2012: A year in photos (part 5)

The West Port book Festival started as a free parallel to the Edinburgh International Book Festival, and in its first two years it ran over a long weekend in august. Since then it's moved around the year, in 2012 falling in November. But first, to Edinburgh Books for the programme launch!

A new line of pamphlets has appeared under the banner of Stewed Rhubarb. First three poets launched at the Jazz Bar, with more to follow...

Another Society of Young Publishers event, this time in Summerhall for a discussion on internships.

Every year the Scottish Book Trust compiles a sort of crowdsourced collection of stories. This year it was My Favourite Place, 100,000 copies of which were also going to be distributed free as part of Book Week Scotland.

And another Dr Sketchy's, on a pirate theme.

I rarely agree to weddings because I can't be doing with the stream of cliched images that many couples expect. Occasionally people ask me to do what I do at their wedding. If all weddings were like this one I'd happily do them all the time.

The second instalment of Rally & Broad was, thankfully, just as good as the first.

Called in to Scottish Book Trust HQ for a secret project, I discovered that they had commissioned the (still-anonymous) paper sculptor to produce five new pieces for Book Week Scotland.

There was Lanark:

Tam O'Shanter:

Whiskey Galore:

Peter Pan:

And Treasure Island:

Then it was time for West Port itself. Which included...

A special Rally & Broad at the Cuckoo's Nest:

Wayne Price & Liam Murray Bell at Edinburgh Books:

Keith Ridgway & Nick Holdstock at Pulp Fiction:

An Atmosphere screening of The Pillow Book at Inspace, featuring sake cocktails and some live flesh calligraphy:

Vicki Jarrett presenting Saturday night, Sunday morning, perhaps the first ever book reading in a chip shop:

Kirsty Logan and Elaine Di Rolllo at Lovecrumbs:

And Wince! at Armchair Books:

The #giftED tour finally came home, finishing its run in the Scottish Poetry Library. The sculptures had been back to their mother for some tweaks and were looking particularly lovely together.

At Inspace for some unique film and music with KinoKlub presents Cinemechanique

The launch of a new collection of science fiction-themed poetry at Blackwell's, When Rockets Burn Through

The Anobii First Book Award had been announced but there was a further event to celebrate the award and the winners at Summerhall.

And then as the #giftED tour was about to close, a new sculpture was unveiled!

Once more to Illicit Ink for 20,000 Words Under the Sea

Lush Edinburgh have spent years trapped in a tiny shop on Princes Street. Now they have a far larger shop with a spa in the basement, which was a great excuse for a party.

A fascinating event at Inspace called Into Deep Space: an exploration of exoplanets featuring apple pies, primordial soup (nom!) and more cocktails.

I rarely go to PechaKucha because it's so variable and, being mostly people pointing at slides, isn't terribly photogenic. But this one sounded interesting.

Another Salon Venn, with an Absinthe theme!

Then it was Christmastime and the city was full of light and noise.

I went into town to investigate and play, but also to provide technical support while my flatmate made a quirky video for his Christmas song:

The National Library of Scotland do events, it turns out. I hadn't been to any before but they were keen to get some nice coverage of Neil Oliver opening their new exhibition of maps.

And there was a big party at the Hub which I got summoned to...

Another Rally & Broad, still keeping the bar up.

Then away to the Wirral for Christmas. Which was, as Christmas should be, equally fun and harrowing.

So the world didn't end but the year did. And henceforth I shall try to do this sort of summary monthly...

2012: A year in photos (part 4)

The Festival is over but the world goes on!

A unique performance piece at Inspace, Glitching was a set of dances inspired by the glitches in 3D animations.

Dr Sketchy's again, Indian Summer gave us some lovely dancing.

I ended up knowing quite a few people who were working at Jupiter Artland so I thought it was about time I went to have a look. And found myself at their closing party to boot.

Bloody Scotland brought some of Scotland's best-loved crime writers together in Stirling for Scotland's first International Crime Writing Festival.

After many months of planning and a remarkable social media campaign, Brew Lab finally opened to the public. Which has generally been a popular and successful thing.

The Society of Young Publishers had another interesting event, in Glasgow this time. A joint presentation with Graphic Scotland discussing whether comics need publishers.

Vicki Jarrett's debut novel, Nothing is Heavy, launched in Wash to a packed house.

The Stitch Lounge returned to Inspace, this time focusing on menswear. They made me make things.

What better theme for a housewarming party than Joss Whedon characters?

Back to Inspace again for the launch of an Indiegogo campaign to crowdfund a film about Buffalo Bill in Scotland.

Illicit Ink once more, a ghoulish theme with Write Geist.

And to Inspace again for more Electric bookshop.

Gorilla Perfume, the fragrance arm of Lush, were launching their new range from a touring bus. With music and poetry included!

And as part of the tour they were hosting the Golden Hour in venues around the country. In Edinburgh this was held in Inspace - yes, sometimes I feel like I live there.

Part of Inspace's ongoing Atmosphere series and also an excuse for a James Bond themed birthday party: Diamonds are Forever, with cocktails, gin jellies, roulette and cake.

Continuing the Bond theme, Dr Sketchy's held On Her Majesty's Secret Sketchy's.

Back to Inspace, their Dialogues series feature unusual new musics.

A new monthly event, Rally & Broad brings spoken word and music together with anything else that comes by. This totally justifies it being described as cabaret.

One more Future Shorts, preceded by a performance by Tony Thrills.

For once seen without her hubby in tow, Amanda Palmer filled Glasgow's Queen Margaret Union and rocked the house.

It's become a tradition to carve faces in a variety of fruit and veg at Halloween, this year was no exception (and featured the first onion).

People covered in body paint roaming the streets rather than swarming over Calton Hill? Ah, Samhuinn...

A combination of very late wedding party and anniversary at Howie's.

Back to Inspace again for Remediating the Social.

And an Edwardian tea party to help raise funds for Charlotte Productions' Twelfth Night 1812

One more to go...