https://www.facebook.com/503875616153125/

Reading Room Events

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

Home
United Kingdom
Wigtown
Reading Room Events

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

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

22/03/2026

John R.B. Atkinson introduces new work: "In Tooth and Claw"

Special guest for our next Reading Room Event is John R.B. Atkinson. He will be in conversation with Mark Vernon Thomas and reading from his new poetry collection, In Tooth and Claw, published in Wigtown by Second Sands Publishing.

The event will take place Saturday, 4th April, at 12 noon in the Reading Room (at the back of the WigtownFestival Bookshop, 26 S Main St, Wigtown.) Free entrance, free tea, coffee and biscuits. The event will take about one hour.

Now living in the Machars, John is a Yorkshireman from a family farming background. His upbringing instilled in him a deep knowledge, fascination and love of wildlife and nature. His new collection, In Tooth and Claw, is, in a way, a love letter to the natural world, both flora and fauna, with poems that are at turns dark, funny, beautiful and always well observed.

John will be in conversation with Mark, and there'll be time for questions from the audience, but mostly there'll be time to sit back and listen to one of our best observers of the animal kingdom, which of course, includes the human.

At the end of the event, more or less a tradition, we hope the actual Open Book Sellers are able to join us, introduce themselves and share some experiences with us.

08/03/2026

Favorite authors and books

The committee had announced the necessary change to our program for last Saturday in good time via email and Facebook. Nevertheless, a number of supporters missed our messages and came expecting to hear bookseller Ruth Anderson's story about “Life in a Bookshop.” (Ruth has now arranged her return trip via Tokyo and expects to be home again in mid-March).

As a replacement event, the committee invited supporters to bring books by their favourite authors and talk about them during World Book Day 2026 week. It was a small group of participants, but the stories were interesting. The photos are covers of books that were discussed. Thanks to the participants for their contributions!

The next (free) event is on Saturday, 4th April, at 12 noon, at the Festival Shop, South Main Street No. 26, Wigtown. Please make a note in your agenda if you want to join!

04/03/2026

Changing programme Reading Room Events coming Saturday

Countless travelers have been stranded due to the war in Iran. Ruth Anderson, owner of Well-Read Books and scheduled to speak at our March event this Saturday, is now waiting in Sydney, Australia, for a safe flight home. We wish her a quick and safe return!

Our program for Saturday has been changed into an inter-active event:

Do you have a favorite writer, preferably local or regional? Please bring a book by your idol. We would love to hear why you admire the author so much, and if you would like to read a short excerpt or poem, we would be happy to listen. Do you have several favorites? Make a choice and bring (up to) three with you, just incase we have time for it.
As is our tradition, this week's Open Book sellers—Jess and Nick from Geneva—have been asked to tell us a little about themselves and their experiences in the Open Book.

We hope to see you this Saturday, March 7, at 12 noon in the Festival Shop, South Main Street No. 26 in Wigtown!

On behalf of the Committee Reading Room Events,

Fred

08/02/2026

Classical bookbinder Christian Ribbens-event in Wigtown

This first Saturday of February our Reading Room guest was bookbinding expert Christian Ribbens. A popular item (and man!), so we needed all spare chairs available for the audience. Christian explained and showed some details of classical bookbinding after being introduced by committee member Rosie Littler-Davis. Christian had examples of old books and tools with him. After the talk the audience had lots of questions.

Last 10 minutes were for Claire, as Open Book Seller of this week. It's obvious she likes Wigtown. There was laughter after she told about only focussing on her cellphone for booking the slot for this week while a taxi brought her (and husband) to the hotel on Malta. So, as her husband told her afterwards, she missed all scary moments he lived through because of the way the taxidriver took his car along ravines and other dangerous places.

Our next event: Saturday, 7th March, 12 noon in the Festival Shop, South Mainstreet No.26 Wigtown. Announcement of our guest will follow soon by email and this page.

28/01/2026

We are happy to announce our next/February - free - event will be with local and wellknown bookbinder:

Christian Ribbens

The event will take place on Saturday 7th February,
starting at 12 midday at the Festival Shop, No 26 Main Street in Wigtown.

Christian trained at the Royal Central School of Speech and Drama and worked in theatre as Production Manager/ Head of Production -for many years at the Citizens Theatre in Glasgow.
30 years ago he started studying fine bookbinding and conservation part time at the Glasgow College of Building and Printing as an antidote to the frenetic world of theatre. He opened his professional bindery in 2005.

Christian will tell us about his profession and experiences and answers questions from the audience.

Free entree and free tea, coffee and biscuits
You are very welcome!

12/01/2026

Last Saturday Tim Cowen was interviewed by committee-member Janet Derbyshire about his book 'Banquet of the Beasts' including also his poetry and his experience with theater. Last ten minutes of the event there was Open Book-seller Katie from Kansas to tell how she - and her husband - ended up this week in Wigtown and their experiences. The event was well visited.

Next event will be planned as we are used to do: the first Saturday of the month. Please note in your agenda: Saturday 7th February, start 12.00 noon. Location: Festival Office Shop, 26th South Main Street, Wigtown.

28/12/2025

Announcement next Reading Room Event: Tim Cowan

We are happy to present local author Tim Cowen as our first event-guest in 2026. As you might know, our monthly events are free to join. Tim's event will be on Saturday 10th January. Start 12 Noon in Festival Shop 26 South Main Street, Wigtown.

Writer and performer Tim Cowan lives in Wigtown. He is a longstanding campaigner on environment and social justice, Tim's work often explores both the power of nature and the nature of political power.

His debut novel 'Banquet of the Beasts' is praised for being “a truly original story which mixes politics, fantasy and wonderful descriptions of the natural world.

Tim writes fiction and poetry, tells stories and has dipped his paws into the world of stand-up comedy. He is an active member of Wigtown's long established Unit 3 Poetry Group and currently he's working on a theatre piece (‘Badger Man’) that explores issues around animal rights, forced migrations and connections to the land. 'Badger Man' also examines the connections between the persecution of badgers and his own ancestor's history of fleeing persecution.

www.banquetofthebeasts.com

22/12/2025

Thank you!

We have now completed our first year of free book-related events and would like to thank YOU, our audience, for your support, and of course, our authors this year, in alphabetical order: John Atkinson, Janet Brennan-Inglis, Jane Fuller, Marion McGowan, Kriss Nichol (twice), Mark Thomas, Rebekah Weir and Janet Wilkinshaw.

Thanks also to the ‘Open Bookers’ who were able to join and tell about themselves and their experiences. Next thanks tot he Festival Company, offering us monthly space, support and knowledge. And last but not least thanks to Ailsa for creating our monthly posters fort he announcements of coming events.

We hope to see you all again in 2026.
Please notice: Our first event will be SECOND Saturday 10th January, 12 Noon, 26 South Mainstreet, Wigtown.

Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year to you all!

The Committee members,
Janet Derbyshire, Rosie Littler Davies, George Moor, Mark Thomas and Fred Kluit

Address

Reading Room Events
Wigtown
DG89HN

Opening Hours

11:30am - 1pm

Telephone

+447368391669

Website

facebook.com

Alerts

Be the first to know and let us send you an email when Reading Room Events posts news and promotions. Your email address will not be used for any other purpose, and you can unsubscribe at any time.

Contact The Business

Send a message to Reading Room Events:

Shortcuts

Address
Telephone
Opening Hours
Alerts
Contact The Business
Claim ownership or report listing

Want your business to be the top-listed Event Planning Service in Wigtown?