November in this country is often seen as a grim part in the year – the gap between the revelry of Halloween and the end of summer and the jo
y of Christmas and New Year. It’s a time of cold dark days and saving money for Christmas presents. But while it’s often true that it’s a month for staying indoors out of the cold and forsaking nights out for the sake of your budget, there’s no rule saying you can’t have fun this month.
November is a month for books. What could be cosier than wrapping up warm and settling in with a good story? In celebration of the joy of reading November 21st – 27th is Book Week Scotland, a nationwide event where people of all ages and from all walks of life are invited to meet in libraries, schools and other venues to share the written word. There are events for everybody – story telling, readings and events with authors and poets, children and toddler specific events, informative talks and so much more!
The Glasgow Women’s Library is hosting several events over the week. ‘Leave to Live’: Nan Shepherd, Landscape, Language and Community is an event in honour of the Scottish writer and her life. The Bold Types Creative Writing Showcase, where entrants into the Glasgow Women’s Library’s annual writing competition read out their works will have a wonderful collection of writers, both aspiring and published. Ethyl Smith, previous winner of the competition and acclaimed new novelist will be doing a reading of her new book Changed Times at the GWL on the 24th of November.
One of the goals of Book Week Scotland is to celebrate and bring visibility to the rich culture of Scottish literature. On the website you can find a huge collection of different book lists introducing the many wonderful facets of Scottish writing. Have a look and find the perfect book for you! There are also Gaelic focused events and local history events to cover those aspects of Scottish culture and heritage. If after the event you still want help finding new books, or find a new love of discovering literature, then the Glasgow Women’s Library is always happy to help.
If your dream is to contribute to that heritage then head over to the writing section of the website. There are competitions, classes, resources and inspiration ready to support you and your masterpiece. Book Week recognises that part of celebration our love of books is to facilitate the creation of new works and helping creative people develop their talent.
The wonderful charity behind Book Week Scotland is The Scottish Book Trust, who work tirelessly to inspire readers and writers across Scotland all year round. One of their projects is Bookbug, which pledges free books for every child in Scotland. They also work to support literacy in vulnerable families and young adults.
If this has all inspired you, then please brave the dreary weather and look for events in your area. You can also take part in polls, pick up a free book; Secrets and Confessions at venues throughout the country and if you want to give back, there is a fundraiser event perfect for those of us who have books to pass on to others. During the week they are asking as many people as possible to hold book sales using their free fundraising toolkit. With this support they can continue their excellent work for years to come. For more information on all events, please follow this link to their website.
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