1 The Free Edinburgh Fringe Online is running shows every day this week and everyone’s a winner and costs none of your Scottish smackeroonies. One of today’s brilliant shows is comedy Democracy Sucks. Log in at youtube.com/watch?v=pAwJk79dDKw 6:30pm tonight – the show lasts for about an hour.
2 The Edinburgh Book Festival is also free and online this year and today hosts author Andrew O’Hagan in an online Q&A with Damian Barr discussing his brilliant novel Mayflies.The book could have been subtitled Heyday At The Hacienda so perfectly does it capture the ephemeral nature of clubbing in a soulful story of two lads from small-town Scotland. The main characters Tully and James are growing up in Irvine, steeped in the music of The Fire Engines, The Fall and the poetry of John Cooper Clarke. Together they rush towards the climax of their youth in an unforgettable, friendship-defining weekend in Manchester. Thirty years later, Tully calls his old pal with some troubling news. Tune in today 5:30pm at ed bookfest.co.uk/the-festival/whats-on/andrew-o-hagan-heydays-in-the-hacienda/player
3 Also at The Edinburgh Book Festival online ... Scottish BAME Writers Network Showcase: Scotland’s Heritage, Then And Now. Join Saltire Poetry Book of the Year winner Janette Ayachi, Scottish Voice for 2020 playwright and poet Hannah Lavery, performance poet Courtney Stoddart, and poet and lecturer at the University of Dundee Heather H Yeung for a special showcase and discussion celebrating the diversity of contemporary Scottish verse. Chaired by Andrés N Ordorica. Tomorrow at 5:30pm at edbookfest.co.uk/the-festival/whats-on/scottish-bame-writers-network-showcase-scotland-s-heritage-then-and-now/player
4 Following a lot of grassroots activism over the years, are you interested in finding out a bit more about the Govan Baths? Try this showcase featuring objects, documents, photographs, banners and audio-visual material. The organisers want you to bring your own stories and add them to the memory book. Today, The Deep End, Nithsdale Street, 12pm-5pm
5Another Edinburgh Fringe event is offering online pleasures this week – AJ Bell’s Fringe Pick N Mix. The Fringe, which usually takes place across a whole city, has been staged in living rooms across the world this month as artists and audiences capture the spirit of the Fringe in miniature. Take your pick from hundreds of 60-second Fringe clips, mix it up through a dedicated live stream, or claim your place in the spotlight by recording your very own video.Check it out at edfringe.com/experience/2020
6 Yay! Museums are back. I’m excited to get into Dundee’s V&A and its Concealed Histories – Uncovering The History of Nazi Looting exhibition. It is displayed in the Rosalinde and Arthur Gilbert Galleries and continues until January. Visit vam.ac.uk/exhibitions/concealed-histories-uncovering-the-story-of-nazi-looting
7 Glasgow’s CCA is back ... Hurrah. The centre starts to welcome back visitors from Tuesday. The cafe bar will be open from 10am every day and the shops Welcome Home and Aye Aye books will be welcoming back customers. The centre re-opening will be rolled out slowly to keep customers and staff safe. Let’s band together and show a bit of love for this Glasgow institution. Take a wee nip in, disposable masks will be available at the door. For more information please head to cca-glasgow.com/programme
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