Words Festival 2009
Friday 18th September
8.00 pm The Gathering
An informal evening to welcome our guests with a programme of diverse delights not to be missed.
Open to all. Admission £2.
Saturday 19th September
10.00 am Donald S. Murray
The Guga Hunters and other pieces of gannet lore
Donald also intends to visit a few other subjects and locations, touching down on islands on the periphery, from the Aran islands to the Holy Ground of Sulasgeir. From Ness on the Isle of Lewis, Donald writes poetry, fiction and non-fiction, including the bestselling The Guga Hunters. He has written on a wide range of islands - from Cape Clear to Unst.
11.45 am Mairi Stewart
Oral history as a non-fiction source: The Touchwood Chronicles
Mairi is an environmental historian specializing in the history of Scottish woodlands, She joined the staff of the UHI Centre for History in 2005. Her publications include the books from the Touchwood project on the oral history of forestry, sponsored by Forestry Commission Scotland. Hugo is an honorary research fellow at the
University of Aberdeen with a particular interest in oral history.
2.15 am Kenny Taylor
Finding Home: New British nature writing
A Black Isle resident, Kenny is well known as a writer, campaigner and broadcaster on environmental topics. He is author of some ten books, as well as articles and scripts.
4.00 pm Rhoda Michael
Getting published in magazines: a discussion of good practice, and potential outlets in Scotland
Rhoda was poetry editor of Northwords and the founding editor of Northwords Now. She has also had her own poetry and short stories published.
8.00 pm An evening with stories, songs and poems
An opportunity to meet some of the festival contributors in this informal gathering, with Janet McInnes as bean an tighe. Well known as a poet and storyteller, former Festival goers will remember Janet's inimitable style.
Sunday 20th September
11.00 am Mandy Haggith
Feeling Sensational
A workshop for beginners and experienced writers, exploring how vivid writing about tastes, smells, textures and sounds from the natural world can reveal and evoke feelings. Mandy lives in NW Sutherland.
Her publications include the poetry collection, Castings, and a novel, The Last Bear, and she has recently won a SAC bursary to focus on writing, mostly poetry, about Assynt.
2.00 pm James Robertson
The Devil and the Doubting Minister
James discusses his novel The Testament of Gideon Mack, a story set in the strange territory between belief and skepticism, truth and fantasy, history and legend. Long-listed for the Man 
Booker Prize and an unlikely choice for Richard and Judy's Book Club, this story of a Church of Scotland minister's crisis of faith raises more questions about life and death than it answers.
Poet, editor and novelist, James's other novels include The Fanatic and Joseph Knight. He has also edited two volumes of the
works of Hugh Miller and is co-founder and editor of Itchy Coo, the imprint that produces books in Scots for children.
This year all events take place at the Cromarty Training Centre, located in the Old Brewery.
Teas and coffees will be available between the events.
