Wigtown welcomes spring with book weekend

SPRING has sprung in the Machars with the return of Wigtown’s Spring Weekend. The three-day community event had a packed programme across a variety of venues within the book town, including author talks, guided walks, writing, photography and music workshops. This year’s event explored the enduring legacy of the Covenanters, the bold narratives of women crime writers, as well as tales of historical courage and it celebrated Galloway’s dark skies. Among the authors who took part were Alex Gray, author of the gripping DSI Lorimer series; Marsali Taylor, whose books are set in Shetland; and Lynne McEwan, newspaper photographer turned crime writer whose DI Shona Oliver stories are based in Dumfries and Galloway. Philip Paris introduced his new novel, A Fire in Their Hearts, inspired by true events during the persecution of the Covenanters, while Donna Brewster lead a Martyrs Walk around the sites linked to the execution by drowning of two Covenanter women who refused to betray their beliefs. Among the attractions for younger visitors was a drop-in clay-making workshop; daily Birds, Bugs and Blooms activities hosted by storyteller Renita Boyle; and a Children’s Book Nook.