Top picks from 2019's Winter Words festival!

Returning for its fifteenth year, the Winter Words festival at Pitlochry Theatre is back from the 2^nd to the 17^th of February 2019 – and this year’s line-up is packed with a varied and eclectic range of talent. 

The idea behind the Winter Words festival is one of rejuvenation and inspiration. Wake up from the long Winter months of slumber and immerse yourself in a Spring filled with new possibilities, new ideas, and creativity in abundance.

And what better setting for this than Pitlochry Festival Theatre, nestled beside the natural wonder of the River Tummel, and watched over by the encapsulating shadow of Benn Vrackie. 

Wake up from the long Winter months of slumber and immerse yourself in a Spring filled with new possibilities.With a jam-packed programme featuring authors, adventurers, broadcasters and TV personalities, it can be hard to know where to start. We’ve rustled up a handy guide of our personal top picks of 2019’s festival offerings. After much poring over this great line-up, we may just see you there!

So, without further ado, and in no particular order....

Something Old, Something New: Liz Lochhead and Steve Kettley
14^th February 2019
One of the most prolific Scottish poets of our time, Liz Lochhead, teams up with multifaceted musician Steve Kettley for a night of music, poetry and good times. Liz will be performing readings from her fifty year long career, with all the bittersweet notes, raucous comedic pieces and everything in-between explored. Steve will be playing a range of bluesy soul and saxophone magic you can lose yourself in. This pairing is a match made in heaven and seems set to be an utterly joyful night!

The Truth About Life and Death: Professor Sue Black and Dr. Richard Shepherd
15^th February 2019
From uncovering war crimes in Kosovo to identifying bodies in the Indian Ocean tsunami, Professor Sue Black has been at the forefront of the forensic anthropology field for decades. Britain’s top forensic pathologist, Dr. Richard Shepherd has performed over 23,000 post-mortems in his decades spanning career, evidence from which has put killers behind bars, freed the innocent and turned open-and-shut cases on their heads. These two powerhouses will meet to discuss life, work, and the blurry in-betweens when your work is so innately human.

Disaster Chef: Kaye Adams and Nadia Sawalha
17^th February 2019
Disaster Chef sees MasterChef winner Nadia Sawalha team up with best friend Kaye Adams, highly respected journalist and broadcaster, for a recipe book for the – ahem – culinary challenged! Borne out of Nadia's frustration with Kaye's kitchen mishaps, quick and easy recipes will be discussed. I’m looking forward to this event, particularly as it highlights how bonding through food can satiate the most ravenous appetites!

Literary Lunches
14^th – 17^th February 2019
Literary lunches will be running everyday of the event, pairing delicious food with talks on a stimulating range of topics! From Herald editor and columnist Rosemary Goring’s talk on Scottish history from the oft-overlooked women’s perspective, to writer and photographer Polly Pullar sharing her experiences of the wildlife in the Ardnamurchan, this is a feast of both food and knowledge!

Leave a wee comment below and let us know your own top picks – and we’ll see you in Pitlochry!