Between the Lines

DOORS & BAR OPEN: 6:30pm

EVENT START TIME: 7pm (prompt)

EVENT END TIME: 8:30pm (approx.)

THE BAR WILL BE OPEN AFTER THE EVENT

BETWEEN THE LINES

Candid conversations about how writing really happens.

We are absolutely delighted to welcome Jackie Kay, one of Britain's most celebrated and beloved literary voices, to Berwick-upon-Tweed for a very special evening of Between the Lines.

Between the Lines is a live conversation series exploring how writing really happens. Hosted at The Straw Yard and recorded as a live audience podcast, each event invites an author into an unedited discussion about the realities of a writing life: the long arc of making work, momentum and doubt, rejection and resilience, instinct and discipline, and the moments that make writing feel alive and worthwhile.

A poet, novelist, short-story writer and memoirist, Jackie Kay served as Scotland's Makar, its National Poet, from 2016 to 2021. Her writing has moved, challenged and delighted readers for more than three decades, exploring identity, family, love, belonging and the extraordinary possibilities of language.

Her visit comes just weeks after the publication of Selected Poems 1991–2026 (Picador), a landmark collection celebrating her remarkable writing life. Beginning with The Adoption Papers, winner of the inaugural Forward Prize in 1991, and reaching through to the moving elegies of May Day in 2024, the book brings together highlights of a trailblazing career.

As Bernardine Evaristo writes of Jackie:

'An utterly unique poet who distils the most complex and difficult themes into clear-eyed, elegant, moving, humorous and simply exquisite poetry.'

Jackie's acclaimed body of work also includes the award-winning novel Trumpet, the memoir Red Dust Road, and poetry collections including Fiere, Bantam and May Day. Her writing moves effortlessly between the deeply personal and the political, finding humour, humanity and tenderness even in the most difficult subjects.

How can we make a world in a few words?

In conversation with our host, writer and editor Louise Tucker, Jackie will reflect on a lifetime of writing and the experiences, encounters and questions that have shaped her work. How does lived experience become poetry? How do we find the words for identity, memory, loss and love? Where do voice, rhythm and imagination meet? And how does a writer's relationship with their work change over more than thirty years?

We'll explore the curiosity, courage, humour and craft behind writing that continues to resonate with readers across generations, and what it means to keep discovering new things to say.

This promises to be a particularly special evening: a rare opportunity to hear one of our most remarkable writers talk candidly about the stories behind her work, in the intimate surroundings of The Straw Yard.

Between the Lines is a relaxed, live conversation with plenty of opportunity for audience questions. Each event is recorded for our podcast, but there's absolutely no pressure to speak. Come along, settle in with a drink and enjoy the conversation.

Arranged by the Berwick Writers' Forum, part of the Berwick Literary Festival.

Live podcast recording with audience Q&A

Book signing supported by The Book Loft

Free event. Booking essential.

Between the Lines is free to attend, but you may opt to pledge a donation to help fund future events in the series. Audience members can choose to donate £5, £10 or £15 in support of the Berwick Literary Festival, helping us sustain and grow literary events in the town.

www.berwickliteraryfestival.com

@berwicklitfest

With thanks to our funders for supporting the first year of this new series: Create Berwick, Northumberland County Council and the North East Combined Authority.

Content guidance:

This live, unscripted conversation may include discussion of themes from the author’s work, including mature content and sensitive topics. Audience participation forms part of the event. Recommended for ages 16+.