BOOKMARK BOOK FESTIVAL

Award-winning writers, household names and exciting new talent take to the stage in Blairgowrie for the popular BOOKMARK festival every October.

The BOOKMARK festival was first established in 2012 after enthusiasts from one of the town’s book groups got together to bring renowned writers to the east Perthshire town to talk about their work.

More than a decade on, the event has become a major fixture in the east Perthshire calendar – and a regular date in the diaries of many writers, authors and publishers. 

Each year, a team of dedicated volunteers curates a wide-ranging programme designed to appeal to readers of all genres and featuring old favourites, BOOKMARK regulars and new writers.

Since its inception, BOOKMARK has welcomed established writers from all over the UK and from the worlds of journalism, politics, nature, art, travel and fiction. Audiences are also introduced to up-and-coming or less familiar authors. 

Many of the guest speakers return to BOOKMARK and praise the event for its exemplary organisation, attentive audiences, warm welcome and community feel – a testament to the efforts of the hard-working committee behind the event. 

As well as the main festival in October, volunteers from BOOKMARK also hold a programme of ‘Meet the Author’ events throughout the year, run ‘Authors In Schools’ sessions and the BOOKMARK Book of The Year Award, sponsor a prize at Blairgowrie High School for short story writing, and visit local nursing homes to share poetry, ensuring that people from age five to 95 can enjoy reading, being read to, writing and talking about books, stories, poems and literature. 

BOOKMARK is supported in all its efforts by organisations including The Gannochy Trust and local businesses such as The A Proctor Group, Castle Water and Hodge Solicitors, Something Special Flowers, Perth Theatre and Concert Hall, Perthshire Box Office, Adventure Into Books, Sarah Cave Silversmith, CraicN Communications, Proactive Communications, accommodation providers and caterers, as well as its members.

If you haven’t been already, why not make this the year you see what all the fuss is about!

If you would like to find out more, including information on upcoming events and how to become a member of BOOKMARK, see the website at www.bookmarkblair.com