10.00am: Three Scribblers – same passion, different genres

Venue: Kirkcudbright Scout Hut, Soaperie Gardens, Parish Church Grounds, St Mary St, DG6 4AA

Moffat Writers Ink: Ann Bloxwich, Sarah Burchett Cook and Iain Alexander. Chaired by LP Mennock. A fantastic array of talent talk about their writing, their journeys into publishing, the power of storytelling and imagination, and why their chosen genres fascinate and captivate a wide audience.

LP Mennock is a crime writer and founder of Moffat Writers. She has edited a crime short story anthology titled Wish You Weren’t Here; and enjoys mentoring new writers. Along the way she’s been a senior IT consultant, a foster carer, a pharmaceutical representative and a dog rescuer. She’s also a campervanner, and a Scotch malt whisky enthusiast.

Ann Bloxwich is a lifelong fan of crime fiction and started writing after attending her first ever crime writing festival in Harrogate. She was inspired to write drawing on her experience of bringing up a disabled child and after working as a promoter for a group of male strippers: all which has provided a backdrop for her character DI Alex Peachey. Ann’s novels include What Goes Around and Goodnight, God Bless.

Sarah Burchett Cook is originally from Kent but after 28 years living in Devon in the South-West of England, she now lives in Scotland. She writes fantasy and literary fiction blended with a touch of history, myth and legend. She is author of The Rosa Chronicles.

Iain Alexander writes dark psychological thrillers laced with gothic horror. At the 2025 Scottish Association of Writers’ awards, he took first place for his novel Dark Necessities from which he is reading today. He enjoys scaring his audience (in a good way) and has an idea for a children’s book – PLEASE someone, stop him.

11.30am: Collective Joy, Liberation and Music: LGBT grooves in modern Scotland

Venue: Kirkcudbright Scout Hut, Soaperie Gardens, Parish Church Grounds, St Mary St, DG6 4AA

Carrie Marshall’s recent book Small Town Joy celebrates queer influences and artists in Scotland. Her trans-memoir Carrie Kills a Man, was a Scotsman Book of The Year and shortlisted for the 2023 British Book Awards. Small Town Joy has been described as “an absolute treat … a mixtape lovingly assembled by a friend’s cool, knowledgeable older sister”.

Carrie Marshall is a writer and musician from Glasgow. Her latest book, Small Town Joy, is a celebration of the LGBTQ+ music and musicians who changed the sounds of Scotland. Carrie’s trans memoir, Carrie Kills a Man, was shortlisted in the Discover category of the 2023 British Book Awards and chosen as a book of the year by The Scotsman.

1.00pm: The Field of Dreams: Stories, histories and celebrating the local

Venue: Kirkcudbright Scout Hut, Soaperie Gardens, Parish Church Grounds, St Mary St, DG6 4AA

Football holds a special place in the emotions of millions. In the past year Dumfries and Galloway was put on the world map with the story that in the 16 th century the settlement of Amwoth invented what became the modern game. Ged O’Brien tells stories of the past, while Julie McNeill explores Kirkcudbright Fringe’s project with St Cuthbert Wanderers and launches a publication of stories and reflections on the club and game.

Julie McNeill is a poet, author, performer and workshop facilitator. She specialises in delivering creative writing workshops and talks with a particular interest in writing for wellbeing & mental health and supporting children and adults with additional support needs (ASN). She is the author of Mission Dyslexia, an award-winning book for dyslexic children as well as two poetry collections and has been the first ever Kirkcudbright Fringe writer-in-residence working with St Cuthbert Wanderers.

Ged O’Brien is the foremost champion for Scotland’s role as the most important sporting nation, on earth. He was the founder of the Scottish Football Museum located at Hampden Park and author of Played in Glasgow and is currently working on and researching The Scottish Game: How Scotland Invented Modern World Football. His proudest moment was proving that the world’s first black international captain was Andrew Watson of Scotland.

2.30pm: Treachery, Deceit, Hope and Despair: The Life of Mary, Queen of Scots

Venue: Kirkcudbright Galleries, 3B St Mary St, Kirkcudbright DG6 4AA

Historian and writer Rosemary Goring’s books about Mary, Queen of Scots - Homecoming: The Scottish Years of Mary, Queen of Scots and Exile: The Captive Years of Mary, Queen of Scots - explore different periods of Mary’s life, with Homecoming focusing on her time in Scotland and Exile detailing her lengthy imprisonment in England after fleeing her homeland. Goring’s other books include the best-selling Scotland: An Autobiography.

Rosemary Goring is the author of two historical novels, After Flodden and Dacre’s War. Other books include Scotland: The Autobiography, Scotland: Her Story and Homecoming: The Scottish Years of Mary, Queen of Scots. Her latest work is Exile: The Captive Years of Mary, Queen of Scots. A columnist and reviewer with The Herald, she is a regular abridger of books for BBC Radio 4.  

5.00pm: How bagpipes made Scotland and the world

Venue: Kirkcudright Pipe Band Hall, Daar Road, Kirkcudbright DG6 4LG

Richard McLaughlan is a writer and piper who has written the first accessible cultural history of this iconic instrument, in which he investigates how a ‘national instrument’ can shift its meaning and identity - from inspiring terror on battlefields to enriching cultures worldwide. As Piping Press said ‘this is the book I am giving to every person I know who expresses even the slightest interest in piping and the pipes’.

Richard McLauchlan is a Scottish writer, educated at the Universities of St Andrews and Cambridge, and a former pipe major, taught by the renowned instructor Colin MacLellan. The author of Serious Minds, and John Campbell’s collaborator on Haldane (both published by Hurst), Richard co-founded the educational charity Light Up Learning.

7.00pm: These Isles: The Fascinating Story of Scotland, England, Ireland and Wales

Venue: Kirkcudright Pipe Band Hall, Daar Road, Kirkcudbright DG6 4LG

Brian Groom will give us an entertaining sweep through the entwined histories of Scotland and the other nations of Britain and Ireland – and the people who have called them home. Based on his new book, These Isles, he reveals a colourful and often-contested story of the Celts, Romans, Anglo-Saxons, Vikings, Normans and others who have occupied these islands, along with their culture, languages and passions. He will explore the role of religion and the British Empire, international diasporas and internal migration, gender relations and war.

Brian Groom is a journalist, author and former editor of Scotland on Sunday. His book Northerners: A History, from the Ice Age to the Present Day (2022), became a national bestseller. He is also author of Made in Manchester: A People’s History of the City That Shaped the Modern World (2024). These Isles: A People’s History of England, Ireland, Scotland and Wales is published by HarperNorth in February 2026.