Scottish Comment

NORMAN G. FINKELSTEIN, author of This Time We Went Too Far, speaks on How to Solve the Israel / Palestine Conflict, in Edinburgh, Scotland

2012-01-27T10:50:00.001Z

NORMAN G. FINKELSTEIN, author of This Time We Went Too Far, speaks on How to Solve the Israel / Palestine Conflict, in Edinburgh, Scotland

Tommy Sheridan: From Hero to Zero? A Political Biography by Gregor Gall (Hardback) (ISBN: 9781860571190) | Word Power Books

2012-01-25T21:49:00.000Z

Tommy Sheridan: From Hero to Zero? A Political Biography by Gregor Gall (Hardback) (ISBN: 9781860571190) is available now from Word Power Books

TOM LEONARD reads from his new CD, Selected Poems: Plus Brecht, in Edinburgh, Scotland

2012-01-17T13:15:00.001Z

TOM LEONARD reads from his new CD, Selected Poems: Plus Brecht, in Edinburgh, Scotland

DENNIS O'DONNELL launches his book, The Locked Ward: Memoirs of a Psychiatric Orderly, in Edinburgh, Scotland

2012-01-11T18:06:00.001Z

DENNIS O'DONNELL launches his book, The Locked Ward: Memoirs of a Psychiatric Orderly, in Edinburgh, Scotland

Stop the War: A Graphic History

2011-12-13T21:53:00.000Z

Stop the War: A Graphic History

Stop the War: A Graphic History celebrates in photographs 10 years of the Stop the War movement, the demonstrations and events that captured the imagination of a generation, creating Britain's biggest ever mass movement. Posters and graphics, cartoons by Steve Bell and Martin Rowson, art works in support of the campaign by Banksy, Jamie Reid, Peter Kennard, Ralph Steadman, David Gentleman and Billy Childish.

Campaign Against Vedanta!

2011-11-25T12:00:00.029Z

Campaign Against Vedanta!

'If Vedanta is allowed to go ahead with its plans for mining the Niyamgiri Hills in Orissa for bauxite it will lead to the devastation of a whole ecosystem, and the destruction of not just the Dongria Kondh tribal community, but eventually all those whose livelihoods depend on that ecosystem.' Arundhati Roy (1)

VEDANTA
Vedanta PLC is London listed FTSE 100 Mining Corporation which has brought death and destruction to thousands across India. It is owned by an Indian tycoon Anil Agarwal, the UK's 17th richest man whose personal wealth grew by 583% during the recession according to 2010 figures. Agarwal's connections to the UK politicians have enabled him to evade millions of pounds of tax by using Jersey and Bahamas based tax havens. Vedanta's bauxite mining has killed hundred of mainly Adivasi (indigenous) people in India in accidents, police firings, forced displacement, injury and illness. It has displaced thousands of families and destroyed the environment - contaminating drinking water sources, causing floods of toxic waste and destroying tribal forest areas.

UK GOVERNMENT IN BED WITH VEDANTA AND CAIRN
Vedanta is now buying Cairn India - a major subsidiary of Edinburgh based Cairn Energy - they are drilling next to the most bio-diverse coral reefs off the Indian coast at the Mannar Basin in Sri Lanka. With their appalling track record, can Vedanta be trusted with oil? When the Indian government held up the Cairn-Vedanta deal by investigating Vedanta's ability to manage strategic oil fields, David Cameron personally intervened, urging India to speed up "unnecessary delays". What does the First Minister in Scotland, Alex Salmond, have to say about this? Is it not time that he responded? Ask him what he thinks. He can be contacted by e-mail Alex.Salmond.msp@scottish.parliament.uk

Vedanta was launched on the London Stock Exchange with help from the UK's Department of International Development and the UK's University pension funds - they invest in Vedanta.

Anil Agarwal and Vedanta have close links with the Sangh Parivar, the umbrella group of Hindu right-wing organisations in India responsible for attacks on India's minority Muslim and Christian communities, in Orissa, Gujarat, and elsewhere.

Vedanta is funded by more that 30 major banks and financial institutions including:
HSBC
Deutsche Bank
Axa
Royal Bank of Canada
Credit Suisse
J P Morgan Chase
Goldman Sachs
Lloyds Banking Group
Nordea Bank
ICICI
Citigroup
National Bank of Kuwait
ANZ and Merrill Lynch

If you bank with or have an association with the above-mentioned banks, you can also raise this matter with them. You can even disinvest in the way that the Norwegian Government Pension Fund, Martin Currie Investments, The Church of England, The Joseph Rowntree Charitable Trust and the Dutch Pension Fund PGGM have disinvested because of Vedanta's ecological and human rights crimes.

CAMPAIGN
Vedanta is a UK company and should be held to account here in Briatin for its multiple environmental and social crimes. We must stop Cairn India takeover before it is too late. A campaign has already been launched to Foil Vedanta!

(1) Arundhati Roy wrote the Foreword to Out of This Earth: East India Adivasis and the Aluminium Cartel by Felix Padel and Samarendra Das. She states that this book is "absolutely essential... It makes urgent and wonderful reading".

Please leave a comment.

Selected Poems: Plus Brecht by Tom Leonard (CD-Audio) (ISBN: 9780956628350) | Word Power Books

2011-11-21T15:24:00.001Z

Selected Poems: Plus Brecht by Tom Leonard (CD-Audio) (ISBN: 9780956628350) available now only from Word Power Books!

JOHN A. BURNETT and CALUM NEILL launch their books, The Making of the Modern Scottish Highlands 1939-1965 and Lacanian Ethics and the Assumption of Subjectivity, respectively, in Edinburgh, Scotland

2011-11-15T21:17:00.001Z

JOHN A. BURNETT and CALUM NEILL launch their books, The Making of the Modern Scottish Highlands 1939-1965 and Lacanian Ethics and the Assumption of Subjectivity, respectively, in Edinburgh, Scotland

Fundraiser for the Scottish Women’s Aid with the Belle Star Ceilidh Band, in Edinburgh, Scotland

2011-11-09T11:27:00.001Z

Fundraiser for the Scottish Women’s Aid with the Belle Star Ceilidh Band, in Edinburgh, Scotland

Don't Gorify War: Wear a White Poppy for Peace

2011-11-08T19:00:00.003Z

Wear a White Poppy for Peace!

White poppies are available from Word Power Books, 43-45 West Nicolson Street, Edinburgh EH8 9DB

SAMARENDRA DAS, co-author of Out of the Earth: East India Adivasis and the Aluminium Cartel, speaks in Edinburgh, Scotland

2011-11-03T21:00:00.001Z

SAMARENDRA DAS, co-author of Out of the Earth: East India Adivasis and the Aluminium Cartel, speaks in Edinburgh, Scotland

Word Power Books | KAMIN MOHAMMADI, an Iranian journalist, reads from her latest book, The Cypress Tree, in Edinburgh, Scotland

2011-11-03T13:21:00.000Z

KAMIN MOHAMMADI, an Iranian journalist, reads from her latest book, The Cypress Tree, in Edinburgh, Scotland

Archbishop of Canterbury backs tax on banks!

2011-11-02T17:30:00.002Z

Archbishop of Canterbury backs tax on banks! Is it not time for the Scottish clergy to take a similar stance and support the Occupy Movement - in Edinburgh and Glasgow!

On Living in the Real World by Aaron Kelly

2011-11-01T02:26:00.000Z

Read this brilliant article On Living in the Real World by Aaron Kelly

LAURIE PENNY discusses her latest book, Penny Red: Notes from the New Age of Dissent, plus a speaker from Occupy Edinburgh, at the 15th Edinburgh Independent Radical Book Fair

2011-10-29T18:31:00.001+01:00

LAURIE PENNY discusses her latest book, Penny Red: Notes from the New Age of Dissent, plus a speaker from Occupy Edinburgh, at the 15th Edinburgh Independent Radical Book Fair

We are Hibernian: The Fans' Story... by Andy MacVannan (Hardback) (ISBN: 9781906817992) | Word Power Books

2011-10-18T12:44:00.000+01:00

We are Hibernian: The Fans' Story... by Andy MacVannan available now! (Hardback) (ISBN: 9781906817992) | Word Power Books

Scotland's Radical Exports: The Scots Abroad - How They Shaped Politics and Trade Unions by Pat Kelly (Paperback) (ISBN: 9781845301101) | Word Power Books

2011-10-09T09:19:00.000+01:00

Scotland's Radical Exports: The Scots Abroad - How They Shaped Politics and Trade Unions by Pat Kelly (Paperback) (ISBN: 9781845301101) | available now from Word Power Books

Great Scottish Speeches: by David Torrance (Hardback) (ISBN: 9781906817978) | Word Power Books

2011-10-06T12:12:00.000+01:00

Great Scottish Speeches edited by David Torrance (Hardback) (ISBN: 9781906817978) | Word Power Books

Word Power Books | Internationalism from Below - from John Maclean to Tahrir Square? Talks, films and discussion with Allan Armstrong, Maud Bracke, Camcorder Guerillas and Deryck de Maine Beaumont, in Glasgow, Scotland

2011-10-05T15:48:00.000+01:00

Word Power Books | Internationalism from Below - from John Maclean to Tahrir Square? Talks, films and discussion with Allan Armstrong, Maud Bracke, Camcorder Guerillas and Deryck de Maine Beaumont, in Glasgow, Scotland

Word Power Books | GERRY HASSAN discusses Radical Scotland: Arguments for Self-Determination, and is joined by contributors from his new edited collection, ImagiNation: Stories of Scotland's Future, at the 15th Edinburgh Independent Radical Book Fair

2011-10-05T12:06:00.000+01:00

Word Power Books | GERRY HASSAN discusses Radical Scotland: Arguments for Self-Determination, and is joined by contributors from his new edited collection, ImagiNation: Stories of Scotland's Future, at the 15th Edinburgh Independent Radical Book Fair

Word Power Books | A Rose Loupt Oot: Poetry and Song Celebrating the UCS Work-in with DAVID BETTERIDGE, ALISTAIR FINDLAY, GERDA STEVENSON, AONGHAS MACNEACAIL, JIMMIE MACGREGOR and EWAN MCVICAR, at the 15th Edinburgh Independent Radical Book Fair

2011-09-26T16:10:00.000+01:00

Word Power Books | A Rose Loupt Oot: Poetry and Song Celebrating the UCS Work-in with DAVID BETTERIDGE, ALISTAIR FINDLAY, GERDA STEVENSON, AONGHAS MACNEACAIL, JIMMIE MACGREGOR and EWAN MCVICAR, at the 15th Edinburgh Independent Radical Book Fair

Word Power Books | JANICE GALLOWAY discusses the second volume of her memoirs, All Made Up, at the 15th Edinburgh Independent Radical Book Fair

2011-09-26T14:07:00.000+01:00

Word Power Books | JANICE GALLOWAY discusses the second volume of her memoirs, All Made Up, at the 15th Edinburgh Independent Radical Book Fair

Word Power Books | TIM GEE launches his book, Counterpower: Making Change Happen, at the 15th Edinburgh Independent Radical Book Fair

2011-09-26T13:43:00.000+01:00

Word Power Books | TIM GEE launches his book, Counterpower: Making Change Happen, at the 15th Edinburgh Independent Radical Book Fair

Word Power Books | LORNA J. WAITE launches her first collection of poems, The Steel Garden, at the 15th Edinburgh Independent Radical Book Fair

2011-09-26T11:50:00.000+01:00

Word Power Books | LORNA J. WAITE launches her first collection of poems, The Steel Garden, at the 15th Edinburgh Independent Radical Book Fair

Word Power Books | GEORGE MCKAY discusses Radical Gardening: Politics, Idealism and Rebellion in the Garden, at the 15th Edinburgh Independent Radical Book Fair

2011-09-25T21:36:00.000+01:00

Word Power Books | GEORGE MCKAY discusses Radical Gardening: Politics, Idealism and Rebellion in the Garden, at the 15th Edinburgh Independent Radical Book Fair

Word Power Books | LAURIE PENNY discusses her latest book, Penny Red: Notes from the New Age of Dissent, at the 15th Edinburgh Independent Radical Book Fair

2011-09-25T21:34:00.000+01:00

Word Power Books | LAURIE PENNY discusses her latest book, Penny Red: Notes from the New Age of Dissent, at the 15th Edinburgh Independent Radical Book Fair

Word Power Books | PETER MOREY and AMINA YAQIN discuss Framing Muslims: Stereotyping and Representation After 9/11, at the 15th Edinburgh Independent Radical Book Fair

2011-09-25T20:28:00.000+01:00

Word Power Books | PETER MOREY and AMINA YAQIN discuss Framing Muslims: Stereotyping and Representation After 9/11, at the 15th Edinburgh Independent Radical Book Fair

Word Power Books | MITCH MILLER and JOHNNY RODGER launch The Red Cockatoo: James Kelman and the Art of Commitment, at the 15th Edinburgh Independent Radical Book Fair

2011-09-25T05:59:00.000+01:00

Word Power Books | MITCH MILLER and JOHNNY RODGER launch The Red Cockatoo: James Kelman and the Art of Commitment, at the 15th Edinburgh Independent Radical Book Fair

Word Power Books | NORMAN BISSELL discusses George Orwell: The Socialist Who Loved Nature, at the 15th Edinburgh Independent Radical Book Fair

2011-09-25T05:12:00.000+01:00

Word Power Books | NORMAN BISSELL discusses George Orwell: The Socialist Who Loved Nature, at the 15th Edinburgh Independent Radical Book Fair

Word Power Books | ANNE BARKER, author of Remembered Remedies: Traditional Scottish Plant Lore, provides a fascinating insight into the ways plants have featured in Scottish life for generations, at the 15th Edinburgh Independent Radical Book Fair

2011-09-25T05:11:00.000+01:00

Word Power Books | ANNE BARKER, author of Remembered Remedies: Traditional Scottish Plant Lore, provides a fascinating insight into the ways plants have featured in Scottish life for generations, at the 15th Edinburgh Independent Radical Book Fair

Word Power Books | LIZ LOCHHEAD, Scotland's Makar, reads from her latest collection, A Choosing, at the 15th Edinburgh Independent Radical Book Fair

2011-09-24T16:37:00.000+01:00

Word Power Books | LIZ LOCHHEAD, Scotland's Makar, reads from her latest collection, A Choosing, at the 15th Edinburgh Independent Radical Book Fair

Word Power Books | Workshop on Suicide: The Hidden Killer with Kirsty Keay and Sue Robertson, at the 15th Edinburgh Independent Radical Book Fair

2011-09-24T16:35:00.000+01:00

Word Power Books | Workshop on Suicide: The Hidden Killer with Kirsty Keay and Sue Robertson, at the 15th Edinburgh Independent Radical Book Fair

Julian Assange: The Unauthorised Autobiography by Julian Assange (Hardback) (ISBN: 9780857863843) | Word Power Books

2011-09-22T17:06:00.000+01:00

Julian Assange: The Unauthorised Autobiography by Julian Assange (Hardback) (ISBN: 9780857863843) available now from Word Power Books

Word Power Books | A Haiku in My Pocket: A Writing and Handmade Book Workshop with DOROTHY BAIRD and KIRSTY O'CONNOR, at the 15th Edinburgh Independent Radical Book Fair

2011-09-22T16:33:00.000+01:00

Word Power Books | A Haiku in My Pocket: A Writing and Handmade Book Workshop with DOROTHY BAIRD and KIRSTY O'CONNOR, at the 15th Edinburgh Independent Radical Book Fair

Word Power Books | ANDY WIGHTMAN speaks on How Land and Power Can be Returned to the People, at the 15th Edinburgh Independent Radical Book Fair

2011-09-22T15:55:00.000+01:00

Word Power Books | ANDY WIGHTMAN speaks on How Land and Power Can be Returned to the People, at the 15th Edinburgh Independent Radical Book Fair

Word Power Books | JEAN BAREHAM launches her book, Gardens of the Royal Mile, at the 15th Edinburgh Independent Radical Book Fair

2011-09-22T15:16:00.000+01:00

Word Power Books | JEAN BAREHAM launches her book, Gardens of the Royal Mile, at the 15th Edinburgh Independent Radical Book Fair

ImagiNation: Stories of Scotland's Future by Gerry Hassan (Paperback) (ISBN: 9780956957801) | Word Power Books

2011-09-22T13:03:00.000+01:00

ImagiNation: Stories of Scotland's Future by Gerry Hassan (Paperback) (ISBN: 9780956957801) available from Word Power Books

Word Power Books | GREGOR GALL launches his latest book, Tommy Sheridan: From Hero to Zero?, at the 15th Edinburgh Independent Radical Book Fair

2011-09-22T12:36:00.000+01:00

GREGOR GALL launches his latest book, Tommy Sheridan: From Hero to Zero?, at the 15th Edinburgh Independent Radical Book Fair

Word Power Books | Film Screening of Sylvia Pankhurst: Everything is Possible, at the 15th Edinburgh Independent Radical Book Fair

2011-09-21T15:08:00.000+01:00

Word Power Books | Film Screening of Sylvia Pankhurst: Everything is Possible, at the 15th Edinburgh Independent Radical Book Fair

Counterpower: How to Make Change Happen by Tim Gee (Paperback) (ISBN: 9781780260327) | Word Power Books

2011-09-21T14:46:00.001+01:00

Counterpower: How to Make Change Happen by Tim Gee (Paperback) (ISBN: 9781780260327) available now from Word Power Books!

The Great Wood: The Ancient Forest of Caledon by Jim Crumley (Paperback) (ISBN: 9781841589732) | Word Power Books

2011-09-20T01:02:00.000+01:00

The Great Wood: The Ancient Forest of Caledon by Jim Crumley (Paperback) (ISBN: 9781841589732) | Word Power Books

Word Power Books | Zapatista Benefit Gig with Das Contras and with Support from Orphan and Tickle

2011-09-19T12:51:00.000+01:00

Word Power Books | Zapatista Benefit Gig with Das Contras and with Support from Orphan and Tickle

Word Power Books | Kevin Williamson, author of In a Room Darkened, reads in Edinburgh, Scotland

2011-09-17T20:08:00.000+01:00

Word Power Books | Kevin Williamson, author of In a Room Darkened, reads in Edinburgh, Scotland

Word Power Books | Candia McWilliam, author of What to Look for in Winter: A Memoir in Blindness, reads in Edinburgh, Scotland

2011-09-17T20:06:00.000+01:00

Word Power Books | Candia McWilliam, author of What to Look for in Winter: A Memoir in Blindness, reads in Edinburgh, Scotland

Word Power Books | Iain Banks, author of The Wasp Factory, reads in Edinburgh, Scotland

2011-09-17T19:34:00.000+01:00

Word Power Books | Iain Banks, author of The Wasp Factory, reads in Edinburgh, Scotland

Word Power Books | Irvine Welsh, author of Trainspotting, reads in Edinburgh, Scotland

2011-09-17T11:06:00.000+01:00

Word Power Books | Irvine Welsh, author of Trainspotting, reads in Edinburgh, Scotland

9-11: Was There an Alternative? (10th Anniversary Edition) by Noam Chomsky (Paperback) (ISBN: 9781609803438) | Word Power Books

2011-09-17T10:42:00.000+01:00

9-11: Was There an Alternative? (10th Anniversary Edition) by Noam Chomsky (Paperback) (ISBN: 9781609803438) | Word Power Books

The Edinburgh Anthology of Scottish Literature: Concise Edition by Robert Irvine (Paperback) (ISBN: 9781849210058) | Word Power Books

2011-09-16T10:53:00.000+01:00

The Edinburgh Anthology of Scottish Literature: Concise Edition edited by Robert Irvine (Paperback) (ISBN: 9781849210058) | Word Power Books

Word Power Books | Poetry Reading with Jane Mary Wilde, Mary Johnston & Juliet Wilson, in Edinburgh, Scotland

2011-09-15T12:22:00.000+01:00

Word Power Books | Poetry Reading with Jane Mary Wilde, Mary Johnston & Juliet Wilson, in Edinburgh, Scotland

The Enchanted Glass: Britain and Its Monarchy by Tom Nairn (Paperback) (ISBN: 9781844677757) | Word Power Books

2011-09-14T14:13:00.000+01:00

The Enchanted Glass: Britain and Its Monarchy by Tom Nairn (Paperback) (ISBN: 9781844677757) | Word Power Books

Tannadice Idols: The Story of Dundee United's Cult Heroes by Paul Smith (Paperback) (ISBN: 9781845023171) | Word Power Books

2011-09-14T13:05:00.001+01:00

Tannadice Idols: The Story of Dundee United's Cult Heroes by Paul Smith (Paperback) (ISBN: 9781845023171) | Word Power Books

2011-09-14T13:05:00.000+01:00

Tannadice Idols: The Story of Dundee United's Cult Heroes by Paul Smith (Paperback) (ISBN: 9781845023171) | Word Power Books

Word Power Books | CAROL GILLIGAN opens the 15th Edinburgh Independent Radical Book Fair - The Alternative Book Festival

2011-08-26T15:15:00.000+01:00

Word Power Books | CAROL GILLIGAN opens the 15th Edinburgh Independent Radical Book Fair - The Alternative Book Festival

Word Power Books | Neil Butler launches The Roost at the Edinburgh Book Fringe 2011

2011-08-25T08:14:00.001+01:00

Word Power Books | Neil Butler launches The Roost at the Edinburgh Book Fringe 2011

Word Power Books | Question Time with Helen Zaltzman and Olly Mann, authors of Answer Me This! at the Edinburgh Book Fringe 2011

2011-08-25T08:14:00.000+01:00

Word Power Books | Question Time with Helen Zaltzman and Olly Mann, authors of Answer Me This! at the Edinburgh Book Fringe 2011

Word Power Books | Paul Hullah and Susan Mowatt launch their latest book, Homing: Poems and Illustrations, at the Edinburgh Book Fringe 2011

2011-08-24T11:46:00.000+01:00

Word Power Books | Paul Hullah and Susan Mowatt launch their latest book, Homing: Poems and Illustrations, at the Edinburgh Book Fringe 2011

Word Power Books | Scottish PEN presents Writers in Prison: An Empty Chair Event with Jo Clifford, Christine de Luca and Bashabi Fraser, at the Edinburgh Book Fringe 2011

2011-08-24T11:45:00.001+01:00

Word Power Books | Scottish PEN presents Writers in Prison: An Empty Chair Event with Jo Clifford, Christine de Luca and Bashabi Fraser, at the Edinburgh Book Fringe 2011

Word Power Books | Poetry reading with Pauline Prior-Pitt, Tessa Ransford and Chrys Salt at the Edinburgh Book Fringe 2011

2011-08-24T11:45:00.000+01:00

Word Power Books | Poetry reading with Pauline Prior-Pitt, Tessa Ransford and Chrys Salt at the Edinburgh Book Fringe 2011

Word Power Books | Meaghan Delahunt, author of To the Island, and Linda Cracknell, author of The Searching Glance, read at the Edinburgh Book Fringe 2011

2011-08-23T08:27:00.000+01:00

Word Power Books | Meaghan Delahunt, author of To the Island, and Linda Cracknell, author of The Searching Glance, read at the Edinburgh Book Fringe 2011

Word Power Books | Pauline Black discusses her powerful autobiography, Black by Design: A 2-Tone Memoir, at the Edinburgh Book Fringe 2011

2011-08-22T09:36:00.001+01:00

Word Power Books | Pauline Black discusses her powerful autobiography, Black by Design: A 2-Tone Memoir, at the Edinburgh Book Fringe 2011

Word Power Books | Fabio Geda discusses his latest novel, In the Sea There are Crocodiles: The True Story of Enaiatollah Akbari, at the Edinburgh Book Fringe 2011

2011-08-22T09:36:00.000+01:00

Word Power Books | Fabio Geda discusses his latest novel, In the Sea There are Crocodiles: The True Story of Enaiatollah Akbari, at the Edinburgh Book Fringe 2011

Word Power Books | Helen Percy discusses her book, Scandalous, Immoral and Improper, at the Edinburgh Book Fringe 2011

2011-08-20T10:02:00.002+01:00

Word Power Books | Helen Percy discusses her book, Scandalous, Immoral and Improper, at the Edinburgh Book Fringe 2011

Word Power Books | Owen Jones discusses his book, Chavs: The Demonization of the Working Class, at the Edinburgh Book Fringe 2011

2011-08-20T10:02:00.001+01:00

Word Power Books | Owen Jones discusses his book, Chavs: The Demonization of the Working Class, at the Edinburgh Book Fringe 2011

Word Power Books | Tommy McKearney discusses The Provisional IRA: From Insurrection to Parliament, at the Edinburgh Book Fringe 2011

2011-08-20T10:02:00.000+01:00

Word Power Books | Tommy McKearney discusses The Provisional IRA: From Insurrection to Parliament, at the Edinburgh Book Fringe 2011

Word Power Books | On the 300th Anniversary year of the birth of David Hume, Roderick Graham discusses The Great Infidel: A Life of David Hume, at the Edinburgh Book Fringe 2011

2011-08-19T08:44:00.000+01:00

Word Power Books | On the 300th Anniversary year of the birth of David Hume, Roderick Graham discusses The Great Infidel: A Life of David Hume, at the Edinburgh Book Fringe 2011

Word Power Books | Selma James launches Jailhouse Lawyers: Prisoners Defending Prisoners V. The U.S.A. by Mumia Abu-Jamal, at the Edinburgh Book Fringe 2011

2011-08-18T06:13:00.001+01:00

Word Power Books | Selma James launches Jailhouse Lawyers: Prisoners Defending Prisoners V. The U.S.A. by Mumia Abu-Jamal, at the Edinburgh Book Fringe 2011

Word Power Books | David O'Doherty, guest presenter of Never Mind the Buzzcocks and sharkeologist, tells us 100 Facts About Sharks, at the Edinburgh Book Fringe 2011

2011-08-18T06:13:00.000+01:00

Word Power Books | David O'Doherty, guest presenter of Never Mind the Buzzcocks and sharkeologist, tells us 100 Facts About Sharks, at the Edinburgh Book Fringe 2011

Word Power Books | Triple Twist: Peter McCarey, Sophie Cooke and Alexander Hutchison combine Scottish and international themes in an exciting reading of poems new and old - with a song or two in for good measure! at the Edinburgh Book Fringe 2011

2011-08-18T06:12:00.000+01:00

Word Power Books | Triple Twist: Peter McCarey, Sophie Cooke and Alexander Hutchison combine Scottish and international themes in an exciting reading of poems new and old - with a song or two in for good measure! at the Edinburgh Book Fringe 2011

Professor Gus John on David Cameron's Response to the Recent Civil Unrest

2011-08-17T01:30:00.000+01:00

Professor Gus John on David Cameron's Response to the Recent Civil Unrest

Word Power Books | Luke Williams, author of Echo Chamber and Johanna Skibsrud, author of The Sentamentalists, read at he Edinburgh Book Fringe 2011

2011-08-16T19:51:00.000+01:00

Word Power Books | Luke Williams, author of Echo Chamber and Johanna Skibsrud, author of The Sentamentalists, read at he Edinburgh Book Fringe 2011

Word Power Books | Shlomo Sand, author of The Invention of the Jewish People, On the Nation and the Jewish People and The Words and the Land: Israeli Intellectuals and the Nationalist Myth, speaks at the Edinburgh Book Fringe 2011

2011-08-16T19:50:00.001+01:00

Word Power Books | Shlomo Sand, author of The Invention of the Jewish People, On the Nation and the Jewish People and The Words and the Land: Israeli Intellectuals and the Nationalist Myth, speaks at the Edinburgh Book Fringe 2011

Word Power Books | Shlomo Sand, author of The Invention of the Jewish People, On the Nation and the Jewish People and The Words and the Land: Israeli Intellectuals and the Nationalist Myth, speaks at the Edinburgh Book Fringe 2011

2011-08-16T19:50:00.000+01:00

The Revolution Will be Digitised: Dispatches from the Information War by Heather Brooke (Paperback) (ISBN: 9780434020904) | Word Power Books

2011-08-16T19:30:00.001+01:00

The Revolution Will be Digitised: Dispatches from the Information War by Heather Brooke (Paperback) (ISBN: 9780434020904) | Word Power Books

Tippoo Sultan's Incredible White-Man Eating Tiger-Toy Machine!!!: by Daljit Nagra (Hardback) (ISBN: 9780571264902) | Word Power Books

2011-08-16T19:30:00.000+01:00

Tippoo Sultan's Incredible White-Man Eating Tiger-Toy Machine!!! by Daljit Nagra (Hardback) (ISBN: 9780571264902) | Word Power Books

Where China Meets India: Burma and the New Crossroads of Asia by Thant Myint-U (Hardback) (ISBN: 9780571239634) | Word Power Books

2011-08-16T19:29:00.001+01:00

Where China Meets India: Burma and the New Crossroads of Asia by Thant Myint-U (Hardback) (ISBN: 9780571239634) | Word Power Books

No Such Thing as Society: A History of Britain in the 1980s by Andy McSmith (Paperback) (ISBN: 9781849019798) | Word Power Books

2011-08-16T19:29:00.000+01:00

No Such Thing as Society: A History of Britain in the 1980s by Andy McSmith (Paperback) (ISBN: 9781849019798) | Word Power Books

A Brief History of Time: From Big Bang To Black Holes by Stephen Hawking (Paperback) (ISBN: 9780857501004) | Word Power Books

2011-08-16T19:27:00.000+01:00

A Brief History of Time: From Big Bang To Black Holes by Stephen Hawking (Paperback) (ISBN: 9780857501004) | Word Power Books

Word Power Books | Ilan Pappe discusses the Israeli Occupation of Palestine at the Edinburgh Book Fringe 2011

2011-08-16T08:46:00.000+01:00

Word Power Books | Ilan Pappe discusses the Israeli Occupation of Palestine at the Edinburgh Book Fringe 2011

Word Power Books | Miriam Toews, author of Irma Voth, Shirley McKay, author of Time & Tide, and Anna Stewart, winner of The Dragons' Pen at Edinburgh's International Book Festival, read at the Edinburgh Book Fringe 2011

2011-08-15T08:18:00.000+01:00

Word Power Books | Miriam Toews, author of Irma Voth, Shirley McKay, author of Time & Tide, and Anna Stewart, winner of The Dragons' Pen at Edinburgh's International Book Festival, read at the Edinburgh Book Fringe 2011

Word Power Books | Scottish PEN presents Writers in Prison: An Empty Chair Event with Jo Clifford, Christine de Luca and Bashabi Fraser, at the Edinburgh Book Fringe 2011

2011-08-14T23:45:00.000+01:00

Word Power Books | Scottish PEN presents Writers in Prison: An Empty Chair Event with Jo Clifford, Christine de Luca and Bashabi Fraser, at the Edinburgh Book Fringe 2011

The Invention of the Jewish People by Shlomo Sand (Hardback) (ISBN: 9781844674220) | Word Power Books

2011-08-14T19:44:00.001+01:00

The Invention of the Jewish People by Shlomo Sand (Hardback) (ISBN: 9781844674220) | Word Power Books

Alex Salmond, Amazon and Trade Unions by Gregor Gall

2011-08-01T09:55:00.002+01:00

Read Alex Salmond, Amazon and Trade Unions by Gregor Gall

Tommy Sheridan: From Hero to Zero? by Gregor Gall

2011-07-28T01:14:00.003+01:00

Tommy Sheridan: From Hero to Zero? by Gregor Gall

This book, a political biography of Tommy Sheridan, is to be published on 26th January 2012 by Welsh Academic Press.

Selma James launches Jailhouse Lawyers: Prisoners Defending Prisoners V. The U.S.A. by Mumia Abu-Jamal, at the Edinburgh Book Fringe 2011

2011-07-22T11:56:00.000+01:00

Selma James launches Jailhouse Lawyers: Prisoners Defending Prisoners V. The U.S.A. by Mumia Abu-Jamal, at the Edinburgh Book Fringe 2011

Thursday 18 August 2011 at 6.30pm.

Venue:
Word Power Books
43-45 West Nicolson Street
Edinburgh
EH8 9DB
Scotland

Admission Free!

All Welcome!

"Anger with accuracy. Outstanding" Ian Macdonald QC

"Deserves to be read by policymakers" Lord David Ramsbotham, former HM Chief Inspector of Prisons

"Illuminates what is possible for jailhouse lawyers in Britain." Ben Gunn, UK jailhouse lawyer

"A champion of law in an institution that is lawless". Benjamin Zephaniah, poet, ex-prisoner

"Gallant prisoners who do battle with the authorities" Clive Stafford Smith, Reprieve

"A brilliant analysis of law and lawyers as instruments of injustice" Lord Anthony Gifford QC, UK barrister and attorney, Jamaica

"In the grand tradition of prison writing" Frances Crook, Director, Howard League for Penal Reform

"The truth about death row and its distinguished inhabitants" Niki Adams, Legal Action for Women

"Make way for inside voices. Everybody should read it" Flo Krause, barrister

"Mumia Abu-Jamal has once more offered us new ways of thinking about law, democracy, and power" Angela Y. Davis, from the Foreword

"They learn the law, the procedures, the jargon, and mount an often formidable legal defence. In the process they carve out a life for themselves" Selma James, from the Introduction

From death row, award-winning journalist Mumia Abu-Jamal introduces us to fellow prisoners who litigate against their jailers, risking punishment or even death, to win justice for themselves and other prisoners.

Selma James is a co-author of the women's movement classic The Power of Women and the Subversion of the Community, founder of the International Wages for Housework Campaign and coordinator of the Global Women's Strike. Selma has written an introduction to Jailhouse Lawyers by Mumia Abu-Jamal.

David O'Doherty, guest presenter of Never Mind the Buzzcocks and sharkeologist, tells us 100 Facts About Sharks, at the Edinburgh Book Fringe 2011

2011-07-21T13:47:00.000+01:00

David O'Doherty, guest presenter of Never Mind the Buzzcocks and sharkeologist, tells us 100 Facts About Sharks, at the Edinburgh Book Fringe 2011

Thursday 18 August 2011 at 5.00pm

Venue:
Word Power Books
43-45 West Nicolson Street
Edinburgh
EH8 9DB
Scotland

Admission Free!

All Welcome!

"I hadn’t realised sharks were so interesting. I thought they were just really violent fish." DAVID SHRIGLEY

From the inimitable authors of the brilliant 100 FACTS ABOUT PANDAS, prepare to be amazed, shocked and delighted by their new tome on SHARKS...

Leading sharkeologists David O'Doherty, Claudia O'Doherty and Mike Ahern bring you 100 things you definitely didn't know about the oceans' most terrifying creatures. From the inimitable authors of the brilliant 100 FACTS ABOUT PANDAS, prepare to be amazed, shocked and delighted by their new tome on SHARKS…

Leading sharkeologists David O'Doherty, Claudia O'Doherty and Mike Ahern bring you 100 things you definitely didn't know about the oceans' most terrifying creatures.

For example:
1. The great white shark hates jazz music
2. A group of hammerhead sharks is called 'a toolbelt'
3. The reef shark can send intimidating telephone text messages with its mind
4. Dancing With the Sharks was Bulgarian TV's least successful ever television show
5. The word 'shark' actually looks quite like a shark

David O'Doherty is very punctual. He used to fix things for a living, but now makes things up. He received the if.comedy Award for best comedy show at the 2008 Edinburgh Festival Fringe. He lives in Dublin.

After the sell-out success of their Mr Big Society show, Edinburgh's premier spoken word performance group, Writer's Bloc presents: The Writers' Bloc Think Tank, at the Edinburgh Book Fringe 2011

2011-07-20T12:57:00.001+01:00

After the sell-out success of their Mr Big Society show, Edinburgh's premier spoken word performance group, Writer's Bloc presents: The Writers' Bloc Think Tank, at the Edinburgh Book Fringe 2011

Sunday 14 August 2011 at 2.30pm

Venue:
Word Power Books
43-45 West Nicolson Street
Edinburgh
EH8 9DB
Scotland

Admission Free!

All Welcome!

Watch out for: derring-do and saboteurs in Operation Fairycake, monkey mayhem in a sleepy Suffolk town, as well as advice on social climbing for psychopaths and Rupert Murdoch's exploding zeppelin in this free event of spoken word and unlikely social policy.

Writers' Bloc is Edinburgh's premier spoken word performance group. Its members include published and prize-winning poets, novelists and short story writers, who present original material with iconoclastic attitude.

Helen Percy discusses her book, Scandalous, Immoral and Improper, at the Edinburgh Book Fringe 2011

2011-07-20T12:19:00.001+01:00

Helen Percy discusses her book, Scandalous, Immoral and Improper, at the Edinburgh Book Fringe 2011

Sunday 21 August 2011 at 2.30pm

Venue:
Word Power Books
43-45 West Nicolson Street
Edinburgh
EH8 9DB
Scotland

Admission Free!

All Welcome!

'Helen Percy is a gifted writer whose literary skills make her story all the more shocking. A portrait of power wielded with medieval cruelty, this is a shaming indictment of those in the Kirk who should have known better and behaved better. But while this is a memoir of abuse, both domestic and institutional, Percy's unquenchable spirit and eloquent prose make it sing with hope as well as fury.' Rosemary Goring, Literary Editor, The Herald and Sunday Herald

'More complex, more shocking, more fascinating by far than the story the church and media made up. The truth usually is.' Catherine Deveney, Scotland on Sunday

'... an astonishing story and told without self-pity and even with a glimmer of humour. Remarkable.' Brian Morton

'Since the Biblical story of Susanna and the Elders, the matter of an attractive woman being bullied by a cabal of male religious leaders is one of the most persistent themes throughout history. Helen Percy's book is a modern version of an old song. Read it and weep.' Richard Holloway

'This is a tale of flawed humanity - of people in positions of authority denying their own ignorance and insecurities; of ecclesiastical and legal systems determined to dispose of a problem rather than address a complex issue with compassion and understanding. Helen Percy endures trial by tabloid and the brutality of church legalism and sexism to tell her story: a story from which she emerges as a woman of courage and dignity.' Revd Peter Macdonald, Leader, The Iona Community

In 1995 Helen Percy, a young Church of Scotland minister in an outwardly idyllic rural parish was raped by one of her congregation. But instead of the rapist being put on trial, she was – by fellow Church members, ministers, the media and powerful forces in the Church itself. Everything was done to portray her not as a victim but as a willing participant in an affair that never happened. She was accused of 'scandalous, immoral, and improper' behaviour.

Scandalous Immoral and Improper is her revealing, remarkable and candid story out of the horror of institutional pressure. If only she could admit culpability where none existed. If only she would agree to turn her back on her house and the spiritual and pastoral work that she felt so committed to. If only she would suffer and conform in silence!

With the willing cooperation and collusion of much of the public press and media, this is a real life story of how the victim was hounded into submission. But through an exploitative and almost banally abusive episode of rape and her later treatment, she was able to find strength first in facing her own pain, then in the significant support of others.

Scandalous Immoral and Improper is a beautifully and powerfully written testament to the strength of the human spirit in the face of adversity. It is a burning indictment of conservative forces in Scotland's national Church and among popularly held attitudes. It is a book that shakes to the core our sense of ourselves as compassionate beings.

Paul Hullah and Susan Mowatt launch their latest book, Homing: Poems and Illustrations, at the Edinburgh Book Fringe 2011

2011-07-20T11:58:00.000+01:00

Paul Hullah and Susan Mowatt launch their latest book, Homing: Poems and Illustrations, at the Edinburgh Book Fringe 2011

Wednesday 24th August 2011 at 6.30pm

Venue:
Word Power Books
43-45 West Nicolson Street
Edinburgh
EH8 9DB
Scotland

Admission Free!

All Welcome!

Paul Hullah is a writer based in Japan. He is Associate Professor of British Literature at Meiji Gakuin University, Tokyo.

Susan Mowatt is an artist based in East Lothian, Scotland. She is a Lecturer in Intermedia at Edinburgh College of Art.

On the 300th Anniversary year of the birth of David Hume, Roderick Graham discusses The Great Infidel: A Life of David Hume, at the Edinburgh Book Fringe 2011

2011-07-20T11:47:00.004+01:00

On the 300th Anniversary year of the birth of David Hume, Roderick Graham discusses The Great Infidel: A Life of David Hume, at the Edinburgh Book Fringe 2011

Friday 19 August 2011 at 1.00pm

Venue:
Word Power Books
43-45 West Nicolson Street
Edinburgh
EH8 9DB
Scotland

Admission Free!

All Welcome!

Edinburgh-born Roderick Graham was educated at the Royal High School of Edinburgh and the University of Edinburgh before serving with the Royal Army Education Corps as staff officer for education at the East Africa Command.

On leaving the army, he went on to pursue a long and varied career in television and radio as a writer, freelance director and producer. He produced the double Emmy award-winner Elizabeth R in 1971, and from 1974 to 1977 he was the producer of fifty-four episodes of the long-running BBC police series Z Cars. He was appointed head of drama at BBC TV Scotland and produced and directed A Scots Quair, Boswell for the Defence and Sutherland's Law among many others. He eventually returned to freelance directing and worked on the well-known TV series Juliet Bravo, One by One and All Creatures Great and Small. He also wrote and directed two series of children's archaeology for BBC TV, seven radio plays and one four-part radio biography of Sidney Smith.

Roderick Graham has also taught writing and directing at Napier and Leeds Metropolitan Universities, Edinburgh College of Art and the Royal Scottish Academy of Music and Drama. He is the author of the critically acclaimed John Knox: Democrat (Hale, 2001) and The Great Infidel: A Life of David Hume (Tuckwell Press, 2004, paperback edition by Birlinn, 2005). In 2007 Birlinn will be publishing Roderick’s new book, An Accidental Tragedy: The Life of Mary, Queen of Scots. In this readable and insightful biography, Roderick Graham challenges many of the traditionally held perceptions of the Scottish queen, and examines her roles as a woman, a politician and a monarch. Roderick Graham now lives in Edinburgh

Scandalous, Immoral and Improper: The Trial of Helen Percy by Helen Percy

2011-07-17T10:49:00.000+01:00

Scandalous Immoral, and Improper: The Trial of Helen Percy by Helen Percy

'Helen Percy is a gifted writer whose literary skills make her story all the more shocking. A portrait of power wielded with medieval cruelty, this is a shaming indictment of those in the Kirk who should have known better and behaved better. But while this is a memoir of abuse, both domestic and institutional, Percy's unquenchable spirit and eloquent prose make it sing with hope as well as fury.' Rosemary Goring, Literary Editor, The Herald and Sunday Herald

'More complex, more shocking, more fascinating by far than the story the church and media made up. The truth usually is.' Catherine Deveney, Scotland on Sunday

'... an astonishing story and told without self-pity and even with a glimmer of humour. Remarkable.' Brian Morton

'Since the Biblical story of Susanna and the Elders, the matter of an attractive woman being bullied by a cabal of male religious leaders is one of the most persistent themes throughout history. Helen Percy's book is a modern version of an old song. Read it and weep.' Richard Holloway

'This is a tale of flawed humanity - of people in positions of authority denying their own ignorance and insecurities; of ecclesiastical and legal systems determined to dispose of a problem rather than address a complex issue with compassion and understanding. Helen Percy endures trial by tabloid and the brutality of church legalism and sexism to tell her story: a story from which she emerges as a woman of courage and dignity.' Revd Peter Macdonald, Leader, The Iona Community

In 1995 Helen Percy, a young Church of Scotland minister in an outwardly idyllic rural parish was raped by one of her congregation. But instead of the rapist being put on trial, she was – by fellow Church members, ministers, the media and powerful forces in the Church itself. Everything was done to portray her not as a victim but as a willing participant in an affair that never happened. She was accused of 'scandalous, immoral, and improper' behaviour.

Scandalous Immoral and Improper is her revealing, remarkable and candid story out of the horror of institutional pressure. If only she could admit culpability where none existed. If only she would agree to turn her back on her house and the spiritual and pastoral work that she felt so committed to. If only she would suffer and conform in silence!

With the willing cooperation and collusion of much of the public press and media, this is a real life story of how the victim was hounded into submission. But through an exploitative and almost banally abusive episode of rape and her later treatment, she was able to find strength first in facing her own pain, then in the significant support of others.

Scandalous Immoral and Improper is a beautifully and powerfully written testament to the strength of the human spirit in the face of adversity. It is a burning indictment of conservative forces in Scotland's national Church and among popularly held attitudes. It is a book that shakes to the core our sense of ourselves as compassionate beings.

Pauline Black discusses her powerful autobiography, Black by Design: A 2-Tone Memoir, at the Edinburgh Book Fringe 2011

2011-07-08T01:06:00.000+01:00

Pauline Black discusses her powerful autobiography, Black by Design: A 2-Tone Memoir, at the Edinburgh Book Fringe 2011

Monday 22 August 2011 at 2.30pm

Venue:
Word Power Books
43-45 West Nicolson Street
Edinburgh
EH8 9DB
Scotland

Admission Free!

All Welcome!

Powerful autobiography from the front woman of influential ska band,The Selecter

Born in Romford, Pauline Black is a singer and actress who gained fame as the lead singer of seminal 2-tone band The Selecter. After the band split in 1982, Black developed an acting career in television and theatre, appearing in dramas such as The Vice, The Bill, Hearts and Minds and 2000 Acres of Sky. She won the 1991 Time Out award for Best Actress, for her portrayal of Billie Holiday in the play, All or Nothing At All.Pauline Black discusses her powerful autobiography, Black by Design: A 2-Tone Memoir, at the Edinburgh Book Fringe 2011

Question Time with Helen Zaltzman and Olly Mann, authors of Answer Me This! at the Edinburgh Book Fringe 2011

2011-07-07T15:35:00.000+01:00

Question Time with Helen Zaltzman and Olly Mann, authors of Answer Me This! at the Edinburgh Book Fringe 2011

Thursday 25 August 2011 at 1.00pm

Venue:
Word Power Books
43-45 West Nicolson Street
Edinburgh
EH8 9DB
Scotland

Admission Free!

All Welcome!

'There's a post-Charlie Kaufman, post-Lee and Herring feel to their comedy, what with all the warmth, interactivity and media-savviness.' Guardian

'Funny, snappy, and popular... Helen Zaltzman and Olly Mann have risen above the morass of homemade radio shows on the internet.' Radio Times

Helen Zaltzman was born in 1980 and spent her formative years in Tunbridge Wells being academically precocious but also pathologically lazy. Hence her brain is full of a wide range of facts with absolutely no knowledge to back them up. Highlights of her 'career' as a self-employed something-or-other include writing for Radio 4's Now Show, being turned down for her dream job as an etymologist at the OED, and creating the world's largest inflatable Boggle set.

Olly Mann was born in 1981, the day after Cats opened in the West End. An only child, he spent his schooldays muttering to himself pretending to host a radio show, which turned out to be ideal training for podcasting. He has worked as a journalist and TV producer, and is now a 'freelance broadcaster' living in Highbury.

Helen and Olly both appear regularly on Radio 2, Radio 5 Live and Sky News and have written for the Observer, The Times, the Daily Telegraph and Word Magazine.

Joe List is a comic-book artist and illustrator whom Helen and Olly roped into doing this book after he entered the Answer Me This! Photoshop Competition, in which he came fifth. You can see more of his stuff at joelist.co.uk, and on his blog, The Annotated Weekender, where he defaces copies of the Guardian Weekend magazine.

Helen and Olly will be taking questions for this event. If you would like to pose them an (unanswerable!) question in advance - please leave a comment.

Luke Williams, author of The Echo Chamber and Johanna Skibsrud, author of The Sentamentalists, read at the Edinburgh Book Fringe 2011

2011-07-07T14:53:00.000+01:00

Luke Williams, author of The Echo Chamber and Johanna Skibsrud, author of The Sentamentalists, read at the Edinburgh Book Fringe 2011

Wednesday 17 August 2011 at 2.30pm

Venue:
Word Power Books
43-45 West Nicolson Street
Edinburgh
EH8 9DB
Scotland

Admission Free!

All Welcome!

Johanna Skibsrud was born in Nova Scotia, Canada in 1980. Her first book of poetry, Late Nights With Wild Cowboys, was published by Gaspereau Press of Kentville, Nova Scotia in 2008 and shortlisted for the Gerald Lampert Award for the best first book of poetry by a Canadian poet. A second book of poetry, I Do Not Think That I Could Love a Human Being, was published in April, 2010, also by Gaspereau Press. Her debut novel, The Sentimentalists, was awarded the 2010 Scotiabank Giller Prize. Johanna currently lives between Paris and Montreal.

Luke Williams was born in 1977. He grew up in Fife, Scotland, and now divides his time between Edinburgh and London. The Echo Chamber is his first novel.

Miriam Toews reads from her latest novel, Irma Voth, at the Edinburgh Book Fringe 2011

2011-07-07T00:42:00.000+01:00

Miriam Toews reads from her latest novel, Irma Voth, at the Edinburgh Book Fringe 2011

Monday 15 August 2011 at 1.00pm

Venue:
Word Power Books
43-45 West Nicolson Street
Edinburgh
EH8 9DB
Scotland

Admission Free!

All Welcome!

Miriam Toews was born in 1964 in the small Mennonite town of Steinbach, Manitoba. She has published four novels and a memoir of her father, and is the recipient of numerous literary awards including the Governor General's Award, the McNally Robinson Book of the Year Award (twice), and the Rogers Writers’ Trust Fiction Prize. In 2007 she made her screen debut in the film Luz Silenciosa. She was nominated for Best Actress at Mexico’s Ariel Awards for her performance. He books include A Boy of Good Breeding, A Complicated Kindness, The Flying Troutmans, Swing Low: A Life and Irma Voth.

Robin Tudge discusses his latest book, The No-Nonsense Guide to Global Surveillance, at the Edinburgh Book Fringe 2011

2011-07-06T15:57:00.000+01:00

Robin Tudge discusses his latest book, The No-Nonsense Guide to Global Surveillance, at the Edinburgh Book Fringe 2011

Friday 12 August 2011 at 2.30pm

Venue:
Word Power Books
43-45 West Nicolson Street
Edinburgh
EH8 9DB
Scotland

Admission Free!

All Welcome!

Spying, once the province of the KGB, CIA and MI5, has become part of everyday life. Governments routinely trawl our emails, CCTV cameras follow us on every street, while state databases of our DNA become larger all the time.

The No-Nonsense Guide to Global Surveillance provides a well-researched look into the history of surveillance and how the process is carried out today with the aid of technology and often, lack of express consent.

Robin Tudge is a freelance journalist and author who has lived and worked in Chicago, Pyongyang, Moscow, Hanoi and Beijing. Robin Tudge is the author of The Bradt Guide to North Korea and the award-winning Rough Guide to Conspiracy Theories.

Fabio Geda discusses his latest novel, In the Sea There are Crocodiles: The True Story of Enaiatollah Akbari, at the Edinburgh Book Fringe 2011

2011-07-04T11:49:00.000+01:00

Fabio Geda discusses his latest novel, In the Sea There are Crocodiles: The True Story of Enaiatollah Akbari, at the Edinburgh Book Fringe 2011

Monday 22 August 2011 at 1.00pm

Venue:
Word Power Books
43-45 West Nicolson Street
Edinburgh
EH8 9DB
Scotland

Admission Free!

All Welcome!

This book is based on the experiences of Enaiatollah Akbari. Enaiatollah will be present at the discussion.

"The story alone is superb; add in Enaiatollah's engaging prose and this books sings on the page. Highly recommended. 5 stars." The Bookbag

"this book is a truly well written account of one man's life. It is both touching and insightful, informative and personal." The Bookette

"In the Sea there are Crocodiles is an extremely touching story of a boy who against all odds, lived and survived to tell his story. It's how the love of a mother kept him strong in the bleakest of times. I feel grateful and honoured to be able to share his story with you all and to have the opportunity to read it... It's a story that is not to be missed or forgotten. 5 stars" Fantasy 4 Eva

One night before putting him to bed, Enaiatollah’s mother tells him three things: don’t use drugs, don’t use weapons, don’t steal. The next day he wakes up to find she isn’t there. Ten-year-old Enaiatollah is left alone in Pakistan to fend for himself.

In a book that takes a true story and shapes it into a beautiful piece of fiction, Italian novelist Fabio Geda describes Enaiatollah’s remarkable five-year journey from Afghanistan to Italy where he finally managed to claim political asylum aged fifteen. His ordeal took him through Iran, Turkey and Greece, working on building sites in order to pay people-traffickers, and enduring the physical misery of dangerous border crossings squeezed into the false bottoms of lorries or trekking across inhospitable mountains. A series of almost implausible strokes of fortune enabled him to get to Turin, find help from an Italian family and meet Fabio Geda, with whom he became friends.

The result of their friendship is this unique book in which Enaiatollah’s engaging, moving voice is brilliantly captured by Geda’s subtly simple storytelling. In Geda’s hands, Enaiatollah’s journey becomes a universal story of stoicism in the face of fear, and the search for a place where life is liveable.

Born in Turin in 1972, Fabio Geda is an Italian novelist who works with children in difficulties. He writes for several Italian magazines and newspapers, and teaches creative writing in the most famous Italian school of storytelling (Scuola Holden, in Turin). This is his first book to be translated into English.

Tommy McKearney discusses The Provisional IRA: From Insurrection to Parliament, at the Edinburgh Book Fringe 2011

2011-07-04T09:11:00.000+01:00

Tommy McKearney discusses The Provisional IRA: From Insurrection to Parliament, at the Edinburgh Book Fringe 2011

Saturday 20 August 2011 at 1.00pm

Venue:
Word Power Books
43-45 West Nicolson Street
Edinburgh
EH8 9DB
Scotland

Admission Free!

All Welcome!

"Tommy McKearney’s story is one of those 'must read' books for anyone interested either in the struggle within Northern Ireland itself or in the overall relationship between England and Ireland." Tim Pat Coogan, former editor of the Irish Press and author of The I.R.A.

"If we had to choose one person who served in the ranks of the IRA to contextualize the organization's development from revolution to reform it would be Tommy McKearney. A seasoned volunteer with considerable military and political experience McKearney knows his subject matter. In terms of both left-wing politics and IRA activism he has walked the walk. Now he explains to a wider audience the dynamics behind the IRA and in the process gives the reader a new intellectual window through which the IRA campaign can be reappraised. Any student of the IRA who does not have this book in their library will find their comprehension diminished." Anthony McIntyre, former IRA volunteer and ex-prisoner

Tommy McKearney was a senior member of the Provisional IRA from the early 1970s until his arrest in 1977. Sentenced to life imprisonment, he served 16 years during which time he participated in the 1980 hunger strike in the Maze. He is now a freelance journalist and an organiser with the Independent Workers Union.

Helen Fitzgerald, Doug Johnstone and D. D. Johnston read (with a couple of songs from Doug Johnstone) at the Edinburgh Book Fringe 2011

2011-07-03T22:50:00.000+01:00

Helen Fitzgerald, Doug Johnstone and D. D. Johnston read (with a couple of songs from Doug Johnstone) at the Edinburgh Book Fringe 2011

Sunday 14 August 2011 at 1.00pm

Venue:
Word Power Books
43-45 West Nicolson Street
Edinburgh
EH8 9DB
Scotland

Admission Free!

All Welcome!

Helen Fitzgerald is one of thirteen children and grew up in Victoria, Australia. She nows lives in Glasgow with her husband and two children. Helen has worked as a parole officer and social worker for over ten years. Her first novel, Dead Lovely, was published in 2007. She will read from her latest novel, The Donor.

Doug Johnstone is a freelance journalist and the author of two previous novels, Tombstoning and The Ossians, described by Irvine Welsh as 'a drug-fuelled, counter-clockwise state-of-the-nation rock 'n' roll tour' and by Ian Rankin as 'a powerful and moving commentary on the country and its defining myths'. His latest novel is Smokeheads.

D. D. Johnston is a working-class stiff, a former burger-flipper, and a lecturer in creative writing at the University of Gloucestershire. Peace, Love & Petrol Bombs is his first novel.

Owen Jones discusses his book, Chavs: The Demonization of the Working Class, at the Edinburgh Book Fringe 2011

2011-06-27T23:37:00.000+01:00

Owen Jones discusses his book, Chavs: The Demonization of the Working Class, at the Edinburgh Book Fringe 2011

Sunday 21 August 2011 at 1.00pm

Venue:
Word Power Books
43-45 West Nicolson Street
Edinburgh
EH8 9DB
Scotland

Admission Free!

All Welcome!

"A trenchant exposure of our new class hatred and what lies behind it." John Carey, author of The Intellectuals and the Masses

A compelling investigation into the myth and reality of working-class life in contemporary Britain.

In modern Britain, the working class has become an object of fear and ridicule. From Little Britain's Vicky Pollard to the demonization of Jade Goody, media and politicians alike dismiss as feckless, criminalized and ignorant a vast, underprivileged swathe of society whose members have become stereotyped by one, hate-filled word: chavs.

In this groundbreaking investigation, Owen Jones explores how the working class has gone from "salt of the earth" to "scum of the earth." Exposing the ignorance and prejudice at the heart of the chav caricature, one based on the media's inexhaustible obsession with an indigent white underclass, he portrays a far more complex reality. Moving through Westminster's lobbies and working-class communities from Dagenham to Dewsbury Moor, Jones reveals the increasing poverty and desperation of communities made precarious by wrenching social and industrial change, and all but abandoned by the aspirational, society-fragmenting policies of Thatcherism and New Labour. The chav stereotype, he argues, is used by governments as a convenient figleaf to avoid genuine engagement with social and economic problems, and to justify widening inequality.

Based on a wealth of original research, and wide-ranging interviews with media figures, political opinion-formers and workers, Chavs is a damning indictment of the media and political establishment, and an illuminating, disturbing portrait of inequality and class hatred in modern Britain.

Owen Jones has worked in the British Parliament as a trade union lobbyist and parliamentary researcher. He is writing a PhD on the history of blue-collar America and the rise of the New Right. He lives in London.

Alan McCombes launches his latest book, Downfall: The Tommy Sheridan Story, in Edinburgh, Scotland

2011-06-21T18:10:00.000+01:00

Alan McCombes launches his latest book, Downfall: The Tommy Sheridan Story, in Edinburgh, Scotland

Wednesday 6th July 2011 at 6.30pm

Venue:

Word Power Books

43-45 West Nicolson Street

Edinburgh

EH8 9DB

Scotland

Admission Free! Donations welcome!

All Welcome!

"...superb book..." Paul Hutcheon

Alan McCombes is a freelance writer and journalist and previously editor of the Scottish Socialist Voice. A founder member of the Scottish Socialist Party, he was an executive member of the party and also its national press and policy co-ordinator. He lives in Glasgow.