Welcome to BOOKMARK, your very own Scottish Book Festival set in Blairgowrie, Rattray and The Glens of East Perthshire
Go With The Flow!
The motto of BOOKMARK is ‘Go with the Flow’; a phrase which evokes the river Ericht that flows through the centre of Blairgowrie, our home. It’s an encouraging and forward-thinking motto, reminding us that it is often a liberating thing to be free of concerns and constraints and to look ahead, not backwards. It suggests, rather than demands, that we should be caught up in the moment for our own good.
It seems to me that it’s what Book Festivals are all about. Go with the flow of ideas from all the invited authors – don’t just step into the stream of those you’ve heard of. Trust the direction of the current and meet new writers, new topics, new ways of thinking. Go with the flow and travel to other times, other countries, other ideas. Re-connect with the familiar by encountering the strange.
BOOKMARK is a unique Festival in a beautiful part of Perthshire. Let us celebrate all that it has to offer, step into that river of ideas and ‘Go with the Flow’.
Gail Wylie
BOOKMARK Chair
BOOKMARK’s STATEMENT
BOOKMARK
Patrons: Fiona Armstrong, Ken Cox, Rosemary Goring, Magnus Linklater
BOOKMARK, which began in 2012, brings the world of books to Blairgowrie, Perthshire and beyond. Writers and their readers engage with each other in friendly, well-organised events.
BOOKMARK organises not only a three-day Festival in October, but also holds local ‘Meet the Author’ events for adults and local schools. At all our meetings, for adults and children, readers meet, listen to and question writers.
BOOKMARK realises that readers defy categories therefore we invite writers from all disciplines: novelists, historians, poets, journalists, biographers – the list is as varied as the world of books itself.
BOOKMARK’s October Festival is an engaging mix of household names and the up-and-coming; from prize-winners entertaining newcomers; what BOOKMARK promises is a first-class experience promoting the best of the world of books from Scotland and beyond.
BOOKMARK continues to grow in size and reputation. Our four distinguished Patrons are delighted to be associated with us; literary agents and publishers now contact us about possible author visits; increased funding from local sponsors is testament to their acknowledgement of the quality of our Festival.
BOOKMARK is a Festival with a future.
BOOKMARK Bird
‘What is the bird on your logo?’
We’re often asked, ‘What is the bird on your logo?’
The BOOKMARK bird (liber festival scotica)
A rare sub-species of the Dipper (cinclus cinclus)
Stocky with white breast; red wings, back and tail all with white markings.
13 cm: wing span 18-20 cm. Medium-sized, rotund, aquatic passerine. Plumage generally red with white breast.
Unmistakeable. Flight direct and rapid along runs of water but can often be seen dipping into books.
Territorial throughout the year in Blairgowrie. No discernible song as it spends much of its time feeding on its staple diet of words. Becomes active and sociable at times of ‘Meet the Author’ events and in particular in October at the weekend Book Festival.
Their neat nests, resembling book shelves, can be spotted near libraries and bookshops. Blairgowrie Library and Waterstones Perth are popular nesting sites.
Reference: The Wishful Book of Scottish Birds (2019) published by Cargill Books. POA
Alexander McCall Smith
Writing makes sense of the world.
BOOKMARK would like to say a big THANK YOU to all its
Sponsors and Supporters
