The Edinburgh International Book Festival 12th to 28th August 2023
We're delighted to be partnering once again with the Edinburgh International Book Festival to bring the books from their wide ranging programme of events to Calibre Audio's members.
The Festival aims to encourage people of all backgrounds and ages to explore new ideas and expand their horizons. A wide-ranging programme of discussion, performance and interactive events brings leading and emerging international, British and Scottish authors and thinkers together to inspire each other and their audiences.
Tickets for the various different events, many of which are also available online, are on sale now and here we’re highlighting some of the events relating to books and authors we currently have in our collection. We’ve also included links to some of last year’s events to whet your appetite.
Over the coming weeks, we’ll be adding more events all the time as the associated books come into our collection, so do check back. You can also see the full Edinburgh International Book Festival programme on their website by following this link.
The Accessibility of Books
Thursday 24th August; 1.30-2.30pm
We’re also pleased to be taking part in one of the Festival’s panel discussion events on ‘The Accessibility of Books’ which is part of the Business of Books theme. Calibre Audio’s Chief Executive, Anthony Kemp, is joining others in the industry who are all doing exciting work to overcome the barriers faced by some when trying to access books. Chaired by Nikesh Shukla, author and co-founder of the Good Literary Agency, Anthony will also be joined in discussion by representatives from My Kind of Book, Barrington Stoke and Pathways illustrator, Nadia Dalphinis.
You can buy tickets to attend in person or watch online. Find out more by following this link.
2023 Festival Events - Calibre Audio Highlights
Bonnie Garmus: Good Chemistry
Saturday 12th August 5-6pm
Bonnie discusses the success of her smash hit debut novel and its heroine, Elizabeth Zott. Find out more via this link.
Based on: Lessons in Chemistry - listen to the audiobook here.
Cariad Lloyd: Lessons from Loss
Tuesday 15th August – 3.15-4.15pm
After losing her Dad at the age of 15, Cariad subsequently wrote a book and launched a podcast on the topic of grief and how it connects us all, regardless of different cultures. Find out more via this link.
Based on: You are Not Alone - listen to the audiobook here.
Isabella Tree: How to Rewild the World
Saturday 12 August – 5.45-6.45pm
Isabella shares practical insights and tangible answers to rewilding amid the enormity of climate change. Find out more via this link.
Based on: The Book of Wilding - listen to the audiobook here.
Ruby Wax: This Time it’s Personal
Tuesday 15th August 6-45-7.45pm
Ruby shares insights about her mental health journey with her unique combination of compassion, wit and verve. Find out more via this link.
Based on: I'm Not as Well as I Thought I Was - listen to the audiobook here.
Malorie Blackman: Writing my Story
Tuesday 22nd August – 12-1pm
How she overcame societal racism and sickle cell anaemia to fulfil her lifelong ambition to be a writer. Find out more via this link.
Based on: Just Sayin' - listen to the audiobook here.
Michael Rosen: How We Recover
Sunday 27th August – 10.45-11.45am
Join Rosen as he explores how to live well again after, or during, our darkest moments. Find out more via this link.
Based on: Getting Better - listen to the audiobook here.
Elaine Feeney: Boy on a Mission
Sunday 27th August 4-5pm
Find out what was behind her uplifting story of a 13-year-old boy with big dreams and an even bigger imagination. Find out more via this link.
Based on: How to Build a Boat - listen to the audiobook here.
Raynor Winn: A Walk on the Wildside
Thursday 17th August 10-11am
Drawing on her experiences of epic healing walks with her unwell husband, Raynor combines nature writing with compassion and humour. Find out more via this link.
Based on: Landlines - listen to the audiobook here.
Kamila Shamsie: With Friends Like These
Monday 28th August 6.45-7.45pm
Former winner of the Women’s Prize, Kamila talks about her new novel which charts a lifelong friendship between two girls in 1980s Karachi to professional life in contemporary London. Find out more via this link.
Based on: Best of Friends - listen to the audiobook here.
Colin Grant & Chitra Ramaswamy: Lives of Others
Monday 14th August 1.30-2.30pm
What can telling someone else’s story tell you about yourself. These two writers have created delicate portraits that hover between biography and memoir drawing on belonging, family histories and the need to tell their stories. Find out more via this link.
Based on: I’m Black So You Don’t Have to Be by Colin Grant
and
Homelands by Chitra Ramaswamy
Rob Delaney: An Open Heart
Sunday 27th August 8.30-9.30pm
Following the loss of his son Henry at a very young age and his subsequent memoir which is infused with humour and honesty, comedian Rob Delaney talks about writing and purpose. Find out more via this link.
Based on: A Heart that Works – listen to the audiobook here.
Coming soon – more news about books and events from the Baillie Gifford Children’s programme.
Enjoy some of the Edinburgh International Book Festival events from previous years
Whet your appetite for this year’s festival with a look back at two of the fascinating events from last year:
Anthony Horowitz: Shaken, Not Stirred
Join the hugely loved author as he discusses his third James Bond thriller ‘With a Mind to Kill’
Watch the event recording via this link.
Based on: With a Mind to Kill - listen to the audiobook here.
Jonathan Freedland: The Man Who Escaped Auschwitz
Join acclaimed journalist Jonathan Freedland as he explains the story behind his unforgettable book telling the story of Rudolf Vrba who escaped from Auschwitz as a teenager and alerted the world to the atrocities taking place.
Watch the event recording via this link.
Based on: The Escape Artist - listen to the audiobook here.
You can see more of past years’ events on the Edinburgh International Book Festival website.