April E-Bulletin | Spring forward

Hi Democrat readers,

It’s April. The sun is high in the sky until well into the evening and it will only continue to get lighter as the days go on. Hooray! With sporadic days of warm sunshine, it certainly feels like summer is approaching – which means it won’t be long until we’re back at The Edinburgh Futures Institute, popping up our beloved tents and welcoming you into the courtyard of 2025’s Book Festival!

There’s lots to prepare before then though. So in the meantime, enjoy this month’s e-bulletin. Coming up:

a very special Save the Date for our Front List announcement
a reading list in honour of Earth Day
some job opportunities with our incredible Box Office and FOH teams
and, of course, an update on what’s happening behind the scenes at Festival HQ

Let’s go!

Coming (very) soon:
The Front List 2025 announcement

Behind the scenes, our fantastic Programming team have been hard at work curating over 600 events for our 2025 Festival. Now the time has (almost) come for us to share a part of that programme: our line-up for The Front List. Taking place in the McEwan Hall, The Front List brings you the familiar, funny, and perhaps fresh, faces from across the worlds of literature, media and culture – all with captivating stories to share.

Who exactly will be revealed on Wednesday 30 April? Keep your eyes peeled on our socials, and your inbox!

Reading list: Every day is Earth Day

Tuesday 22 April is World Earth Day – a global event which highlights the importance of protecting the environment, and celebrates the wonder of nature and our planet. This month our Brand and Audiences team have recommended some books that explore the beauty of nature and how we can protect the Earth.

Weathering: Earth Wisdom for Hopeful Living by Ruth Allen

Weathering explores the unique world of geotherapy, bringing us into a closer relationship not just with the natural landscape, but with ourselves. Psychotherapist and geologist Ruth Allen takes us on a journey through deep time and ancient landscapes, showing how geology can offer us a deeper understanding of not only the ground beneath our feet, but also ourselves and the world in which we live.

Orbital by Samantha Harvey

In Samantha Harvey’s Booker Prize-winning Orbital, the phrase ‘distance makes the heart grow fonder’ proves true when six astronauts gaze down on Earth, reflecting on home as they circle high above it. This tender novel is a finely crafted love letter to the Earth and all of us who reside on it, meditating on hope, beauty, the ordinary, and the spectacular, from a unique perspective up on high.

Surfacing by Kathleen Jamie

What better way to celebrate Earth Day than with a collection of essays that visit archaeological sites! Through excavating her own personal memories, Kathleen Jamie considers time at both a millennia-spanning scale and in the microcosm of a single person’s life. With nature always as her guide, Jamie considers what can be surfaced from the past and ourselves, to help approach the future.

Climate Action by Georgina Stevens

This one is for the kids. Climate Action by author and climate campaigner Georgina Stevens explores the wonder of nature and how we can protect our planet. This book describes the issues of climate change: from the major causes (like farting and fast fashion!) to its impact on the world around us. The perfect read for any 6-9 year old looking to save the world!

Job opportunities at the Book Festival

Looking to line up a summer job? You’re in luck! We’re recruiting for our Front of House and Box Office teams, so if you think you could be a fantastically friendly face and represent the Festival to the public, we’d love to hear from you.

Check out what opportunities are live now below.

Front of House Assistant
↪️ Full time, temporary contract: Wednesday 6 August – Sunday 24 August 2025. £12.60 per hour + holiday pay.
⏰Deadline: Sunday 11 May, 23:59

Front of House Supervisor
↪️ Full time, temporary contract: Monday 4 August – Monday 25 August 2025. £14.30 per hour + holiday pay.
⏰Deadline: Sunday 11 May, 23:59

Last chance to apply for our Box Office Assistant position:
↪️ Full time, fixed-term contract from Wednesday 6 August — Sunday 24 August 2025, £12.60 per hour + holiday pay.
⏰ Deadline: Sunday 27 April, 23:59

Make sure to keep an eye on our jobs webpage as more roles are launching very soon, including Author Hospitality Assistants for the Festival period.

Find out more and apply here

Behind the scenes at the Festival

What’s going on in (and out of) the office this month:

🗓️ We’re getting the Festival brochure ready
First comes dates, times and venues. Second comes matching hundreds of speakers, chairs, performers and participants. Third comes the writing of tens of thousands of words outlining and describing the Festival programme. And now comes the production of one handy (and weighty) brochure, ready for you to browse in a couple of months’ time.

🏫 Our 2025 Schools Programme launch!
The launch of our Schools Programme is the first reveal of each year, and if you are a teacher, school librarian, or other form of educator, you could be the first in the know!Join us at Holyrood High School on Wednesday 23 April for our 2025 Schools Programme launch, where you can discover what’s on offer this year and how you can bring your class and pupils along for a wonderful day of learning.

Book for the Schools Programme launch

And that’s all for now!

Keep up with all the latest from the Book Festival on our social media channels (@edbookfest) and look out for the upcoming Long Read later this month. Remember you can still enjoy a host of on-demand events from the Festival online and we’ll be back with our next e-bulletin next month. See you then!

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