A landmark bookfest begun in Ullapool in 2005 lives its last chapter this weekend
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A lot of people are expected in Ullapool this weekend as the last book festival is a sellout and if you believe one of the guest writers Doug Johnstone and his latest book, even aliens are on their way.
When news came that the successful festival started in 2005 was finishing, there was a shocked reaction. Ullapool Book Festival has such a reputation across Scotland and beyond.
But the team of volunteers and committee members led by chair Joan Michael wanted to retire and the one concession was that this weekend’s final festival would happen.
Now, a few days before Friday’s first events, Joan Michael is saying with her dry sense of humour: “I’m so glad it’s the last one! I’d forgotten how much work it is! Of course there are other people doing stuff. But you contact people who email you in reply asking what you’ve just told them!
“Yesterday I took a break after tea and about 8.30pm, then I sat down with the laptop till about half 12. But I’m one of these people where everything has to be in its space and time and I have schedules of the whole thing, what you should be doing between this and this time, for the volunteers.”
It’s a glimpse of the work that takes the festival team all year, the meticulous planning maybe one reason the festival is so highly thought of by the writers who have praised it to the skies over the years.
Award-winning Scottish poet Don Paterson will guest with poetry and music at the final event of the last-ever festival.
“It’s a real honour, given all the terrific writers the festival has hosted over the years, and the model the UBF has become for other small book festivals in Scotland and beyond.”
How does it feel to be the final guest?
“I’m feeling the pressure a bit, so I’m relieved to have the wonderful Graeme Stephen – Scotland’s greatest guitarist, in my humble opinion – there to cover for me.
“But I still hope that someone else may take up the reins again in the future, after Joan Michael and her team step down for an extremely well-earned rest.”
Joan is adamant there won’t be another festival. But she has confirmed that one-off book events will happen. So in a small way it’s not the end.
Don said: “It has always been wonderful. It was the book festival that made me an Ullapool addict, and now we’re up here a couple of times a year. It’s just so beautiful, and such a swingin’ wee town. And the festival always made everyone feel so welcome.”
Like Don Paterson, Doug Johnstone is a writer and also a musician and he is remembering his first time playing at the book festival back near the start of it. Last year he played with the Fun Lovin' Crime Writers.
“I have appeared there a few times. The first time with Aidan Moffat – I did some songs, maybe a decade ago?”
Like Don, asked what makes it so special, Doug has theories: “Any other writers I know who’ve been to the festival rank it amongst their absolute favourites because the atmosphere is so great. It is a small place and relatively hard to get to from the centre of Scotland – it’s a four-hour drive for me this weekend – which is not crazy, but it means the festival has a real sense of community with people coming from all over the Highlands and to all the events – most of them, and the writers tend to go to other writers’ events, so there is a really nice community feel.
“It’s always been a very interesting and eclectic blend of authors – really great local Highland writers, writers from elsewhere in Scotland and the UK and also usually one or two fascinating international authors who have some kind of a link to the Highlands or to Ullapool indirectly.”
The good news is that the bookfest is already a blueprint for others.
Joan said: “I can think of at least 10 different phone calls I’ve had from people wanting to set up small book festivals. So our constitution has been sent out.”
Doug and Kirsten Innes [who share an event] have books featuring Ullapool. Doug’s The Space Between Us mentions the two bookshops.
But there are no books so far immortalising the book festival. Yet.
n The festival is on Friday and Saturday, May 5 and 6.
