A best-selling Scottish author and a successful pair of graphic novelists have already been booked in to visit Forth Valley College during Book Week Scotland 2023 from 13-19 November.
At the Falkirk Campus on Wednesday 15 November Metaphrog - Sandra Marrs and John Chalmers, best known for making the Louis series of comics - will be running a creative graphic novel workshop from 12noon-1pm, in the Antonine suite. Award winning Scottish Crime writer Doug Johnstone will be giving a talk - and perhaps some readings from his latest book: The Opposite of Lonely - at the Alloa Campus on Thursday 16 November from 2pm-3pm in Learning Resource Centre. Sandra and John will also return to FVC’s Stirling Campus Kildean Suite on Friday 17 November between 11am-12noon, for another creative workshop.
To book a place to attend these events pop into the Learning Resource Centre at your nearest campus or follow the links below to Eventbrite: -
Metaphrog - Wednesday 15 November, Falkirk Campus here
Doug Johnstone – Thursday 16 November, Alloa Campus (internal) here (external) here
Metaphrog – Friday 17 November, Stirling Campus here
Metaphrog – Sandra Marrs is originally from France, where she studied Arts and Letters. John Chalmers is from the west of Scotland and has a scientific background with a PhD in Electronic and Electrical Engineering in Micromachining. Together they live in Glasgow. In general, Marrs draws the comics while Chalmers writes the scripts. They started their first comic together, Strange Weather Lately, in 1995. Their work has been exhibited at The British Library, The London Print Studio, The Lakes International Comic Art Festival, The National Library of Scotland, Scotland House in Brussels and Dundee University. The duo travel extensively across the country to promote the medium of comics, visiting schools, libraries, museums, festivals, sharing their experience of making comics. They have given talks at Gordonstoun school, Glasgow School of Art, and visited international schoosl in Europe.
Doug Johnstone (53) is a Scottish crime writer based in Edinburgh. He is a prolific writer in his genre and his 2015 book The Jump (published by Faber & Faber) was shortlisted for the McIlvanney Prize for Best Scottish Crime Novel. He has also published two novels with Penguin, Tombstoning (2006) and The Ossians (2008), which received praise from Irvine Welsh, Ian Rankin and Christopher Brookmyre. The Scotsman described him as "a master of the page-turning, heart-gripping, plot-driven tale."
Johnstone is a Royal Literary Fund Consultant Fellow and he was Royal Literary Fund Fellow at Edinburgh's Queen Margaret University from 2014–2016. He was a writer in residence at the University of Strathclyde from 2010-2012 and before that worked as a lecturer in creative writing. He has had several short stories appear in various publications, and since 1999 has worked as a freelance arts journalist, primarily covering music and literature. He is a singer, musician and songwriter in several bands, including Northern Alliance and the Fun Lovin’ Crime Writers.
Chris Duff, FVC’s Learning Resource Assistant, said: “Book Week Scotland is an annual celebration of all things book and reading related, and each year LRC staff ensure that FVC is a part of this literary celebration. This year the Learning Services Team are thrilled to be hosting Doug Johnstone at our Alloa Campus and Metaphrog at our Falkirk and Stirling Campuses.
“Students and staff at Forth Valley College always help to make these Book Week Scotland events a huge success through attendance and participation. I am sure both events this year will be hugely popular, so make sure to book early. We look forward to seeing you all there.”