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Reading Room Events

Name: Reading Room Events
Address: Reading Room Events, Wigtown, DG89HN, GB
Telephone: +447368391669

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Free local authors and other book related events running on the first Saturday of the month. Location: Festival Shop, South Main Street No.26, Wigtown

06/09/2026

What a great performance it was yesterday Jayne! Thanks so much for being our guest and sharing your stories about your historical and children's books, your role as a publisher, the way you took over Foggy Toddle Bookshop in Wigtown and about your participation in the Booktown Blether podcast (https://bletherpodcast.podbean.com). The hour was gone in a minute.

Next Reading Room Event: Saturday 7th November.
(NO event in October because of the Bookfestival)

20/08/2026

Jayne Baldwin juggling life as a writer, bookseller and publisher

The committee of Reading Room Events is proud to present:

J A Y N E B A L D W Y N

at our next event: a (perhaps more in-depth) introduction to Jayne and the ins and outs of her daily life as a writer, promoter, and publisher in Wigtown.

Please join us at Jayne's event Saturday, 5th September, 12 noon in the Festival Shop, 26 South Mainstreet/Wigtown.
FREE ENTRANCE. Tea, coffee and biscuits included.

Jayne Baldwin holds a unique place in Wigtown. She moved to the area in 1999 just as the town was finding its feet as Scotland's National Booktown. She became involved with the emerging book festival and through one event she found the inspiration to write her first book. Since then, she has developed a career as a writer and publisher before taking over the children's bookshop in 2015. Jayne is the author of three historical non-fiction titles and several books for children. As a publisher she is responsible for producing a range of titles including poetry, prose, picture books and early readers working with authors and illustrators from all over Scotland. With other booksellers she launched the Booktown Blether podcast which aims to promote all aspects of Wigtown life.

So, lots of questions to her. Why a bookshop for children. And being author, bookseller, podcaster and publisher … does she even have time left to catch her breath?

22/07/2026

Bookshop-owner Ruth Anderson next special guest

In fact we hardly need to introduce bookseller and booklover Ruth. As owner of her cosy bookshop 'Well-Read Books' on Agnew Crescent she is one of the well-kent faces in Wigtown.

Ruth’s event will be on Saturday, 1st August, 12 noon
in the Festival shop, No.26 South Main Street, Wigtown.
Free entry including tea, coffee and biscuits. You are very welcome!

Ruth will talk about the life in a bookshop (her’s of course) which is a pleasant home for thousands of books, including a wide range of detectives and thrillers. ‘Well-Read Books’ also offers a nice diversity of new and second hand books, all waiting for a buyer. When you have been in her shop before, you must have find out Ruth - and staff members - have a lot of knowledge about books, authors and publishers, shortly mentioned: the world of books.

Please come to Ruth’s event and learn more about life and books in her very Wigtownian bookshop!

23/06/2026

Poet HUGH MCMILLAN special guest for our next Reading Room Event.

Hugh will be reading from his latest collection, Curious Histories & Questionable Tales, Galloway Stories, published by Tippermuir Books.

The event will take place Saturday, 4th July, at 12 noon in the Reading Room, Wigtown Festival Bookshop, 26 S Main St, Wigtown.

Free entrance, free tea, coffee and biscuits. The event will take about one hour, and Hugh’s book will be on sale.
Hugh McMillan is, quite simply, one of the finest poets living and working in Scotland today. A regular and popular draw at the Wigtown festival, he is in turns poignant, funny, informative and always entertaining. Hugh is passionate about history in general, and Galloway in particular, and in Curious Histories & Questionable Tales.

Hugh takes six Galloway stories and puts his own inimitable spin on them. And so, in his new collection, “the Galloway that was meets the Galloway that might have been meets the Galloway that never was.”

There'll be time for questions from the audience, but mostly there'll be time to sit back and enjoy one of our best in action.

28/05/2026

Please join us at our next free event: Saturday, 6th June, 12 noon – 1pm in the Wigtown Festival Office shop, South Main Street 26, Wigtown.

At this event we are happy to present our next local writer

ELAINE BARTON

Elaine Barton is Stranraer born and bred. She spent 35 years nursing before “retiring” in 2015 and immediately took up more jobs than she ever had before. She now chairs two local history groups, sings in two choirs and teaches adults how to jive, social dance and line dance, though not all at once. A science and history graduate with a Masters in Creative Writing, she’s also a former Open University Programme Tutor. She’s been married to Alan for over 40 years, and their son, Callum, lives safely in Aberdeen, out of volunteering range.
Although she hasn’t sought publication yet, Elaine is no stranger to an audience. She has appeared several times at the Wigtown Book Festival and the Stranraer Oyster Festival, speaking on local history and reading from her own work. Her writing blends memory, place, humour and lived experience, often with a Galloway flavour.
Elaine will be interviewed by our Committee-member Janet Derbyshire. There is time for questions from the audience. If possible in their agenda, we traditionaly will welcome again the actual ‘Open Book Sellers’.

Free entrance. Tea, coffee and biscuits avaiable.
Please spread the word!

21/04/2026

Our next Reading Room Event presents local writer:

HAZEL STEVENS
Saturday, 2nd May, 12 noon
in the Wigtown Festival Shop (No.26).

Hazel - and her husband Andrew - live halfway between Wigtown and Kirkcowan. She published recently the second part ‘Our Ike’ of a trilogy, set in Yorkshire in the 1950/60’s. On the photo below Hazel shows the first book (‘Our Ede’) of the series. Hazel also published two books for young children; ‘Poppy Is Lost In the Garden’’ and ‘Poppy Wants To Bake A Cake'. Several years she had events at the Wigtown book festival.
Hazel will have a chat about her books, experiences with publishing and the kind of things that influenced her to start writing in her younger years.

You are very welcome!

We thank the Wigtownbookfestival Company and the Wigtown Spring Book Weekend for their corporation what makes it possible to organize our event in the same weekend. More information about this Wigtown Spring Book Weekend: www.wigtownbookfestival.com

Address

Reading Room Events
Wigtown
DG89HN

Opening Hours

11:30am - 1pm

Telephone

+447368391669

Website

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