October marked the 20th anniversary of Edinburgh becoming the world’s first UNESCO City of Literature, and the city celebrated by hosting the Cities of Literature Annual Conference to mark the achievements of the past two decades and plan for what comes next for the network.
The conference spanned four-and-a-half days, hosting 57 delegates from 37 cities, including Edinburgh, across 15 official events. These events showcased Edinburgh at its finest, highlighting why it was the first UNESCO City of Literature. Delegates were introduced to many of Edinburgh’s remarkable literary organizations and nonprofits, 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. They 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, 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 they toured the exhibitions. Later, they proceeded to the Edinburgh Futures Institute, the new venue for the Edinburgh International Book Festival. There, the delegates participated in a Utopia Lab session with poet and Creative Projects Manager Jennifer Williams and met some of the Book Festival’s team.
The final day focused on University collaborations, with a visit to Napier University to meet professors and course leaders, followed by a presentation at the University of Edinburgh where academics and City of Literature colleagues shared collaborative projects. The conference concluded with an eclectic mix of poetry, translation, and music featuring Edinburgh Makar, Michael Pedersen, poet Hollie McNish, musician Conor O’Brien, and Bremen-based writer Sadaf Zahedi.
Delegates continued a tradition started when Iowa City hosted this meeting in 2018 by bringing children’s picture books from their cities to donate to a local library. In this case, books that included Counting Winter, a new picture book illustrated by Iowa City artist Claudia McGehee, were donated to Edinburgh Children’s Library.
“This meeting is always an excellent opportunity to reconnect with colleagues, meet new potential collaborators, and learn more about how other Cities of Literature are leveraging their designation to do great things,” said John Kenyon, Executive Director of the Iowa City UNESCO City of Literature. “Edinburgh is is a vibrant literary city, and it was eye-opening and instructive to see that thriving culture in action and meet the people who make things happen.”
