Beyond the Fringe

Coming up for air to report, I'll be reading this month as part of the Edinburgh Book Fringe with two sterling writers: Jenni Fagan (Urchin Belle) and Kevin Williamson (In a Room Darkened, Rebel Inc). Given Rebel Inc's the reason I started trying to write, it's a pleasure to be appearing alongside Kevin and I can't recommend Jenni's poetry chapbook Urchin Belle enough - it's published by Blackheath Books.

The original plan of the reading consisting of the telling of lies, slanders and idle drunken boasts has been substituted for a rambling diatribe about writing from the ditch (from Rimbaud onwards) and some stuff from the forthcoming poetry thing Tesla's Ghost and maybe a wee bit of the novel The Ship is Sinking.

Anyways it's at 4 o'clock next Saturday at Word Power so anyone kicking around the festival feel free to stop by (Edwyn Collins is on before us and Tom Leonard the night before both of which I'd highly recommend), pretty sure we'll be having a few ales in The Pear Tree opposite afterwards.

On the topic of the festival, in the absence of the Spiegeltent, this year the Assembly Rooms seem to be offering the best gigs. Check out Mikelangelo and the Black Sea Gentlemen, Camille O'Sullivan, Circa, Jason Byrne and friends' late night show and the Pajama Men, all of whom have been brilliant this year. Thomas Truax's forthcoming Steampunk night The Arrival of Airship R1001 at te POOKa and Amanda Palmer at the Picturehouse will be well worth frequenting. Tally ho.