Aberdeen's crime writing festival was held online this year so crime writing fans would not miss out.
A discussion between Stuart MacBride and Ian Rankin hosted by Fiona Stalker kicked off Granite Noir on the 19th of February. Throughout the hour the renowned crime writers discussed writing from home during lockdown, whether or not they would set a novel in the pandemic and what effect the current situation has had on the literary scene. They also touched on police brutality in America and the Black Lives Matter movement discussing whether this could change crime writing by shifting focus from the police being the "good guys".
The weekend featured many other insightful and interesting discussions such as Enter the Guilded Cage with Camilla Läckberg, the sixth most read writer in Europe, and Stranger than Fiction with Isla Traquair and Candice Gaines who looked at what it takes to research true crime podcasts.
The Evening Express reported that the virtual festival was viewed more than 14,000 times by audiences from over 50 countries. This shows that the event was once again a massive success and going digital was a worthwhile venture during lockdown. The best part? You can still watch all of the talks as Aberdeen Performing Arts uploaded all 14 videos to their YouTube channel. To make this even better they have uploaded 9 videos with British Sign Language (BSL) to make the festival accessible to deaf and hard of hearing crime writing fans.
By putting on a virtual event and ensuring that there were accessible videos available Granite Noir has adapted well to these unprecedented times. This has been an opportunity for writers to share their work while allowing fans to enjoy the discussions and stay connected despite physical restrictions. Hopefully, next year Granite Noir can return in full swing and be enjoyed from the Lemon Tree or another of Aberdeen's venues. Until then, crime writing fans rejoice and enjoy the free sessions which can be found here or the BSL versions which can be found here.
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