Open Book – We organise and run weekly shared reading sessions for a diverse range of community and public participants across Scotland.

WELCOME TO OPEN BOOK

What We Do

We organise and run over 1200 shared reading and creative writing sessions each year, for a diverse range of community and public participants across Scotland. During our relaxed and informal shared reading sessions, part of a book and poem are read aloud, with an Open Book Lead Reader on hand to help guide the discussion. We also run regular creative writing sessions, using the material the group is reading as inspiration to create new writing.

Every year, we arrange and fund visits by our groups to book festivals and other literary events across Scotland, including Edinburgh International Book Festival, Wigtown Book Festival, Paisley Book Festival, Granite Noir, StAnza, Ullapool Book Festival, and St Magnus Festival. Open Book also regularly offers additional author visits and opportunities to participate in special projects and performances.

Listen to Co-Founder Marjorie talk with Richard Holloway about what we do at Open Book.

The Team

Marjorie Lotfi

Founder and Trustee

Marjorie was born in New Orleans, spent her childhood in Tehran, and lived in New York before moving to the UK in 1999. A former corporate lawyer in New York and London, Marjorie is now a freelance writer and mentor, and a Trustee for Open Book. Her first collection of poetry,The Wrong Person to Ask (Bloodaxe Books) won the Forward Prize for Best First Collection and was shortlisted for the Saltire Prize for Best Collection in 2024, and a poem from it has appeared on London’s Poems on the Underground. Marjorie’s a keen gardener and wild swimmer, and John Burnside’s Ruin, Blossom is currently on her bedside table.

marjorie@openbookreading.com

Claire Urquhart

Director and Founder

Claire studied law in Edinburgh and worked in the contentious intellectual property field.. After a brief spell working in London she settled back in Edinburgh where she lives with her husband, three kids and resolutely no pets. In her spare time she likes to tootle on her flute, put pen to paper and write poems and short stories and go for a dip (the colder the water the better.) Claire is a former Trustee of the Edinburgh International Book Festival and enthusiastic chair of book-related events. Currently on her bedside table Gwyneth Lewis’s new collection First Rain In Paradise and Barcelona by Mary Costello.

claire@openbookreading.com

Jess Orr

Co-Director

Jess is Co-Director at Open Book, having previously worked for six years as Operations Manager and as a Lead Reader. She is also the Associate Programmer for Paisley Book Festival and has worked in a variety of programming and project management roles across the literature sector. Outside of work, Jess enjoys playing basketball, running and hiking Scotland’s hills.

jess@openbookreading.com

Lizzie Dass

Operations Manager

Lizzie is Operations Manager at Open Book. After spending the last decade working for a literary charity whilst in the North of Ireland, Lizzie moved to Edinburgh at the start of 2025. She has a passion for literature and its power to offer connection both to oneself and to others. In addition to a deep love of reading, she enjoys exploring all the wonderful wild spaces Scotland has to offer.

lizzie@openbookreading.com

Amy Life

Office Manager

Amy is the Open Book Office Manager. She joined Open Book after graduating from the University of Edinburgh where she studied French and Philosophy, campaigned against gender-based violence and wrote for The Rattlecap Magazine. Amy enjoys long country walks, getting stuck into a good book, and nights at the Jazz Bar. She also hopes to have her own herb garden one day.

amy@openbookreading.com

Open Book Fair Work Statement

Open Book is committed to the Scottish Government’s Fair Work First policy. We strive to be an organisation which sees employees engaged in what we do, supported through training and development opportunities. This includes being a real Living Wage employer and supporting effective voice opportunities. These ambitions are shaped by our team of employees and we agree together how best to achieve them and to promote positive approaches to make Open Book a flexible and dynamic place to work.