The Paisley Book Festival is going online for 2021 with a digital programme of events – and it begins on Thursday 18 February!

Reading and writing have been a great source of comfort for so many during lockdown – and the 10-day celebration will see a host of fantastic events for people of all ages and fans of all genres.

Paisley Book Festival has become a significant part of Scotland’s rich cultural landscape and this year’s excellent line-up of writers taking part, including the 2020 Booker Prize Winner, Douglas Stuart, confirms its place as a favourite for both authors and audiences.

You can enjoy events from writers from across the UK and further afield from the comfort of your own home between Thursday 18 – Saturday 27 February.

Shows and events will be streamed via the Paisley Book Festival YouTube channel – subscribe to the channel to be notified every time an event goes live.

Ahead of the festival, we take a look at seven events you definitely don’t want to miss

Opening Event: Radical New Futures 

• Thursday 18 February – 7pm – Free
• Watch: https://youtu.be/B1q7FwhtGVQ

Join in the launch of this year’s festival and get a taste of what’s in store over the next ten days. On the bill is poet, playwright and performer Hannah Lavery, whose recent works include The Drift and Lament for Sheku Bayoh, and writer Laura Waddell, whose recent book, Exit, is a wide-ranging exploration of exit signs and what might be on the other side. Renfrewshire local Alan Bissett will also discuss his new novella, Lazy Susan, which explores many possible futures for a young social media influencer on the party scene.

Scottish Masculinities with Douglas Stuart, Andrew O’Hagan and Graeme Armstrong 

• Saturday 20 February – 8pm – Free
• Watch: https://youtu.be/LbyvD-HQJmM

Join Kirstin Innes as she chats to three Scottish novelists who have shone a light on the complexities of masculine identity, offering parallel lives from Lanarkshire, Ayrshire and Glasgow. Andrew O’Hagan’s Mayflies made headlines last year for its sensitive and honest portrayal of male friendship, whilst Graeme Armstrong’s The Young Team draws on its author’s own experience coming of age amidst gang culture and sectarian violence. Douglas Stuart’s Booker-winning Shuggie Bain won hearts with its portrayal of young Shuggie and his mother Agnes, struggling to get by in the schemes and coming to terms with his sexual identity.

The Writer-in-Residence presents

• Sunday 21 February – 5pm – Free
• More info: https://paisleybookfest.com/events/1173606763/

This event celebrates the community outreach work that Imogen Stirling has facilitated through her role as Paisley Book Festival’s first Writer-in-Residence over the past few months. Join her as she welcomes some of Paisley’s finest to share the work they have created together during her residency. Imogen will also be revealing an inspiring new product, which reflects the collective input of the residency workshop participants and represents the radical spirit of the Paisley community.

Writing Dystopias: Adam Roberts in conversation with Katie Hale

• Monday 22 February – 7pm – Free
• Watch: https://youtu.be/V-gGlp3wOY0

We welcome two writers who look to the dark side of the future, and ask what reason there is to still be hopeful. Adam Roberts, best known for his fantasy and science fiction, introduces It’s the End of the World: But what are we really afraid of?, as he explores the psychology behind our obsession with the apocalypse. Chaired and led by fellow dystopian writer Katie Hale, whose debut novel My Name is Monster – inspired by Robinson Crusoe and Frankenstein – imagines a post-Sickness world where one person believes they are the only one left.

Radical Voices with Tannahill Arts and Heritage

• Thursday 25 February – 1pm – Free
• More info: https://paisleybookfest.com/events/1173606778/

Tannahill Arts and Heritage brings world-class artists to Paisley, including the finest homegrown talent. In this unique collaboration with Paisley Book Festival, poetry old and new will be brought to life in new music composed and performed by Paisley’s own composer Alan Fleming-Baird, soprano Stephanie Strachan, and pianist Toni James. By bringing music and words together, these artists fuel the imagination and explore themes of poverty, love, our relationship with the natural world and the human condition. Enjoy an intimate, expressive, musical meditation that steps back in time in order to look to the future.

Janey Godley: Frank Get The Door

• Friday 26 February – 9pm – Free
• Watch: https://youtu.be/w8Yxe5p71iM

Janey Godley is a multi-award-winning comedienne, playwright, blogger, author and journalist from Glasgow, who has performed her comedy shows and one-woman play around the world. Last year she was described as a ‘national treasure’ for her hilarious voice over videos of the First Minister, which brought much needed light relief to the Scottish public during the pandemic. In this special event, Janey chats with Jenny Niven about how Frank Get The Door made it into print, as well as some further writing projects she’s got in the pipeline.

Festival Finale: The Bookshop Band

• Saturday 27 February – 8pm – Free
• Watch: https://youtu.be/3_jkDN6l6Ws

Celebrate the end of Paisley Book Festival 2021 with a special performance curated on the theme of Radical New Futures from The Bookshop Band. This offspring of an artistic love-affair between a duo of English folk singer-songwriters and a multi-award winning independent bookshop, Mr B’s Emporium of Reading Delights in Wigtown, Scotland. They write and perform songs inspired by books – and have released 13 studio albums featuring many of the authors they have worked with. Join in and raise a toast to the rest of 2021 (and beyond), and the bookish delights it will bring!

Between 15 February – 26 March 2021, Paisley Book Festival will also feature a schools programme with a series of videos created by some of the UK’s most talented children and YA authors. Take a closer look at these videos here.

Remember to check out the full programme for Paisley Book Festival 2021 here.

Enjoy fantastic music, film, visual arts, creative workshops and masterclasses this spring with the Out of Place online arts programme, brought to you by Paisley Arts Centre and Renfrewshire Leisure.

Music fans can tune into the Ren TV online channel to hear artists and bands perform in the Stuck In The House Sessions. During February and in conjunction with the Sofar Sounds Glasgow online artists community, performers will include Ghanian-born songwriter and guitarist, Nathan Somevi and Paisley-based singer-songwriter and multi-instrumentalist, Becca Starr, with other artists to be confirmed.

The Scottish Alternative Music Awards (SAMA) move their annual Paisley Takeover at Paisley Arts Centre to an online virtual music experience. This year’s programme includes four performances from Scottish artists that were filmed at home and will be broadcast on Ren TV each Thursday, during March, at 8pm.

There are two premieres planned for February 24 and March 3 featuring Laura Fisher and Sonia Kilmann. By visiting Ren TV listeners can hear Going In-Going Out – an audio performance and shared dance event for people to take part in while in their own homes. During the performance they will be gently guided through movement and relaxation.

A companion broadcast is called Going Out-Going In, which is an audio performance designed to be listened to through headphones, which takes the listener on a journey through their local area to a music soundtrack.

Alongside the digital programme, an outdoor visual arts project – Talk of the Town – will feature on a billboard outside the main entrance to Paisley’s Gilmour Street Station with three specially commissioned pieces of writing from Renfrewshire-based artists on display between February 22 to April 6.

The first piece is Roddy Scott’s Sma’ Shot Reel; the second is from David Rae, whose words draw on the romance of meeting and parting at the station and the third in the series is from Kick The Door Theatre t whose piece asks – with that all behind us, what next?

Following the success of Ren TV’s Reeling Through The Years series of local films last year, the popular series of films featuring a selection of archive footage about local characters, history and culture will return.

It’s the first time this latest selection of films, from Paul Russell, Alex Cathcart and members of the Renfrewshire Camcorder Club, will be seen in digital format.

While Paisley Arts Centre remains closed, Renfrewshire Leisure’s Arts team will be delivering a series of free online creative learning workshops with something for everyone from storytelling for under-5s to dancing for the over-60s.

The team has produced an online programme of free masterclasses to encourage artistic and creative excellence among Renfrewshire-based artists and will be delivered by artists such as outstanding musician Rachel Sermanni and award winning filmmaker Kenny Glenaan

Musician Rachel Sermanni

The Creative learning workshops and masterclasses are supported by Creative Scotland’s Performing Arts Venue Relief Fund, supporting artists to continue to make work and reach audiences during the Covid pandemic.

See the full Out of Place programme and how to get involved here.

The Out of Place events are made possible with the support of Future Paisley. Future Paisley is the radical and wide-ranging programme of events, activity and investment using the town’s unique and internationally-significant cultural stories to transform its future.

The Paisley Book Festival will return in 2021 with a fantastic digital programme of events to enjoy from Thursday 18 – Saturday 27 February.

In 1880, Benjamin Disraeli famously said “Keep your eye on Paisley!” Paisley has a long history of radicalism, of finding strength in facing up to and overcoming adversity in whatever shape or form it might take.

The theme for the 2021 Paisley Book Festival, Radical New Futures, emerged from the Covid-19 pandemic and the resilience and fortitude that people and communities have shown. It has also been motivated by the importance that green spaces have played as solace and recuperation over the last year.

Books and reading have been a great source of comfort for so many people during lockdown, evidenced by increased borrowing figures at Renfrewshire Libraries.

The Paisley Book Festival 2021 will welcome the 2020 Booker Prize winner, Douglas Stuart, who will be joined by two other Scottish literary giants, Andrew O’Hagan and Graeme Armstrong.

Other headline events will include Janey Godley, Melanie Reid, Chris Brookmyre and Dr. Marisa Haetzman, writer for Small Axe series Courttia Newland, Salena Godden, Jenny Kleeman, Kirstin Innes, and Kate Charlesworth in conversation with Val McDermid.

Events for children will include Ross Mackenzie, Vivian French, Patience Agbabi, Karine Polwart and Kate Leiper.

Setting the tone for the Festival on its opening night – Radical New Futures – will be poet, playwright and performer Hannah Lavery (The Drift and Lament for Sheku Boyah), writer Laura Waddell (Exit) and Renfrewshire local Alan Bissett with his new novella Lazy Suzan. The opening night will also include Newtopia: Women with Fierce Words, a multimedia performance of writing emerging from women’s disrupted lives as a result of the Covid-19 pandemic, presented by Women With Fierce Words and joined from India by the award-winning poet, Saima Afreen.

Paisley Book Festival welcomes novelist, poet, performer, Kirsty Logan and author and singer-songwriter Malachy Tallack as guest curators. Kirsty has curated a strand Understories: Reclaiming the stories we think we know with authors Intan Paramaditha, Sarah Maria Griffin, Kiran Millwood Hargrave, Rebecca Tamas, Michael Lee Richardson and Tasha Suri. Malachy welcomes authors Alastair McIntosh, Kapka Kassabova, Patrick Laurie, Cal Flyn and Lisa Wollett to the festival as part of an event strand called A Place for Hope: land, loss and the politics of care.

See the full programme at: paisleybookfestival.com

The Festival also welcomes Glasgow-based writer, musician, and educator, Imogen Stirling, as its first Writer-in-Residence. This residency will see her hosting online workshops with Renfrewshire community groups in January and February 2021, and writing her own response to this year’s festival theme, Radical New Futures. Imogen will curate and host three festival events which include Imogen’s Big Night In with Dean Atta, Iona Lee and Emme Woods and Radicalism in Stillness with her  in conversation with Sarah Grant

In addition, the Festival will host a schools and learning programme, #YoungFutures, by releasing a series of original videos, created by some of the UK’s most talented children and young adult authors. It will encourage schools across Paisley and Renfrewshire to watch these videos either at home or in their classrooms and engage with the authors’ ideas about what a radical future looks like to them.

The 2021 Paisley Book Festival programme has something for everyone and it looks forward to welcoming you to its digital stage.

The Paisley Book Festival is supported by Future Paisley, a programme of economic, social, and physical regeneration continuing the excitement and momentum experienced during the town’s UK City of Culture 2021 Bid. It is delivered by Renfrewshire Leisure and funded by Renfrewshire Council. 

It wouldn’t be Christmas with the family without a bit of decorating, wrapping presents and some arts and crafts.

While we’re all putting up our Christmas trees and lighting up our houses, there are plenty of fantastic budget-friendly ways to get creative and let your imagination run wild.

We’d love to see all of your spectacular Christmas lights – and you can share pictures of your Christmas tree, lights and stunning household decorations with via our Facebook and Twitter channels, or by using #LightUpRenfrewshire on social media.

So, while we’re all being urged to stay safe at home, here are some ideas for how you can get crafty this Christmas.

Decorations and crafts

Make your own Christmas cards

If you want to add a personal touch when sending someone a Christmas card this year, then why not try your hand at making one yourself?

Whether you fancy creating a pop-out Christmas tree, a smiling Santa or even a shiny snowman, these ideas will make sending a card to your loved ones even more special this Christmas.

See more great Christmas decorations and craft ideas on Pinterest here.

Christmas may feel a little bit different this year, but there are plenty ways to enjoy lots of festive fun with the family from the comfort of your own home.

Here are some fantastic ideas to make Christmas feel extra special this year:

Decorate your house

This is the perfect excuse to go all out by transforming your home into a real-life winter wonderland.

From magnificent wreaths and lights to stunning DIY tips, find out some great ways to turn your living room into your very own Santa’s grotto.

You can find loads of inspiration and ideas here.

Try something new in the kitchen

Why not try something different with this year’s Christmas dinner plans with a brand new recipe?

Indulge yourself with some sweet treats, including “unbelievably easy” mince pies, Christmas rocky road, Black Forest trifle or “next level” yule log.

Or if you prefer something savoury, try roast parmesan parsnips and roast potatoes or sage and onion Yorkshire puddings.

For more ideas and recipes click here.

Dance away to a Christmas playlist

You’ll be rocking around the Christmas tree with some of these classic songs. Click the playlist below:

Have a Christmas movie marathon

It’s the big question – is Die Hard really a Christmas film?

Enjoy a Christmas movie marathon with some of these family-friendly picks:

• Elf
• It’s a Wonderful Life
• The Grinch
• Home Alone
• The Muppets Christmas Carol
• Love Actually
• The Nightmare Before Christmas
• Die Hard
• The Snowman
• National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation
• The Polar Express

Plus, you’ll find loads more movie-marathon ideas here.

Christmas stories

Round up the family and throw on your best festive jumpers to enjoy some heart-warming stories to feel the true magic of Christmas.

Take a look at some fantastic Christmas books online from the Renfrewshire Libraries service, as well as some online fun with kids favourite BookBug.

Renfrewshire Libraries – Christmas Books

BookBug online sessions

Hopefully these tips will help make sure you have a cracker of a Christmas!

As the weather changes and the nights draw in it’s a great opportunity to dedicate some time to adopt new self-care rituals to see you through the winter months.

Yoga classes and meditation

Help keep yourself grounded and calm by trying some online yoga or relaxation classes. It’s a great way to start your day off or wind down to ensure you get a fantastic night’s sleep.

Renfrewshire Leisure Yoga with Mags

Renfrewshire Leisure – freestyle fitness yoga

Guided Meditation

Pamper yourself

Creating your own little spa treatments in the comfort of your own home is a great way to unwind and look after yourself this season.

Renfrewshire Leisure’s EVE Spa has created this short, easy to follow video on how you can create a spa experience at home with their homemade lemon hand scrub. All you need is olive or coconut oil, sugar, honey, and freshly squeezed lemon juice.

There are loads of ways to create luxury spa experiences at home without breaking the bank. Here are some more ideas.

Make your home cosy

Creating a cosy winter atmosphere in your home is all about mood lighting and layering; cosy corners and sofa dens. It’s getting snuggled up under blankets and warming your toes with some cosy fluffy slippers.

Here are some top tips on how to create your own little Hygge home haven:

Low level lighting and candles

Lighting levels are key to creating a cosy atmosphere. Opt for muted lamp lighting instead of bright overhead lights. Candle lit spaces are a great way to transform the feel of your rooms so why not light your favourite scented candle or fake it with some LED alternatives to help create the perfect relaxing space.

A little bit of texture

You don’t need to break the bank to create that cosy feeling in your living spaces – you probably already have everything you need already.

The key to a achieving that in-house sanctuary is texture. Look out your chunkiest blankets to drape over sofas and armchairs and play about with throw pillows to create inviting spaces to relax.

Autumn blooms

Here at Paisley.is we love the beautiful autumn colours and don’t think you need a special occasion to bring some flowers into your home. So why not bring a little bit of the outdoors indoors with some lovely autumn blooms?

There are some fantastic floral arrangements available at florists throughout Renfrewshire. Here are just a few.

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If you fancy getting out and about in your local area you could even keep an eye our for some of those lovely autumn colours and do a little floral foraging.

Take up a new hobby

With the colder weather setting and everyone spending more time indoors it’s the perfect time to take up a new hobby.

Sewing

If you fancy getting crafty then ReMode has some great resources to help you on your way. From ‘how to’ videos and mending workshops to Zoom sewing sessions there are plenty of activities for you to try. Find them here.

There are also lots of online tutorials to help you learn a new skill. Whether you would like to learn to knit, patchwork quilt or draw there are plenty of activities to choose from.

Knitting

Drawing

Curl up with a good book

Moody autumn evenings are a great time to settle down and enjoy a good book. Whether you have a host of unread titles in your home or are looking for some online inspiration here are some ways to disappear into the pages of a book this autumn season.

Join an online bookclub

Renfrewshire Leisure is part of the Big Library Read which connects readers around the world with the same book at the same time and encourages you to join the book discussion or share your thoughts on social using #biglibraryread.

You can checkout the books online or listen to the audiobook if you’d prefer.

You can find out more information about the Big Library Read here.

Digital library

Renfrewshire Leisure Libraries have also made a large number of their titles available via Ebook and audiobook for members to access.

Explore the new collection for autumn/winter 2020 here.

If you’re not yet a member you can also join online as well.

Head to Paisley for your Christmas shopping this year and you could win big, thanks to Paisley First’s Golden Ticket competition.

Launching on Saturday 31 October, there will be not one, not two, but fourteen prizes worth £250 up for grabs, which you can get your hands on simply by spending local.

You’ll receive a Golden Ticket with every purchase made in Paisley Town Centre. From there simply post your Golden Ticket into the golden post boxes stationed in the Piazza and the Paisley Centre for your chance to win!

Paisley has a fabulous mix of shops, food venues, beauty salons and hairdressers to choose from right across the town centre.

And around 65p from every pound spent locally, stays local – so by picking up that coffee, going for lunch or buying that gift, you can do your bit to support the local community and its businesses.

Golden Ticket draws will take place early December, so start spending local now for your chance to win, just in time for Christmas.

If you fancy getting into the spooky spirit of things this Halloween by making some tasty treats then here are some fantastically fun recipes to try at home.

While families and children are being urged to avoid guising this year, here are just some ideas for how you can get creative in the kitchen with the kids this Halloween:

Toffee apples

Try your hand at this Halloween classic:

Halloween biscuits

Whether you want to make your Halloween biscuits from scratch or just find some ideas for decorating some shop bought alternatives there’s loads of ways you can get creative.

Read more: https://www.bbc.co.uk/food/recipes/scary_halloween_cookies_86970

Halloween fruit salad

If you’re trying to make sure the kids eat at least one healthy thing this Halloween there are loads of great ideas for how to spook-up your fruit bowl favourites.

Mummy Dogs

These pizza dough-wrapped ‘mummy dogs’ make for a Spooktacular Halloween snack.

Pumpkin soup

If you’re looking for some ideas on what you can do with your leftover pumpkins a delicious autumnal pumpkin soup is a great choice.

Halloween Pizza Bites

Make your home Halloween celebrations that little bit more spooky and special with these freaky pizza bites.