Exeter Heads to Edinburgh!
Delegates at the Cities of Literature Annual Conference in Edinburgh with Keira Brown, Community and Communications Manager, Edinburgh City of Literature (front left); Denise Bax, Head of UNESCO’s Communication, Cities and Events Unit, Culture Sector (front second left); and Hannah Trevarthen, Director Nottingham City of Literature & Creative Cities of Literature Network Lead (front centre).
Photo credit: Chris Scott
October marked the twenty-year anniversary of Edinburgh becoming the world’s first UNESCO City of Literature! The City celebrated by hosting the Cities of Literature Annual Conference from Monday 21st to Friday 25th October 2024 to reflect on the achievements of the past two decades in Edinburgh and across the global network.
The conference spanned five days, hosting 57 delegates from 37 cities. Exeter were represented at the conference by Jordan Thomas, Exeter City of Literature’s Communications Associate.
Much like a United Nations summit for bookish people, the conference was the chance to get to know our fellow Cities of Literature from across the globe, as we discussed the similarities and differences that make each of our lovely literary cities unique. Our central base for the week - The Scottish Storytelling Centre - was located on the middle of Edinburgh’s iconic royal mile.
Delegates were introduced to many of Edinburgh’s remarkable literary organisations and charities, as well as to the Gavin Wallace Fellow, Mary Paulson-Ellis, who shared the work she has been doing with writers from other Cities of Literature. We also visited Abbotsford, the historic home of Sir Walter Scott, before attending a Civic Reception hosted by Lord Provost of Edinburgh, Robert Aldridge.
During the reception, Edinburgh-based writer Mary Paulson-Ellis delivered a compelling keynote speech from a writer’s perspective, followed by a tribute from Hannah Trevarthen, Director Nottingham City of Literature, to former Edinburgh Director Ali Bowden. On the Thursday, UNESCO Creative Cities Secretariat’s Denise Bax joined the conference, and delegates visited the National Library of Scotland, where we toured the exhibitions.
Networking, receptions, and panels made up just some of the week long conference in Edinburgh.
Haggis was had, bagpipes were played, and we were treated to an opportunity to attend Scottish storytelling events as part of the Scottish International Storytelling Festival which was taking place at the same time as our visit.
Alongside the many literary locations we visited in Edinburgh, there was plenty of chances to speak with our fellow Cities of Literature and share project updates & news.
I was able to connect with cities that we had recently worked with on writing projects, such as Jakarta with Bridging Cities, Melbourne with Illustrating the Wor(l)d, and Lviv & Odesa for Ukrainian War Poetry.
Every City of Literature in attendance also brought a locally produced children’s book to be donated to Edinburgh Children’s Library. The donations offer a range of diverse and beautifully illustrated titles in the original language of each city.
We brought along locally written & published Bosun Bob The Salty Sea Dog! We recently spoke to the publishers Langrove Publishing about setting up an independent publishing house in Devon, read our interview here.
On the final day of the conference, an Academic Symposium was held. Edinburgh City of Literature Trustee James Loxley brought together academics connected with Cities of Literature to discuss past academic and cultural collaborations.
Exeter City of Literature was represented by the University of Exeter’s Professor Adam Watt, who shared the work we have done as part of Translating Cultures, and the ongoing relationships that were born out of the initial celebration of translation.
I came away from the week in Edinburgh with a better understanding of what it means to be part of a unique global network like the UNESCO Cities of Literature (and plenty of materials from the many city delegates I met!). Thank you to the Edinburgh team and all involved in welcoming all of us to the city for the week! Now we turn our attention to Ljubljana in Slovenia who will be hosting the conference in 2025. Until next time! 💫
“It was an honour and a privilege to mark our anniversary by hosting the Cities of Literature meeting. What a brilliant group of creative and passionate people that have built and sustained this global network, helping expand our small city of Edinburgh to the wonderfully diverse and expansive network, from Okayama, Kozhikode and Jakarta, to Lviv, Lillehammer and Leeuwarden. It gave us the opportunity to see why Edinburgh was designated twenty years ago, showcasing Edinburgh at its Finest”
