A lecture by the chairman of Scottish Arts Council Richard Holloway chaired by the Director of Edinburgh International Book Festival, Catherine Lockerbie; a poetry morning on a fascinating uninhabited island; a poet/writer in residence; a host of awarding winning writers – these are just a few of the delights in store at Ullapool Book Festival which has just launched its programme. Tickets for all the sessions go on sale today (Friday).

The festival, which is in its third year, takes place from Thursday 10th May to Sunday 13th May 2007. It fully expects to build on its growing reputation as a small festival with big ideas. Once again the village will welcome an array of talented writers.

The opening event on Thursday evening is a lecture by one of Europe’s leading academics and writers, Kenneth White who held the Chair of Twentieth Century Poetics at the Sorbonne from 1983 to 1996, and is the founder-president of the International Institute of Geopoetics. He takes as his subject “New Perspectives on Scottish Literature” in which he will do a re-reading of certain Scottish writers.

Writer and broadcaster Richard Holloway, former Bishop of Edinburgh, is the author of more than 20 books. His lecture of Friday evening has as its title “An Unimportant Failure? The Problem of Suffering”. The theme refers to a chapter in his latest book How to Read the Bible. The session will be chaired by Catherine Lockerbie who is Director of Edinburgh International Book Festival. It is one of two sessions she will be chairing; she will also chair the final event of the festival which is a reading by award-winning author Des Dillon from his next novel which is due out in the autumn.

Also chairing a couple of sessions will be a former director of Edinburgh Book Festival, Faith Liddell, who was recently appointed first Director of Festivals Edinburgh. Faith has chaired events at Ullapool right from its first opening Lewis writer Kevin MacNeil will be the festival’s poet in residence and has quite work load. He will take part in the poetry morning which will be held on Isle Martin, an uninhabited island in Loch Broom three miles north of Ullapool. He will also chair a poetry session by Kenneth White; read from his recent fiction; be available at both Ullapool bookshops to talk to the book-buying public; take individual writing surgeries. He has also been commissioned to write a poem.

Other poets reading will be Edinburgh Makar (poet laureate to the city) Valerie Gillies, and Donny O’Rourke who comes to Ullapool straight from a teaching, researching and performing stint at Yale. Both these poets will also be reading on Isle Martin as will leading Gaelic poet Meg Bateman. Gaelic author Martin MacIntyre will read from his novel Gymnippers Diciadain and from his recently published bilingual poetry collection Dannsam Led Fhaileas / Let Me Dance With Your Shadow. He will also be the storyteller at Saturday morning’s Breakfast Stories.

There will be more fiction from John Aberdein, whose novel ‘Amande’s Bed’ won the Saltire First Book of the Year award in 2005. Award-winning Lesley Glaister, author of eleven books, will be reading from her novel Nina Todd has Gone, which will be published the week before the festival.

Yet another award winner, columnist Ron Ferguson of The Herald, Press and Journal and Life and Work, will talk about being a columnist and read examples of his work.

For the first time the festival will have a cookery writer and a gardening writer. Sue Lawrence, who won Masterchef in 1991 and went on to write books and cookery columns, will be demonstrating recipes from her latest book A Cook’s Tour of Scotland. Gardening columnist with The Shetland Times Rosa Steppanova will also make an appearance.

Children have not been forgotten. Simon Puttock, who won the winner of the “early years section” of the 2006 Royal Mail Awards for Scottish Children’s Books, will be appearing on Saturday morning. Ullapool Book Festival is also putting two writers in to local schools on Friday afternoon. Gaelic writer and storyteller Morag Stewart will be in Ullapool primary school Gaelic medium unit and Des Dillon will be in Achiltibuie primary school.

Ullapool Book Festival, which is run by volunteers, is supported by The Highland Council, HIE Skye and Wester Ross, Scottish Arts Council, Highland 2007 and The Scottish Poetry Library as well as receiving sponsorship from local bookshops and businesses.

For a copy of the programme write to Ullapool Book Festival, PO Box 27, Ullapool IV26 2WY or visit its website www.ullapoolbookfestival.co.uk  which has details of how and where to buy tickets.