The Edinburgh International Book Festival believes that everyone has a story to tell and that stories help us make sense of our world. Here at Ecas, we couldn’t agree more!
In August 2025, the Book Festival invited the Ecas Reading and Creative Writing Group to perform their own work.
Alongside a handful of other organisations, Ecas was part of a Book Festival project to challenge local writers and poets to respond to the 2025 Festival theme. Each group then performed their work in Together We Repair – ‘a patchwork of ideas on how to make the world a better place.’
In response to the theme, our writers created, then performed a range of poetry and prose.
On the night, John Mackay, our Ecas Reading and Creative Writing Group Leader, introduced each writer and their work.
The group’s first public performance
Our writers, Angela, Barbara, David, Julia, and Lee-Ann are all regulars at the weekly Ecas Reading and Creative Writing group. Between them, they create a wonderfully diverse range of poetry and prose.
Ecas writers enjoy sharing their work within the group, and occasionally via video, but this was their first public performance!
“I feel quite humble to be asked to participate in this. I hope it goes well, and that I will not disgrace Ecas! We are so glad to be able to read at the event.” Barbara
“I’m really looking forward to reading my poetry as part of the Edinburgh Book Festival!” David
“It’s wonderful to be part of the Book Festival – I really love books and have enjoyed reading all my life.” Julia
“It’s great that we have been invited to read at the Edinburgh Book Festival. I’m a wee bit nervous about speaking in front of a big crowd of people and I get my words muddled up sometimes but I say to myself, I will be fine reading my story about ‘Together We Repair’.” Lee-Ann
“This event helps to promote Ecas in a good light. I am happy and a bit nervous to be part of that. It will be a great chance for lots of other people to hear my writing.” Angela
A fantastic response
As you can see from the video, the event was a huge success with a true sense of celebration, a good few laughs, and a fantastic response to each reader’s performance.
The Book Festival Programme
Thanks to our friends at Aegon UK, we were also able to produce and print a full programme for the event, which features the writers’ biographies and transcripts of their writing.
A HUGE thank you to the Edinburgh International Book Festival for inviting our Ecas writers.
A HUGE thank you to everyone who came along on the night.
And most of all, THANK YOU to our fantastic writers Angela, Barbara, David, Julia and Lee-Ann and John our Ecas Reading and Creative Group Leader.
