Allan Burnett

Email:

contact through publisher

Author type:

Writer

BRAW network:

yes

LL funded:

yes

Publisher:

Birlinn Ltd

Biography:

Allan Burnett is an author, journalist and historian with a passion for bringing the past to life through exciting talks and workshops with lots of audience participation. As well as regular festival appearances, he has worked with schools in Edinburgh, Glasgow, Perth and Aberdeenshire on the art of writing and research, helping pupils in one school publish a book about their community - and is currently working on a similar project. Born in Uist in the Western Isles, Allan went to Edinburgh to attend university by day and tell ghost stories to tourists and schools by night. Currently working with the Sunday Herald, his And All That children's history books have been described by The Scotsman books editor as 'bold but thoughtful .. studded with (usually macabre) jokes'. He is currently working on two new And All That books, as well as a book about Scottish inventions, and will appear at the Edinburgh International Book Festival in August

About writer's work:

Horror, comedy, tragedy and adventure - not to mention romance and superstition. That's history for you. There are lessons to be learned and fun to be had in exploring the past, especially the lives of big characters like Robert Burns or Mary, Queen of Scots. History is the key to understanding why our world turned out this way and how it might look tomorrow, and that's why I enjoy writing about it for youngsters in the And All That books. History gives children a sense that they are part of something, that their own lives are the latest chapter in the greatest story ever told - and it's a great tool for improving their reading, writing and speaking skills. This is the philosophy I take into the classroom, where I work in partnership with teachers, and the festival tent - where I always try to mix the serious with the very, very silly.

About writer's events and projects:

School readings, residencies and workshops focused on three key stages: inspiration, research, writing. Helping schools to write, illustrate and publish history books about their community. Festivals. Adult lectures. Walking tours of historical sites. Please contact him through his publisher, Birlinn Ltd.

Links to other websites:

www.birlinn.co.uk

Language:

English

Age groups:

5-8, 9-12, Adults

Local authorities available to visit:

Aberdeen, Aberdeenshire, Angus, Argyll and Bute, Clackmannanshire, Dumfries and Galloway, Dundee, East Ayrshire, East Dunbartonshire, East Lothian, East Renfrewshire, Edinburgh, Falkirk, Fife, Glasgow, Highland, Inverclyde, Midlothian, Moray, Comhairle nan Eilean Siar (Western Isles), North Ayrshire, North Lanarkshire, Orkney, Perth and Kinross, Renfrewshire, Scottish Borders, Shetland, South Ayrshire, South Lanarkshire, Stirling, West Dunbartonshire, West Lothian, other