Glasgow’s Wee Write book festival – the children’s programme within the Aye Write festival – opens on Monday (25 April) for six days of inspiring, fun-packed events for little people with big imaginations.

Returning for live in-person events for the first time since 2019 due to the Covid-19 pandemic, and at an earlier time than normal (25-30 April), the Wee Write line-up kicks off with the Schools’ Programme, running from Monday 25 through to Friday 29 April, while Saturday 30 April will see the return of the hugely popular Family Day.  Venues include Glasgow’s iconic Mitchell Library, as well as public libraries in and around the city.

The Wee Write Schools’ Programme is packed with fun and educational events for pre-school, primary and secondary school-aged children and young people, including storytellers Vivian French MBE and Alan Windram; illustrator Kate McLelland; TV and news journalist Nick Sheridan; artist Catherine Rayner; graphic novel duo Metaphrog, AKA, Sandra Marrs and John Chalmers; and the ever-entertaining Danny Wallace.

The week-long programme is available to all Glasgow City Council schools and nurseries, and more widely for schools and early-years education settings across the UK.  Tickets to events within the Wee Write programme have also been donated to local groups and charities, giving more children and young people the opportunity to access live events on their doorstep.

Wee Write culminates on Saturday 30 April with an energy-packed Family Day – this year returning to the fabulous Mitchell Library and promising a feast of fun for all the family, including: Harry Potter book cover illustrator Jonny Duddle, celebrating 25 years of Harry Potter Magic; a That’s Not My... storytelling session; Horrible Henry author Francesca Simon and Dennis the Menace illustrator Steve May with their new collaboration, Two Terrible Vikings and Grunt the Berserker; a draw-off event with author-illustrators Tom Morgan Jones and Sophie Henn; more Harry Potter fun with an activity-packed family coding event in Harry Potter and the Hidden Spells; and a very special meet-and-greet, and storytelling session, with children’s favourite The Gruffalo. 

Wee Write is part of Aye Write, the annual Glasgow bookish extravaganza produced by Glasgow Life, one of Scotland’s largest charities whose mission is to inspire every citizen and visitor to become engaged and active in a city globally renowned for culture and sport. The festivals are supported by The National Lottery through Creative Scotland, the public body that supports the arts, screen and creative industries across Scotland. 

 

Wee Write Programmer, Fiona Haddow, said:

“We are excited to bring the magic of books with live authors, storytellers and more, back to enthral and inspire the children of Glasgow. Our packed Family Day programme has a wonderful mix of ticketed and free events for all the family to enjoy. We really look forward to seeing you there!”

 

Scott Webb, Regional Manager at UKSE, which is also sponsoring Wee Write, said:

 “Wee Write does a consistently brilliant job of getting children engaged with books and reading. We welcome the opportunity to partner with the festival again, especially as the programme returns to its full live status.

“Our support will enable 200 pupils from the Cambuslang area to attend a Wee Write event and take home a book to extend their experience. We firmly believe that investing in literacy now will have a positive impact on the health and wellbeing of the next generation.”

The full programmes are available now on the Aye Write website.