Book festival returns to Stirling with bumper five-day programme

Stirling will stage a five-day celebration of home-grown stories this month with the return of a popular book festival.

Off the Page book festival returns to Stirling with bumper five-day programme
Off the Page book festival returns to Stirling with bumper five-day programme

Back for its 15th edition, ‘Off the Page’ will see a wide range of authors, poets and speakers deliver talks and workshops in Council libraries and cultural venues across Stirling.

The theme for 2022 is Scotland’s Year of Stories, a celebration of stories inspired by, written, or created in Scotland.

Running from Tuesday 24 to Saturday 28 May, there is a welcome return to in-person events and the much-loved festival will form part of a special programme of events to mark Stirling’s 20th anniversary of city status.

Exciting line-up of Scottish writing talent

Stuart Oliver, Stirling Council Head of Economic Development and Culture, said: “‘Off the Page’ is back with a bang for 2022, with a bumper five-day programme of events in venues throughout Stirling.

“Our staff have put together an exciting line-up of Scottish writing talent that will entertain, spark discussion and unleash people’s inner creativity.

“Following the challenges of the pandemic, it’s fantastic that major cultural festivals in Stirling are welcoming audiences back at such an important milestone in the city’s history. It’s another sign that Stirling is bouncing back and very much alive with culture.”

Organised by Stirling Council’s Libraries service with support from the Council’s Culture Team, ‘Off the Page’ 2022 will offer something for everyone, including:

  • Award-winning author, Claire Askew speaking about her latest book, A Matter of Time.
  • International best-selling crime writer Craig Robertson discussing his latest novel, The Undiscovered Deaths of Grace McGill.
  • A special event at the Tolbooth featuring renowned broadcaster and author Billy Kay and musician Paul McKenna.

  • Workshops in prose, poetry and Gaelic Haiku by the Federation of Scottish Writers and an open mic session with Stirling Makar Laura Fyfe.

  • Local authors appearing in their communities such as Tom Bowser, who will speak at Dunblane Library about his latest book, A Sky Full of Kites: A Rewilding Story.

Inspire

Mr Oliver added: “This year’s jam-packed programme will showcase Scotland and Stirling’s fascinating stories to audiences and hopefully inspire more people in our communities and beyond to become storytellers themselves.

“A big thanks goes to our staff for organising the events and to everyone supporting the festival. We expect tickets to sell quickly, so please book early to avoid missing out.”

For more information and to book tickets, please visit: https://stirlingevents.org/festivals/.