Thursday night in the square saw not one but two parties (is there such a thing as too much bubbly?) - the launch of the Scotland on Sunday's Headshook (Hachette) in the afore-mentioned number 5, and EIBF founder Jenny Brown's knees up for agents and publishers in the Party Pavilion. Headshook is a handsome anthology of commissioned pieces challenging some of the nation's finest writers to envisage Scotland's future, featuring the scribblings of a veritable dream team, including William McIlvanney, Liz Lochhead, Alasdair Gray and Kathleen Jamie, to name but 4 of 24. In his speech, Scotland on Sunday's deputy editor Kenny Farquharson told the tale of two scrawny 18 year olds rocking up to McIlvanney's house to borrow £50 to start a literary magazine. They were himself and Ali Smith, and, McIlvanney mused aloud, they still owe him the money...
Skipping over the road to give wonderful press officer Claudia some chat, I stuck my brass neck into the publishers' party. It was in full swing and bustling with many industry types shooting the breeze and eating smoked salmon. It was press pod fodder of lentils and stolen crisps for me thereafter (I think they were The Property of General Frances Sutton, press manager extraordinaire. I better watch my back...), as Claudia filled me in on all the day's details while waiting for the Culture Show crew to wrap for the evening. There was also time for the taking of a loving linger round the book shop. Too many wants, not enough funds, one can but dream of bending one's plastic till the heart's content and one's bank balance isnae...
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