Travellers coming on the bus from Dingwall (and Strathpeffer and Contin) will get in around 9.30am, giving them time to get to the village hall (just five minutes walk from the bus stop on Ullapool pier) for Breakfast Stories with Nancy Nicolson at 10.15am. Nancy draws on her rural Caithness childhood for her stories and songs.

She is followed at 11.45am by the incomparable Margaret Bennett who will talk on Scottish traditions of life and death. Margaret is a folklorist, ethnologist, author and singer. She is back to finish the fascinating and entertaining talk she started at last year's festival.

On at the same time there's an opportunity to take part in the workshop Going for a Song: how lyrics can be poems and vice versa. Donny O'Rourke explores the art, craft and inspiration of poetic song from the traditional ballad, through show tune lyrics to pop and hip hop.

Following a lunch break Belfast born writer and director Bernard MacLaverty, whose four novels include Cal and Lamb, is on at 2.15pm. He will read from his latest collection of short stories Matters of Life and Death – regarded as object lessons in the art of short fiction.

The last session of the afternoon at 3.45pm has poetry from husband and wife – Gaelic poet and writer Aonghas MacNeacail and actor/writer/director Gerda Stevenson. Afterwards there is still plenty time to walk back down the village in time to catch the bus back to Dingwall at around 5.15pm. Check bus timetables or on travelinescotland.com for correct bus times.

However, if you can make a weekend of it there are plenty of other wonderful writers appearing.

A L Kennedy, Jackie Kay, Andro Linklater, Alan Bissett, Doug Johnstone, Alison Miller and Alice Thompson are also appearing in the village hall. And on the first day of the festival four sessions will be held on Isle Martin, the community owned island which is just before the lighthouse at Rhue as you approach Ullapool. Taking part in these will be Margaret Bennett talking on Highland emigration to eastern Canada; 2008 Mod gold medallist singing songs of Ross-shire and Sutherland bards; Andro Linklater talking about the books that he wrote when he lived on the island in the 1980s; and Angus Peter Campbell and Derrick McClure.

Angus Peter's book of poetry Meas air Chrannaibh/Fruit on Brainches/Fruit on Branches is in three languages — Gaelic, Scots and English.

Derrick translated the poems into Scots. In addition to the readings from this book there is a chance to hear an exclusive preview of Angus Peter's new novella Tilleadh Dhachaigh (Homecoming).

The Ross-shire Journal is a media sponsor of Ullapool Book Festival. The festival has received funding from the Scottish Arts Council, Highland Council Culture Programme, Bord na Gaidhlig and the National Library of Scotland and is a partner event for Homecoming Scotland 2009.

Further information on the festival can be found on the website www.ullapoolbookfestival.co.uk

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