Something Wicked This Way Comes: Witch trials in Scotland with CJ Cooke and Kate Foster

Witch Trials, a favourite topic from last year, returns to this year's festival with a Scotland-focused panel. CJ Cooke and Kate Foster join Ancient Historian and author Dr Jean Menzies to talk about their new books, The Book of Witching and The King's Witches, the witch mania that gripped 16th Century Scotland and the themes of female camaraderie and strength prominent both books.

C.J. Cooke is an acclaimed, award-winning poet, novelist and academic with numerous other publications written under the name of Carolyn Jess-Cooke. Her work has been published in twenty-three languages to date. Born in Belfast, C.J. has a PhD in Literature from Queen’s University, Belfast, and is currently Reader in Creative Writing at the University of Glasgow, where she researches creative writing interventions for mental health. C.J. Cooke lives in Glasgow with her husband and four children.

Kate Foster has been a national newspaper journalist for over twenty years. Growing up in Edinburgh, she became fascinated by its history and often uses it as inspiration for her stories. Her first novel, The Maiden, was a feminist revisionist take on the Scottish legend of The White Lady of Corstorphine. The King's Witches is her second novel. She lives in Edinburgh with her two children.

About the Festival
After a triumphant debut year, the Edinburgh Women’s Fiction Festival is back for 2024 with a bigger, even more stunning lineup.

The Edinburgh Women's Fiction Festival is a literary festival celebrating writing for, by, and about women. We are an inclusive event and welcome everyone who finds joy in reading women's fiction - commercial, romance, historical, literary, book club and beyond. Our festival showcases authors of genres that are often overlooked, and our aim is to give readers the opportunity to connect with their favourite writers.

This year's festival will take place on Friday 27th and Saturday 28th September 2024, in our lovely venue of Morningside United Church - just five minutes walk from Bruntsfield Links and a short bus ride from the city centre. Directly opposite our main venue is our gorgeous Green Room and Festival Bar at McLaren's on the Corner, where you can relax between events and enjoy some refreshments.

2024 Programme
Details of our full programme will be announced soon, but you can see the line-up so on our website.

Tickets
General ticket sales will begin on 27th July 2024

Our festival strongly believes in paying our authors, chairs, and workshop leaders the fee recommended by the Scottish Book Trust, which has increased (which is wonderful for our authors!). This has meant an increase in ticket prices, but we are certain you’ll think it’s worth it!

Concession tickets — Where applicable, are available to students, registered disabled (plus one companion), registered unemployed, under 16s, Young Scot card holders and sponsors. Proof of entitlement will be required.