Edinburgh International Book Festival has unveiled the second edition of its Front List series, a strand of events taking place at McEwan Hall this August. The announcement is the first taste of this year’s programme, which is yet to be announced. Tickets for the shows go on sale at 10am on Tuesday 6 May. 

Leading the line-up is former First Minister Nicola Sturgeon, who’ll be discussing her hotly anticipated memoir Frankly, which charts her progress from shy working-class child to highly influential politician. 

Also on the political front is Yulia Navalnaya, the widow of Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny, who’ll discuss her role in continuing his activism. Meanwhile, journalist and activist Ta-Nehisi Coates will explore the widening gulf between the myth and reality of modern America, on both a personal and international level.

In literary fiction, Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie will recount the creation of her new novel Dream Count; Yellowface author RF Kuang will discuss Katabasis, her new title about a rescue mission to the Underworld; breakthrough writer Asako Yuzuki will discuss the impact her world-storming novel has had on her life; Maggie O’Farrell will celebrate 25 years of creativity since her debut publication; and Ian McEwan will look back over his remarkable body of work and look forward to what comes next. 

For film fans, Mark Kermode will host a special edition of his MK3D show, which frequently sells out at the British Film Institute, with special guests including Succession’s Brian Cox. And veteran footballer and sports pundit Ally McCoist will chat about his book Dear Scotland: On the Road with the Tartan Army, while Gavin & Stacy’s Ruth Jones will discuss the craft of writing and her new novel By Your Side. 

Rounding things off are two shows especially for schools: Frank Cottrell-Boyce and Steven Lenton will take pupils in P4-6 on a globetrotting adventure complete with a draw-along, and Laura Bates will reimagine the story of King Arthur, Excalibur and the Round Table with a magical twist for pupils in S3-6. 

Jenny Niven, director and CEO of Edinburgh International Book Festival, said: ‘We are thrilled to be returning to the beautiful McEwan Hall, and expanding our partnership with Underbelly to present 14 The Front List events in 2025. At this challenging moment in history and politics, we’ll be offering a comprehensively informed and critical eye on international affairs, and also the chance to escape them through the work of some of the world’s foremost fiction writers, entertainment, and sporting figures. There’s plenty more to come in our full programme announcement, but we hope our line-up for The Front List offers a delicious taster of what you can expect from this year’s Book Festival.’ 

Here are the listings in full (all of these events are taking place at McEwan Hall):

Ruth Jones, Tuesday 12 August
Mark Kermode, Wednesday 13 August
Nicola Sturgeon, Thursday 14 August
Maggie O’Farrell, Thursday 14 August
Ta-Nehisi Coates, Saturday 16 August
Anne Applebaum and Edward Wong, Sunday 17 August
Ally McCoist, Monday 18 August
Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie, Tuesday 19 August
Frank Cottrell-Boyce and Steven Lenton, Wednesday 20 August 
Laura Bates, Thursday 21 August
Yulia Navalnaya, Friday 22 August
Asako Yuzuki, Saturday 23 August 
Ian McEwan, Sunday 24 August
RF Kuang, Sunday 24 August  

Edinburgh International Book Festival, various venues, Saturday  9 – Sunday 24 August.