Word – University of Aberdeen writers festival was a book festival that took place from 1999 until 2011, initially every two years and latterly every year, over a weekend of May at the

University of Aberdeen , mottoeng = The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom , established = , type = Public research universityAncient university , endowment = £58.4 million (2021) , budget ...

. Authors, thinkers and commentators from all over the world came each year to

Aberdeen Aberdeen (; sco, Aiberdeen ; gd, Obar Dheathain ; la, Aberdonia) is a city in North East Scotland, and is the third most populous city in the country. Aberdeen is one of Scotland's 32 local government council areas (as Aberdeen City), and ...

for a three-day celebration of the written word with a mix of readings, discussions, films and exhibitions. There was also a Schools' and Children's festival. Word - generic logo

History

The University of Aberdeen writers festival originally took place in May 1999 with a £1,000 grant from the Scottish Arts Council and was "''the largest, and most impressive literary event ever held in Aberdeen''" according to The Scotsman. The second edition was in 2001, and the festival grew from this date. In 2009, Word attracted more than 10,000 visitors. Attendance at the 2010 Festival was in excess of 11,000, with a year of record ticket sales for a weekend of various events – readings, debates, music, exhibits, workshops and film screenings from more than 100 authors, poets, musicians, actors, artists, thinkers and media personalities. The 2010 programme was the most international yet, with Mayan poetry from Guatemala (translated into Scots), one of Poland's leading novelists, memoires of Sierra Leone, and an annual event on Spanish writing. The international focus was juxtaposed against an equally strong Scottish line-up, including a tribute to the north-east Doric storyteller Stanley Robertson, a series of Tartan Noir events, a debate on the state of the Scottish nation, a Gaelic book launch and children's storytelling sessions in Gaelic and

Doric Doric may refer to: * Doric, of or relating to the Dorians of ancient Greece ** Doric Greek, the dialects of the Dorians * Doric order, a style of ancient Greek architecture * Doric mode, a synonym of Dorian mode * Doric dialect (Scotland) * Doric ...

Programme

Names appearing at the Festival included Nobel laureate

Alasdair Gray Alasdair James Gray (28 December 1934 – 29 December 2019) was a Scottish writer and artist. His first novel, ''Lanark: A Life in Four Books, Lanark'' (1981), is seen as a landmark of Scottish fiction. He published novels, short stories, plays ...

Alexander McCall Smith Alexander "Sandy" McCall Smith, CBE, FRSE (born 24 August 1948), is a British writer. He was raised in Southern Rhodesia (now Zimbabwe) and formerly Professor of Medical Law at the University of Edinburgh. He became an expert on medical law an ...

Louis de Bernières Louis de Bernières (born 8 December 1954) is an English novelist. He is known for his 1994 historical war novel ''Captain Corelli's Mandolin''. In 1993 de Bernières was selected as one of the "20 Best of Young British Novelists", part of a pr ...

Seamus Heaney Seamus Justin Heaney (; 13 April 1939 – 30 August 2013) was an Irish poet, playwright and translator. He received the 1995 Nobel Prize in Literature.

Ian Rankin Sir Ian James Rankin (born 28 April 1960) is a Scottish crime writer, best known for his Inspector Rebus novels. Early life Rankin was born in Cardenden, Fife. His father, James, owned a grocery shop, and his mother, Isobel, worked in a sch ...

, Poet Laureate

Carol Ann Duffy Dame Carol Ann Duffy (born 23 December 1955) is a Scottish poet and playwright. She is a professor of contemporary poetry at Manchester Metropolitan University, and was appointed Poet Laureate in May 2009, resigning in 2019. She was the first ...

Lionel Shriver Lionel Shriver (born Margaret Ann Shriver; May 18, 1957) is an American author and journalist who lives in the United Kingdom. Her novel '' We Need to Talk About Kevin'' won the Orange Prize for Fiction in 2005. Early life and education Shriver ...

, and

Irvine Welsh Irvine Welsh (born 27 September 1958) is a Scottish novelist, playwright and short story writer. His 1993 novel '' Trainspotting'' was made into a film of the same name. He has also written plays and screenplays, and directed several short fil ...

, as well as a packed series of events for young readers. 2010 marked the 10th Word Festival and as part of the celebrations to mark the anniversary

Scottish Opera Scottish Opera is the national opera company of Scotland, and one of the five national performing arts companies of Scotland. Founded in 1962 and based in Glasgow, it is the largest performing arts organisation in Scotland. History Scottish ...

’s ''Five:15'' strand, featuring five new 15-minute operas by Scottish composers and librettists, premiered for the first time in Aberdeen."Scottish Opera series to premiere in Aberdeen", University of Aberdeen website
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Venue

The University of Aberdeen writers festival was held at the King's College Conference Centre, a set of marquees, and other university venues on the campus in

Old Aberdeen Old Aberdeen is part of the city of Aberdeen in Scotland. Old Aberdeen was originally a separate burgh, which was erected into a burgh of barony on 26 December 1489. It was incorporated into adjacent Aberdeen by Act of Parliament in 1891. It ret ...

. Some events were held in venues across Aberdeen City and Shire.

Official website

Word - University of Aberdeen writers festival website

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Word - University Of Aberdeen Writers Festival Literary festivals in Scotland May events Aberdeen 1999 establishments in Scotland 2011 disestablishments in Scotland Recurring events established in 1999 Recurring events disestablished in 2011