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Bookbug Week: to celebrate this annual event – for which this year’s theme is Bookbug’s Big Bedtime Story – there will be a special session today with fun, songs, rhymes and stories for children aged 0-4 years and their parents and carers. 10.30am, Currie Library, 210 Lanark Road.
Friends of Granton Castle Garden: The Whole is Greater than the Sum of its Parts – how do we make the walled garden restoration both sustainable and of benefit to local people? A meeting with guest speakers from the Royal Commission on Ancient and Historical Monuments of Scotland and the Community Land Advisory Service. Come along, ask questions and join in the discussions. 6-7.30pm, Royston Wardieburn Community Centre, 11 Pilton Drive North. For more information please contact grantoncastlegardengroup@gmail.com.
Maggie Ritchie: Paris Kiss. Freelance journalist Maggie Ritchie introduces her first novel, the story of English sculptor Jessie Lipscomb and her passionate friendship with Camille Claudel, the 19 year old protege and lover of Auguste Rodin. This fictionalised account of a true story moves between the young women’s heady youth in 1880s Paris, where they share a studio and explore the demi-monde, meeting artists such as Toulouse-Lautrec and Rosa Bonheur, and Jessie’s visit to Camille years later, after her family have had her committed to an asylum. ‘An intense and satisfying story. It will haunt you’ (Sara Sheridan). 2.30-3.30pm, Central Library, George IV Bridge. Free tickets may be obtained via eventbrite here.
Lunchtime Concert: North Dakota State University, USA. 12.15pm, St Giles’ Cathedral, High Street. Free.
LGBT Learning Difficulties Social Circle: a monthly group for LGBT people who also identify as having a learning difficulty or disability. The theme for this session is Friendship. 2-4pm, Lifecare Centre, 2 Cheyne Street. If you are interested in joining the group please contact George Burrows on 0131 652 3281 or at george@lgbthealth.org.uk.
John Knox in Edinburgh: Walking Tour. Storyteller and author Donald Smith leads you through the dramatic story of John Knox in Edinburgh. Beginning at the Edinburgh International Festival Hub (top of Royal Mile), the tour will take in places of interest in the Old Town en route to John Knox House, entry to which is included in the ticket price. 4.30pm, The Hub, Castle Hill. Tickets cost £5/£4 and may be obtained online here or buy calling the Box Office on 0131 556 9579. The tour is part of the General Assembly of Scotland 2015’s celebration of John Knox.
Spark Greyfriars Lunchtime Concerts: Henry Wallace (organist, Greyfriars) plays Music for Ascension and Pentecost. 12 noon-12.45pm, Greyfriars Kirk, Greyfriars Place. Free: all welcome.
Easel Sketching in the Gallery – May: led by artist Damian Callan. A different subject every month, sometimes with a model. All materials supplied. 2-4pm, Gallery main floor, Scottish National Gallery, The Mound. Free: no booking required. Also at same times on Friday 22nd May.
Reid School of Music Final Year BMus Student Recitals. Today: 3pm Emma Aitken (soprano), 4pm Amanda MacLeod (mezzo-soprano), 5.30pm Timothy Matson (baritone) and 6.30pm Henry Pemberton (tenor), all at Reid Concert Hall, University of Edinburgh, Bristo Square. All recitals are free and open to the public.
LGBT: Relaxation Yoga Skills. A six week course with yoga instructor Helen Gailliard, who will gently help participants practice simple yoga moves and breathing techniques that can help reduce stress. Ideal for people who may not have practised yoga before or who are looking for a slower paced form of yoga with a focus on relaxation. Yoga mats provided. 6.30-8.30pm; please contact Alison Wren on 0131 652 3283 or at alison@lgbthealth.org.uk for details and to book (booking essential). Suggested donation £1 per session.
Blackwell’s Edinburgh Presents Ronnie Browne: That Guy Fae The Corries – an informal signing. With his musical partner Roy Williamson, Ronnie Browne became a national and international figure as one half of The Corries. His autobiography describes his childhood in wartime and the austerity Britain of the 1950s and 60s, his musical career, Roy’s death and his ensuing years as a solo artist. Throughout his career Ronnie has also been an active and sought-after painter and portraitist. 12.30-2.30pm, Blackwell’s, South Bridge. No booking required.
Pascale Petit and Niall Campbell Poetry Reading. Pascale’s sixth collection Fauverie was shortlisted for the 2014 TS Eliot Prize; she tutors courses at Tate Modern and for The Poetry School. Niaill Campbell, originally from South Uist, won the Edwin Morgan Prize in 2014; his first collection Moontide won the Saltire Society Scottish First Book of the Year Award and is a Poetry Book Society Recommendation. 6.30-8pm, The Saltire Society, 9 Fountain Close, 22 High Street. Tickets cost £5/£4 and may be purchased via eventbrite here.
Humpty Dumpty and the Troll Factory: Varieties of Verbal Subversion on the Russian Internet. Associate Editor of Russian Review and Russian Language Journal, Professor Michael Gorham (University of Florida) researches internet regulations and the attempts of Russian authorities to bring the internet under state control. His presentation at this open seminar will focus on information battles between various participants, such as pro-governmental and opposition hackers, trolls and cyber-activists, and the languages and discourses of these battles. 5.10pm, Dashkova Russian Centre, 14 Buccleuch Place.
Worcester State University Chorale: a Scottish tour by this a cappella vocal group of Worcester State students and alumni, founded and directed by Dr Christine Nigro. 8pm, Canongate Kirk, 153 Canongate. Free.
Picturehouse Documentaries: We Are Many + Satellite Q & A. On 15th February 2003 over 15 million people marched through the streets of 800 cities around the world to try to avert the war in Iraq. Director Amir Amirani’s fearless, thought-provoking documentary reveals the remarkable inside story behind the biggest protest in history and chronicles its surprising social and political legacy. Contributors include Danny Glover, Richard Branson, Mark Rylance, Ken Loach and Professor Noam Chomsky. The screening will be followed by a live satellite Q & A and panel discussion hosted by Jon Snow with guests including Amir Amirani, producer and comedian Omid Djalali, convenor of the Stop the War Coalition Lindsey German and Professor of International Law at UCL Philippe Sands. 8pm, Cameo, Home Street. Tickets may be purchased online here or by calling the Box Office on 0871 902 5723.
Let’s Glow: Pipe Dream. Edinburgh College HND Year 2 students from both the Popular and Classical courses present this comedy musical, following a Glaswegian lad chasing his dream of playing Scotland’s most traditional yet controversial instrument. 7-8.30pm, The Music Box, Sighthill Campus, Edinburgh College, Bankhead Avenue. Tickets cost £7/£5 and are available from The Music Box reception or by emailing tickets.pipedream@gmail.com.
Nothing Ever Happens Here: Honeyblood + Jesus H Foxx. ‘Despite Honeyblood’s minimal set-up, their songs are fully formed and perfectly assured’. Support, Edinburgh band Jesus H Foxx, ‘well-orchestrated slacker pop’. For over-18s only. 8pm, Dissection Room, Summerhall, 1 Summerhall. Tickets cost £10 and are available online here or by calling the Box Office on 0131 560 1581.
Knockengorroch World Ceilidh: here’s your first chance to get away this weekend! Knockengorroch brings first class World Music acts to a beautiful and undiscovered upland corner of Scotland, with the express aim of ‘establishing progressive linkage between the celebration of this natural amphitheatre and the now far-flung Celtic diaspora, once rooted in such homely places’. Music from all continents is booked alongside the best in Scottish and European talent to showcase Celtic and World Music in both traditional and contemporary fields. This year’s acts include Young Fathers, Bella Hardy and the Big Band, Shooglenifty, Peatbog Faeries and the intriguingly-named Colonel Mustard and the Dijon 5, and there will also be lots of activities and entertainments for children. Knockengorroch, Carsphairn, Castle Douglas DJ7 3TJ. Tickets may be booked online here or purchased from Ripping Records, 91 South Bridge (Edinburgh): prices vary. Bus transport to/from Edinburgh/Glasgow can also be booked via the festival’s website. Knockengarroch World Ceilidh continues until Sunday 24th May 2015.
