Douglas Stuart with Nicola Sturgeon at Edinburgh International Book Festival 2021

The Open University in Scotland is pleased to support the Douglas Stuart with Nicola Sturgeon: Welcome Home, Shuggie Bain event as part of the Edinburgh International Book Festival 2021. 

Douglas Stuart’s life was turned upside down when his debut novel Shuggie Bain was declared winner of the 2020 Booker Prize. Overnight, the New York-based fashion designer from Glasgow became an international bestseller.

We are delighted to welcome Scotland’s latest Booker winner back to his home country for the first time since winning his award, for what will be his first live discussion about the book that has won a million readers’ hearts.

Based on Stuart’s own upbringing by a loving mother devastated by addiction, Shuggie Bain recounts the challenges of being a Glasgow boy who is working class and gay. Not only does it chart his complicated coming of age, it is also a gorgeous tribute to a woman striving to do the right thing by her son against all the odds.

Stuart discusses his bestselling novel with Scotland’s First Minister Nicola Sturgeon – and might just drop a few hints about what he's working on.

Book via the Edinburgh Book Festival website. This is a live event, with an author Q&A. The author and interviewer will be on stage in the venue. You can book your spot to watch the event online, choosing to pay what you can. (In-person tickets have sold-out, but online tickets are unlimited). 

There's a wide range of free online learning to explore on the OU’s site OpenLearn, including the short courses Writing what you know, Start writing ficton, and the OpenLearn Scotland Hub of free resources on our nation's history, society and culture. 

The OU also offers creative writing courses and qualifications, such as the modules Creative Writing and Advanced Creative Writing, a BA (Honours) English Literature and Creative Writing, and an MA in Creative Writing.