Dundee book-lovers rejoice! The City of Discovery will celebrate renowned writers and rising stars with a new book festival for 2025.
The inaugural Dundee Book Festival features a list of wonderful writers including big names such as Val McDermid and Chris Brookmyre.
The festival is the brain-child of Dundee Leisure and Culture’s Anna Day.
She says: “Books are often quite a solitary thing and I think book festivals are just this incredible way of bringing people together.”
Which authors can you see at Dundee Book Festival 2025?
Val McDermid
Scotland’s ‘Queen of Crime’ is coming to Dundee for a chat about her extraordinary literary career with award-winning novelist James Robertson.
Val’s latest standalone novel, Queen MacBeth, a reimagining of the role of Shakespeare’s Lady Macbeth, has just been published in paperback.
The prolific writer has sold more than 20 million books globally. She is the author of an incredible body of crime writing including the Tony Hill and Karen Pirie series.
Oh, and she will be opening the festival along with her fellow members of Fun Lovin Crime Writers on Friday evening. Is there no end to the woman’s talents?
Val will be in conversation with another giant of Scottish modern Scottish literature, James Robertson.
James’ The Testament of Gideon Mack has recently been reworked into an acclaimed stage show.
Chris Brookmyre
Chris Brookmyre writes crime fiction under his own name and in partnership with his wife Marisa Haetzman as Ambrose Parry.
He is also part of The Fun Lovin’ Crime Writers line-up and will join fellow guitarists Luca Veste and Stuart Neville to talk about writing crime thrillers on Friday June 13 at 11.30am.
Chris’ recent novel The Cracked Mirror is a mix of Scottish cosy crime and L.A. noir. He has brought the two styles together to win The McIlnvanney Prize.
Also on Friday, Chris will get together with Fisher and Raven series writing partner to talk about Writing the Past with Broughty Ferry‘s Michelle Sloan (Mrs Burke & Mrs Hare).
The trio will join Dundee-based crime writer RD McLean (The Friday Girl) to discuss their novels set in the cut throat-closes of Victorian Edinburgh.
Zoe Venditozzi, Claire Mitchell and Nicola Sturgeon
Dundee podcasters turned authors Zoe Venditozzi and Claire Mitchell founded the Witches of Scotland campaign.
The team successfully campaigned for a legal pardon for the women and men persecuted in Scotland’s witch trials.
The duo are joined by former First Minister Nicola Sturgeon to launch their new book.
How to Kill a Witch: A Guide for the Patriarchy is a sharply witty book which tries to understand the mindset of the people (men) who persecuted and tried to silence women during this dark era of Scotland’s past.
Doug Johnstone
Dundee-born Doug Johnston comes home to a very special childhood haunt for his Thrills at the Mills event on the Enceladons Trilogy.
Mills Observatory was a favourite place for young Doug. He studied physics and designed radar guidance systems before turning his hand to writing.
The Edinburgh-based writer now has twelve novels under his belt and fans of his work include Val McDermid, Irvine Welsh and Ian Rankin.
He will join a select audience at Mills Observatory to discuss his Enceladons Trilogy, an incredible foray into the world of science fiction where extra-terrestrial life comes to Scotland.
Charlie Connelly
The Attention All Shipping author brings the one-man theatre show based on his book about the Shipping Forecast to the Steps Theatre.
Charlie Connelly is London born and bred, has spent time living in Ireland and is now a Dundee resident.
The author, TV and radio broadcaster and scriptwriter visited the City of Discovery with his wife. The couple loved what they saw so much that they decided to make Dundee their home.
Charlie’s one-man stage show celebrates the famous Radio 4 shipping forecast in all its quirky glory, taking the time to inform and entertain along the way.
Andrew Orr
Author Andrew Orr has dedicated ten years of his life to researching the Norwegian’s defiance of Nazi Germany.
The result is The Flight of the Vikings, a comprehensive history of how the country went back to their Viking roots and took to their boats to escape across the North Sea to Scotland.
Andrew, who is a retired GP, is well known for his chronicle of the Norwegian Royal Forces mascot Sea Dog Bamse.
During his Dundee Book Festival event he will share his fascination for the Scottish/Norwegian wartime alliance.
Andrew Liddle
Former Courier journalist, columnist and political consultant, Andrew Liddle returns to his Dundee patch to talk about his book Churchill: The Scottish Years.
Andrew examines the lesser-known side of Winston Churchill: a reforming, Liberal MP for Dundee and brings his rivalry with Edwim Scrymgeour into the spotlight.
Andrew’s other political works include Ruth Davidson and the Resurgence of the Scottish Tories and Cheers, Mr Churchill!
Gary Robertson
Dundee’s own street poet, Gary Robertson is described in the Dundee Book Festival as, ‘a true Dundee legend’.
The award-winning poet, author, playwright and singer will talk about all this and more at Dundee Book Festival.
Gary tells his stories through the Dundee dialect and will discuss his book Gangs of Dundee.
The audience will also get a sneak preview of his upcoming work Wild Mountain Times, a history of the NCR hillwalking and climbing club.
Any event with Gary involved promises to entertain and inform.
Where will Dundee Book Festival take place?
Anna Day is proud to be showcasing some of Dundee Leisure and Culture’s venues including Lochee Library, Mills Observatory, McManus Galleries and the Steps Theatre in The Central Library.
“I love the Steps Theatre,” she enthuses. “It gives proper 1970s vibes when you walk in and it’s just lush and sweet.”
She agrees that it can often be overlooked, tucked away within the Wellgate: “I think a lot of people in the city have forgotten it exists.”
Tickets for most of the events at Dundee Book Festival cost £5 and some are free, apart from the Fun Lovin Crime Writers concert at the Marryat Hall (£20 each).
Some events are already sold out with others selling fast.
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