Festival Director Jason Rose and Eden Court Theatre Director Colin Marr today (Tues 19 August 2008) launched the Fifth Inverness Book Festival, now relocated to its rightful home in Eden Court Theatre.

This year’s Festival marks Jason Rose’s fifth and final year as Book Festival Director. With an all-star line-up of some of the UK’s most popular authors, plus a significantly expanded children’s, schools and adult workshops programme, the Fifth Inverness Book Festival is set to be the biggest and best yet.

One of the highlights of this year’s programme will be the much-awaited visit to Inverness of Glasgow writer James Kelman. Kelman’ s novel, A Disaffection was shortlisted for the Booker Prize and won the James Tait Black Memorial Prize for Fiction in 1989. Kelman also won the 1994 Booker Prize with his controversial work, How Late It Was, How Late. Kelman was also awarded the Scotland on Sunday Spirit of Scotland Award in 1998. James Kelman will be in attendance at the Inverness Book Festival to discuss his latest work, Kieron Smith, Boy, in a session chaired by journalist and writer Bryan Beattie.

The fifth Inverness Book Festival will also be graced with the presence of 60’s music icon and record producer Joe Boyd. Joe was the creative producer behind such classic artists as Eric Clapton, Nick Drake, Pink Floyd, Sandy Denny and the Incredible String Band. Joe’s memoir, White Bicycles is one of the most vivid accounts of the 60’s, and provides a unique insight into this seminal decade.

The Festival will be continuing the bicycle theme, as we are joined by journalist, and ex-commonwealth athlete, Richard Moore, who will discuss his sporting biography, In Search of Robert Millar, and also discuss his latest work, Heroes, VIllians and Velodromes.

The magic of the Inverness Book Festival isn’t confined to the page either – this year’s event will feature a larger than ever education, activities and workshops programme for schools which has been devised in association with the Highland Libraries service and the Bookstart initiative.

The Inverness Book Festival will run from 29 September to 03 October 2008.  www.invernessbookfestival.com