Delegates attending the Edinburgh Cities of Literature Conference in October 2024, on the stairs of the National Library of Scotland. Photo: Chris Scott
Edinburgh UNESCO Cities of Literature Conference 2024 - 20 years of the designation!
Keira Brown
Communications
Edinburgh City of Literature Trust
30 October 2024
Edinburgh is the founding city in a global network – the UNESCO Cities of Literature.
It was an honour and a privilege to mark our 20th anniversary by hosting the Cities of Literature meeting. What a brilliant group of creative and passionate people that have helped build and sustain this global network, expanding our small city of Edinburgh to the wonderfully diverse and expansive network of 53 cities, with cities now in Okayama, Kozhikode and Jakarta, as well as Lviv, Lillehammer and Leeuwarden. It gave us the opportunity to be reminded about why Edinburgh was designated twenty years ago, showcasing Edinburgh at its finest.
Over 5 days we welcomed 56 delegates from across 36 cities with our Cities of Literature meeting here in the city. And those delegates brought with them their open minds, their passionate advice and tips, and children's picture books, which were donated to Central Children's Library. We very much look forward to meeting again next year in Ljubljana.
Photo by Jess Orr
Cultural Programme
Delegates were introduced to many of Edinburgh’s remarkable literary organisations and charities, as well as to the Gavin Wallace Fellow, Mary Paulson-Ellis, who shared the work she has been doing with writers from other Cities of Literature. They also visited Abbotsford, the historic home of Sir Walter Scott, before attending a Civic Reception hosted by Lord Provost of Edinburgh, Robert Aldridge. During the reception, Edinburgh-based writer Mary Paulson-Ellis delivered a compelling keynote speech from a writer’s perspective, followed by a tribute from Hannah Trevarthen, Director Nottingham City of Literature, to former Edinburgh Director Ali Bowden.
On the Thursday, UNESCO Creative Cities Secretariat’s Denise Bax joined the conference, and delegates visited the National Library of Scotland, where they toured the exhibitions. Later, they proceeded to the Edinburgh Futures Institute, the new venue for the Edinburgh International Book Festival. There, the delegates participated in a Utopia Lab session with poet and project manager Jennifer Williams and met some of the Book Festival’s team. The day concluded with a Literary Afternoon Tea at the Grand Sheraton Hotel, featuring Ian Rankin, Alistair Moffat, and Chitra Ramaswamy, where delegates and academics enjoyed literary-themed treats inspired by books like Trainspotting and Rob Roy.
The final day focused on University engagements, with a visit to Napier University to meet professors and course leaders, followed by a presentation at the University of Edinburgh where academics and City of Literature colleagues shared collaborative projects. The conference concluded with an eclectic mix of poetry, translation, and music featuring Edinburgh Makar, Michael Pedersen, poet Hollie McNish, musician Conor O'Brien, and Bremen-based writer Sadaf Zahedi.
Delegates brought with them their open minds, their passionate advice and tips, and children's picture books, which were donated to Edinburgh Children's Library. The donations offer a range of diverse and beautifully illustrated titles in the original language of each of the Cities.
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