Scene is set for trailblazing St Duthac Book and Arts Festival across Tain and Easter Ross with High Street pop-up shop adding to the fun
THE appearance on Tain’s High Street of a pop-up shop opens a new chapter for a local book and arts festival.
It will be one of the venues for the St Duthac Book and Arts Festival which opens on Thursday and boasts events across Tain and Easter Ross.
The trailblazing event was set up by two former teachers from Tain whose aim is to promote literature and the arts through an event which brings together authors, musicians and artists from the local area, and further afield.
It runs until Monday, September 27.
The pop-up shop, in the former premises of S&B Allsorts, will include a selection of books for sale, both new and pre-loved, as well as a coffee spot and an area for children.
Through the planned programme of activities and events, the festival aims to promote the arts while preserving and promoting local culture, attracting visitors and inward investment to the community.
As well as book hunts and art trails, it has lined up an impressive range of contributors and talks. Authors featured include writer and broadcaster Sally Magnusson. Her third novel, based on the women who resisted the Strathcarron clearances in the 1840s and 50s – with several references to Tain – will be published early in 2023.
Helen Sedgwick, Laura Kirk, Jeff Zycinski and Karen Bartke, Cynthia Rogerson, Liz Treacher, S G Maclean, Clio Gray, Debbie Ross, Moira Forsyth, James Miller, Ceitidh Hutton and Barbara Henderson are amongst the authors.
The pop-up hub will include a gallery of shots from the Tain and District Online Photo Club.
The 15 images are the shortlist from a group competition entitled Photography – Is It Art? The competition attracted over 170 entries.
The group was originally founded five years ago by local photographer Mark Janes as a place for participants in his evening classes to continue to share their work and get advice. It has grown to over 200 members and came into its own during lockdown.
The festival has a Facebook page with a full programme of events.
