From the Gutter to the Stars

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From the Gutter to the Stars this month we celebrate Gray Day, Ece Temelkuran & Linda Pentz Gunter, welcome Ash Sarkar to the capital, take the route to the Santiago de Compostella and celebrate Raveheart, as well as hearing from composer and sound designer Oğuz Kaplangı about his new album Resist.

Gutter magazine #33 is about to launch with events at Portobello Books (17th February) and Mount Florida Books (27th February).

This issue features: “… non-fiction by Ali Millar, Alice Mah and Louise Gray. There are short stories by Lindsay Johnstone, Viccy Adams, CL Glanzing and many others, and there’s amazing poetry by Jenni Fagan, William Letford, Niall O’Gallagher, Tim Tim Cheng, and so many more. There’s also an interview with debut author Rebecca Ferrier, by our Guest Editor Zain Rishi, and reviews of books by Medha Singh and Anbara Salam.”

Details of the Edinburgh and Glasgow launches are available here:

Gutter Issue 33 Launch at The Portobello Bookshop

Gutter Magazine Issue Launch | 27th Feb at 7pm – Mount Florida Books

Gutter are also looking for guest editors: “And lastly lastly, we’re still looking for two Guest Editors for the magazine, for our next two issues. You’ve still got a bit more than a week to apply, so please take a look at the advert and, if you’re eligible, get in touch.”

Lighthouse Bookshop have a packed few weeks ahead with book launches such as Ece Temelkuran‘s stunning  Nation of Strangers, (longlisted for the 2026 Women’s Prize for Non-Fiction longlist) and on Wednesday 25th Linda Pentz Gunter launches No To Nuclear and makes the case that nuclear power is too slow, too expensive, too dangerous and too integrally connected to the nuclear weapons complex, to serve as a rational energy choice, in a conversation with chair of Scottish CND Lynn Jamieson.

Go here to book a place: Lighthouse | No to Nuclear: Linda Pentz Gunter on the dangers of Nuclear Power

The force of nature that is Novara’s Ash Sarkar is coming to Edinburgh to promote her ‘controversial’ bestseller ‘Minority Rule’ in which she picks apart the role of the Left in the culture wars and misadventures in Identity Politics.

Ash Sarkar: In Conversation at Assembly Roxy, Edinburgh Old Town | What’s On Edinburgh

Meanwhile, out west Gray Day 2026 kicks off at Òran Mór on the 25 February, hosted by Josie Long with contributions from Rachelle Atalla. Plus the first ever screenings of five new animations responding to the audiobook, by Ann Dinh, Ollie Pearse, Yu Sun, Tintin Lindkvist Nielsen and Miranda Peyton-Jone.

Tickets here: Tickets for Gray Day 2026 | TicketWeb – Oran Mor in Glasgow , GB

Elsewhere, you can pre-order Raveheart by Graeme Armstrong from Argonaut Books:

“A high NRG, whip-smart look at the state of modern Britain through the eyes of a disparate band of rave rebels, from the author of acclaimed, best-selling debut The Young Team and one of Granta’s Best of Young British Novelists.”

also… head over to the Noise of Art to check Neil Cooper’s appreciation of Johnny Rodger’s Pilgrim Squints and Boots Made for Walking – a report on Rodger’s walking the Camino de Santiago with his daughter Peggy-Nan in honour of their recently deceased family head.

& finally … For the latest Scots Whay Hae! podcast we hear from composer and sound designer Oğuz Kaplangı to talk about his new album RESIST.