BOOKMARKfor having me back again.”
The next event in the 2025 BOOKMARK Programme is on
Saturday, May 3rd
in Blairgowrie
and is a meet the author session featuring
Sean Lusk, author of A Woman of Opinion
and
Victoria MacKenzie who wrote
For Thy Great Pain Have Mercy On My Little Pain.
Gail said: “Sean and Victoria are both award-winning authors and have written these fabulous fictional biographies about three fascinating women from history who were guided, or driven, to do some quite astonishing acts in the name of religious fervour – Mary Wortley Montagu, and Margery Kempe and Julien of Norwich.
“This promises to be an interesting and illuminating discussion about what life was like for these remarkable women in the 18th and 15th centuries.
This event will also incorporate BOOKMARK’s AGM, and after the main discussion, there will be an opportunity to enjoy afternoon tea and continue conversations with the speakers.
Tickets for this event must be bought in advance
and will be available soon from
Rhona Christie on 01250 875613
or
rhona.maclean@yahoo.co.uk
or
Adventure into Books on 01250 872852,
Prices are £10 for non-members and £9 for
BOOKMARK members.
Followed by:
BOOKMARK and Blairgowrie Library
are very happy to announce a brand new event
especially for children in P3 - P5
The Dragonstorm Workshop
with
award-winning author
Alastair Chisholm
This event will take place in the Library
Lesley Street, Blairgowrie PH10 6AW
on Saturday 21 June at 1.30
read more
followed by
BOOKMARK 2025 Launch
with
Carys Davies
all details are available here
BOOKMARK's BOOK OF THE YEAR 2025
all titles are available here
Kate Davies' book recommendations for March are here
Gail's Pre-Theatre Talks are back! for more information, click here
Background:
BOOKMARK established in 2012, has developed a reputation for being a friendly, well organised Book Festival which offers a wide range of events to suit all interests.
Our Next Event:
Saturday 3 May
BOOKMARK AGM & Meet the Authors - Sean Lusk and Victoria MacKenzie
Location: St Catharine's Community Centre, PH10 6EY
More info >>
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