News
Garsdale Retreat: ‘Memoir: Write Your Own Story’
On March 20th, I’ll be a Guest Reader at the beautiful Garsdale Retreat in the Yorkshire Dales as part of their popular memoir writing course.
Led by Catherine Simpson, author of two powerful memoirs, When I Had a Little Sister and One Body, Memoir: Write Your Own Story runs from March 18th until the 23rd. She’ll teach you vital techniques on how to access your stories and memories, get them on the page and shape them for maximum impact. The course is suitable for writers of any level of experience and all meals are provided.
I’ll be present during the evening of the 20th, reading from Cold Fish Soup and asking any questions about my writing process. Copies of the book will be available to purchase.
The course is already fully booked, but do email Garsdale Retreat directly if you’d like to be added to the waiting list in case anyone drops out. You can contact them here.
January 15th, 2024
Cold Fish Soup Book Trail
I wrote an Authors On Location piece about Cold Fish Soup for The Book Trail, a site that highlights the locations in books and acts as a virtual travel agent to take you to them. Also, if you choose, it shows you exactly how to visit them.
This is a fantastic resource, and having written a book that was rooted in Yorkshire’s Holderness coast, I was delighted to be asked to write a piece about it. I got to talk about the remains of the pier, the lighthouse, the nuclear bunker, a notorious werewolf hotspot and more.
You can read my Authors on Location piece here and the geotagged book trail here. It’s also worth spending time on the site checking out some of the other book trails.
November 8th, 2023
Yorkshire coast events: Whitby and Saltburn
I’ll be over on the Yorkshire coast next month doing some writing workshops at Withernsea high school. It seemed foolish of me to not squeeze in a couple of book events while I was over there, so I have.
On December 6th, I’ll be at Whitby Bookshop from 1pm signing copies of Cold Fish Soup. I’ve also been asked to act as a “Christmas helper”, which I’m happily taking to mean elf.
Then, on December 7th at 7pm, I’ll be in Saltburn-by-the-Sea at Book Corner doing a book talk followed by a Q&A. This is a free event but ticketed. You can grab one of the few remaining tickets via Eventbrite here.
November 7th, 2023.
Sheffield event: Sounds About Write with Beverley Ward
On Thursday October 19th, I’ll be appearing at Sheffield Plate in Sheffield as the guest author at Sounds About Write.
Sounds About Write is a regular live literature event series organised by The Writers Workshop and featuring invited guests from the world of publishing. For this event, I’ll be in-conversation with Writers Workshop founder Beverley Ward, discussing and reading from our respective memoirs. This will be followed by an open mic.
I’m very excited to be back in Sheffield and discussing Cold Fish Soup, which is always a delight to be talking about in Yorkshire, the county at the heart of the book. Do come along, and even sign up for the open mic if you feel bold. I’ll have copies of Cold Fish Soup for sale on the night.
The event begins at 6:45pm, and tickets are available from £4. You can get yours here.
September 21st, 2023
North Manchester FM Interview
On Saturday October 14th, I was the guest on North Manchester FM’s long running literary radio show, Hannah’s Bookshelf.
The show is hosted by the writer, poet, editor and writer-in-residence for Clayton Hall, Hannah Kate, who led me through an in-depth longform interview. We discussed my path into writing, the perils of being a memoirist and my career so far. Hannah is a great interviewer. Insightful, engaging and thoughtful. I loved speaking with her.
I also took part in the show’s Apocalypse Books segment, where I got to select the three books I would keep with me during the end of days.
Please give it a listen. You can hear to the whole interview on Mixcloud.
September 14th, 2023
BBC Radio Scotland Audiobook Club
I was over the moon to learn that Cold Fish Soup had been selected for BBC Radio Scotland’s Monthly Audiobook Club.
On the September 6th episode of The Afternoon Show, host Michelle McManus, the writer Alan Bissett and the comedian Bruce Devlin discussed the book and gave it such a glowing review that I cried when I heard it. It doesn’t take much for this to happen but a man can only hear so many nice things being said about their work. Also very moved that my mum’s inspiring hopefulness and stoicism through her grief was given credit.
Give it a listen. I clipped the interview and posted it on my Instagram.
September 6th, 2023
The Grove Book Shop, Ilkley: Cold Fish Soup Q&A
On Thursday July 20th, I’ll be appearing at The Grove book shop in Ilkley with a Q&A about my memoir, Cold Fish Soup.
The Grove is an absolutely beautiful book shop and I’ve not been there since last summer, when I undertook Tour de Yorkshire, my breakneck tour of Yorkshire book shops in the run up to Cold Fish Soup’s publication. The staff there were so welcoming and supportive of book, so it’ll be great to finally return and discuss it in such a fine setting.
The event begins at 7pm, and tickets are £5. You can register your interest here.
June 28th, 2023
Manchester event: The Business of Writing panel
On Saturday June 24th, I’ll be at Manchester’s Wythenshawe Forum Library as part of a free Writers’ Day event organised by Manchester-based not-for-profit publisher and development agnecy, Comma Press.
The event itself begins at midday with a performance workshop led by Keisha Thompson, Artistic Director and CEO of the Contact theatre, Manchester. This will be followed by the panel, where Keisha, Comma Press’ Isabelle Kenyon and I will discuss the business of writing and how to make money from it. As if to underscore this, I’ll have copies of Cold Fish Soup for sale.
Book your free ticket here.
June 22nd, 2023
Working Class Nature Writers’ Prize
I’m delighted to have been asked to join the panel of judges for this year’s Working Class Nature Writer’s Prize.
Now in it’s fourth year, the prize was set up in 2020 by the writer Natasha Carthew (founder of The Working Class Writers’ Festival and author of the brilliant new memoir Undercurrent) to encourage the growing genre of working class nature writing.
The winning writer will receive one year’s free membership to Campaign for National Parks, £300 paid commission to write a National Parks-inspired piece for printed Viewpoint Magazine, a free Arvon course of their choice (inc online), 3 one-hour mentoring sessions with a Gaia commissioner and a book bundle from Octopus Publishing Group.
The judging panel also includes The Bookseller’s editor Philip Jones as well as acclaimed writers Niellah Arboine, Sabrina Pace-Humphreys, Tanya Shadrick and Kiran Sidhu; last year’s winner, writer Jeni Bell; Natasha Carthew, Juliet Pickering, vice-head of books at Blake Friedmann Literary Agency; and Stephanie Jackson, publisher at Octopus Publishing Group.
Entry is free and open to any UK writer self-identifying as working-class. The deadline for entries is Friday, July 14th and you can submit yours here (and should). You can find more details about the prize in this non-paywalled article in The Bookseller.
June 2nd, 2023
Newcastle event: New Northern Writers w/Jade Cuttle and Naomi Kelsey.
On Tuesday June 6th, I’ll be at The Magic Hat in Newcastle, as part of a New Northern Writers panel organised by New Writing North.
Will Mackie of New Writing North will be speaking to me, Jade Cuttle and Naomi Kelsey about our work and the commonalities between them. I’ll be reading from Cold Fish Soup, Jade will be performing a selection of her poetry and Naomi will read from her debut novel The Burnings, which is inspired by the North Berwick witch trials. There will be a lot of discussion about northern writing and plenty of time for audience questions. It promises to be a great night.
The event starts at 7pm and tickets are available here. The Bound bookshop will be on hand to sell books at the signing after the event.
June 1st, 2023
Withernsea Library event
On Saturday June 17th, I’ll be at Withernsea library doing my first ever book event in the town.
Cold Fish Soup is a book that has the coastal resort of Withernsea very much at its heart. I moved to the town aged 16 and the move was utterly transformative for me. While I’ve previously held a book signing at Ellis’ Cafe in the town, I’ve never been able to arrange an event where I could read from and talk about the book. Given that I’ve been up and down the country and all across the north putting on events, Withernsea seemed like a glaring omission. I’m so grateful to the folks at the library who made it happen.
The event is free and starts at 10:30am. There will be refreshments available and I’ll have copies of Cold Fish Soup for sale. You can find directions to the library, located in the Withernsea Centre, here.
June 9th, 2023
Blackwell’s, Manchester: In conversation with Natasha Carthew
On Wednesday May 18th, I’ll be at Blackwell’s Manchester in in conversation with Natasha Carthew and discussing her powerful new memoir, Undercurrent.
Undercurrent is a tense, potent and unflinching portrait of life in poverty on the Cornish coast, which explores Natasha’s journey into writing. We’ll be discussing her book and also her activism as part of the Working Class Writers’ Festival, pressing the importance of working class narratives in publishing. I’m so excited to be talking to her about this vital book.
The event starts at 6:30 and tickets are available here.
May 15th, 2023
Northern Soul 10th Anniversary Party
On Wednesday May 17th, I’ll be part of the 10th anniversary event for the northern arts and culture website, Northern Soul. The invite-only event will be held at Manchester’s wonderful Anthony Burgess Foundation.
I’ll be appearing during the portion of the celebrations that will focus on northern poetry and literature, alongside Brian Groom (bestselling author of Northerners), and the poet and playwright, Cathy Crabb. We’ll each be talking about and reading from our work and will have books for sale. I’ll be reading my excerpt accompanied by projected footage of the Withernsea coastline, filmed by the incredible Simon Buckley.
Check out Northern Soul for great writing on what’s going on in the north of England and for details of the event nearer the time.
May1st, 2023
Yorkshire Post
I was delighted to feature in the Yorkshire Post’s Culture Diary, highlighting Cold Fish Soup and a couple of my upcoming events.
It’s long been an ambition to appear in the Yorkshire Post, especially given that every page of Cold Fish Soup is riddled with Yorkshire life, so it means a lot to be in its pages.
A reminder of the events mentioned, this Wednesday (19th), I’ll be at the University of York in conversation with Wiktoria Tuńska and Rebecca Bevington. We’ll be discussing Cold Fish Soup, coastal communities, northern literature, humour writing and more, followed by a Q&A. Fox Lane Books will be on hand, selling copies of the book. This is free event, all welcome, just grab a ticket here.
There’s also my appearance at the Filey Literature Festival on May 13th, in conversation with David Pendleton about Cold Fish Soup, interdimensional werewolves, burlesque-dancing pensioners, rapacious gulls and more, followed by a Q&A and a book signing. There’s also the rare chance to meet my dog, who will be in attendance. Copies of the book will be available to purchase.
The event is free and there’s no need to register in advance. Just arrive at the Evron Centre, 1a John St, Filey YO14 9DQ by 1pm. I’ll be in room 21/22.
April 17th, 2023
Filey Literature Festival
On Saturday May 13th, I’ll be appearing at the Filey Literature Festival, in conversation with David Pendleton.
We’ll be discussing Cold Fish Soup, interdimensional werewolves, burlesque-dancing pensioners, coastal writing and much more. The event will be followed by a Q&A and a book signing. Copies of Cold Fish Soup will be available to purchase.
The event is free and there’s no need to register in advance. Just arrive at the Evron Centre, 1a John St, Filey YO14 9DQ by 1pm.
April 3rd, 2023
Guest Reader: Garsdale Retreat
On Wednesday April 26th, I’ll be the Guest Reader at the Memoir/Life Writing: That Book in You course at the beautiful Garsdale Retreat in the Yorkshire Dales.
The course will be run by Linda Cracknell, whose book about walking and memory, Doubling Back: Ten paths trodden in memory was published in 2014, and was a BBC Radio Four Book of The Week. Her latest work of narrative nonfiction, Writing Landscape, is available now.
The course is currently fully booked, but you can check out the details here and email to be added to the waiting list in the event that places become available.
April 3rd, 2023
University of York Event
On Wednesday April 19th, I’ll be in conversation with Rebecca Bevington and Wiktoria Tunska at the University of York. Rebecca and Wiktoria were part of the swifting process that led to Cold Fish Soup being shortlisted for and ultimately winning the NorthBound Book Award at the 2021 Northern Writers’ Awards.
We’ll be discussing Cold Fish Soup, and it’s broader themes, northern writing, literary identity, the charm of the East Yorkshire Coast and more. It'll be tons of fun. Copies of Cold Fish Soup will be available to purchase.
The event will be held from 5-6:30pm and is free, but you must register your attendance via Eventbrite. Fox Lane Books will be in attendance, selling copies of Cold Fish Soup.
April 2nd, 2023
Leeds Lit Fest: All-Night Readathon
I was delighted to learn that Cold Fish Soup had been selected as the featured book for The Readathon as part of this year’s Leeds Lit Fest events programme in conjunction with East Leeds FM.
The annual Readathon involves volunteer readers taking turns to read a single book out loud in its entirety from the beautiful setting of Chapel FM arts centre’s radio theatre. This year my book has the honour of receiving that treatment. The event will begin at 8pm on Saturday February 25th and will continue throughout the night until the Sunday morning as the dawn rises and illuminates the studio’s stunning stained glass windows. The Readathon will be followed by a Book-Lover’s Breakfast. I’ll be in attendance, reading the opening passages and kicking off the event, which will be broadcast live on East Leeds FM. I will also have copies of the book for sale on the night, which I’ll of course be happy to sign.
Here’s a link to my interview on East Leeds FM, chatting with Peter Spafford about the book, the event and playing songs that have significance to both the book and me personally.
The Readathon is already sold out, but do keep an eye out for returns. It promises to be a unique and magical event.
February 15th, 2023
Live Literature: Bolton Central Museum Theatre
After a brief break from live events due to my first bout of COVID, I’m happy to be returning to the stage on March 7th at Bolton Central Museum Theatre.
I’ll be part of the University of Bolton’s monthly Live Literature series, where I’ll be one one of the events on their Spring/Winter 2023 schedule. The event will run from 6-7:30pm and I’ll be in conversation with the University of Bolton’s Valerie O’Riordan, discussing and reading excerpts from the book followed by a Q&A. There will also be a table where you can pick up copies of Cold Fish Soup and get them signed (if you like).
These events are all free, so it’s worth checking them all out if you can. The Poet A.E. Stallings will be appearing on February 7th, reading from This Afterlife and the poet, novelist and memoirist Helen Mort will be featured on April 18th, discussing her memoir The Illustrated Woman.
Do come along if you can, these in conversation chats are always so fun and varied. You can find more details about the event and the rest of the series here.
January 30th, 2023
BBC Radio Manchester
On Saturday January 28th I was invited into the BBC Radio Manchester studios to appear on David Scott’s Upload show and discuss my book, Cold Fish Soup.
I had a fantastic time on the show, talking about the book, paranormal belief, mental health, my intimate relationship with failure and the subject of my next book. David Scott also performs as Argh Kid, whose work you should really check out, as well as his forthcoming book, Mancunians: Where Do We Start, Where Do I Begin.
I clipped the main part of my interview and uploaded it to my Instagram but you can listen to the whole show until the end of February over at BBC Sounds, where you’ll also be able to hear music from my fellow guest Simon Stirzaker of the Manchester band Greenwire.
The BBC has Upload shows across the regions, so if you’re a creative and want wider exposure for your work do consider uploading your work here.
January 29th, 2023
NWN x University of York: Pride of Place
On November 22nd I’ll be appearing at Pride of Place, an evening of author readings, discussions and networking hosted by University of York and New Writing North and celebrating the North’s vibrant writing scene.
I will be reading from my work alongside fellow NorthBound winner, and J. A. Mensah, and Northern Writers’ Awards winners Kit Fan and Alison Armstrong. Following the readings there will be a roundtable on the importance of supporting and publishing Northern writing with Sara Hunt (Saraband) , Janine Bradbury (University of York) and Karen Lloyd (editor of the northern writing anthology North Country), chaired by Kathryn Tann (New Writing North). The event will be followed by drinks and networking for students, writers and literary professionals
It promises to be a great evening, so do come along. Tickets are free but need to be booked. You can grab yours here.
November 8th, 2022
Verbose with Maz Hedgehog and Adam Farrer
On November 28th, I’ll be co-headlining Verbose, Manchester's award-winning spoken word event, alongside the wonderful Maz Hedgehog. Held on the last Monday of each month at The King's Arms in Salford, Verbose has long been a leading light of Manchester’s spoken word scene, having twice won the Saboteur Award of Best Spoken Word Night in the UK. It always features a vibrant mix of spoken word and live literature from a talented bill of open mic acts and varied headliners.
I’ve been performing on Verbose’s since 2015 and worked out a lot of the material that would go on to appear in Cold Fish Soup on their stage, so it means a lot to have been asked to appear as a headliner.
Tickets for the event are available here
November 1st, 2022
Ghosts at the Old Library
This Christmas, Levenshulme Old Library has commissioned new ghost stories from four writers for a very special atmospheric winter event.
Ghost stories at Christmas have long been an oral storytelling tradition, from tales told around the winter fire through to Charles Dickens’ A Christmas Carol. This moved into the TV era with A Ghost Story for Christmas, a series of late night television films broadcast on the BBC which continue to this day.
I have been asked to be one of the featured writers at this event, alongside Richard V. Hirst, Melissa Wan and Marie Crook, each of us performing our stories at Levenshulme Old Library, a historic former Carnegie library building in South Manchester.
The building will be dimly lit by lantern light and four separate spaces will be allocated to each writer. The audience will be split into four groups and led from one room to the next, hearing each story read in full before moving on to the next room.
The event will be held at 8pm across three Saturday nights in December; the 3rd, 10th and 17th.
Tickets are £7 and available via Eventbrite.
October 20th, 2022
Launch Event: Hinterland Place Writing Special Issue
On Tuesday 8th November 2022, I’ll be one of the featured readers at the launch of Hinterland’s place writing special, published in collaboration with Manchester Metropolitan University’s Centre for Place Writing. Hinterland is a quarterly print and digital magazine dedicated to creative non-fiction and showcases the best new writing across the fields of memoir, essay, travel and food writing, reportage, psychoscape, biography, flash non-fiction and more.
This special issue features creative non-fiction writing by a host of writers whose work covers terrain from the Andes to Disneyland and many places in between.
The launch event is hosted by the Centre for Place Writing in the Manchester Poetry Library, and will feature readings from the special issue by me, Jean Sprackland and Alison Baxter, as well as special issue guest editor Andrew Michael Hurley and the editors of Hinterland, Andrew Kenrick and Yin F Lim. The event will be introduced by the Centre for Place Writing’s Dr David Cooper.
Tickets are free and available via Eventbrite.
October 14th, 2022
Lunate in conversation with Adam Farrer, Stu Hennigan and Ben Pester.
November 3rd marks the official launch of Lunate Vol. 2, the second print edition from award-winning, Manchester based literary journal, Lunate. To celebrate the launch, Editor Gary Kaill will be hosting a discussion with me, Stu Hennigan and Ben Pester. We all have new work featured in Vol. 2 and will be reading excerpts from it, as well as discussing all things literary. This event is part of the Festival of Social Science, an annual celebration of research and knowledge about humans and society delivered by 34 universities, which celebrates its 20th anniversary this year.
Tickets are free but you’ll need to register your interest in advance. All attendees will receive a free copy of Lunate Vol. 2 and copies of Lunate Vol. 1 will be on sale alongside mine, Ben’s, and Stu's books. We’ll all be available to sign copies after the talk. If you would like a signed copy but cannot make the event, please contact Blackwell’s on 0161 274 3331 or manchester@blackwell.co.uk and they will arrange this for you.
Tickets for the event are available here
September 29th, 2022
Online US launch of Cold Fish Soup with Cincy Book Bus.
I’m over the moon about the online US launch of Cold Fish Soup on November 2nd, which will be in partnership with the wonderful Cincy Book Bus. Their profits fund school libraries and aim to improve child literacy in the United States, so it means a lot to be working with them on this launch and helping contribute to their important work in the process.
For the launch event I’ll be in conversation with Colorado-based host, Michael Dohn, discussing the book, my writing process and introducing a few surprises along the way. For the price of the book ($17.95), supplied by Cincy Book Bus, US buyers will receive an early release copy of the paperback edition of Cold Fish Soup (which means you get a copy before its official October 18th publication date), a specially designed bookmark featuring artwork by German artist Patrick von Kalckreuth, a signed bookplate and access to a zoom link for the launch event. A recording of the event will also be available afterwards.
US buyers can pick up a copy of the book and get access to the event here.
September 20th, 2022
Ilkley Literature Festival event - Reclaiming the Wild: Smashing Middle-Class Norms in Nature Writing
I’m delighted to have been invited to the Ilkley Literature Festival on October 8th to be part of the Reclaiming the Wild: Smashing Middle-Class Norms in Nature Writing panel, hosted by acclaimed writer, and Artistic Director of The Working Class Writers Festival, Natasha Carthew. I’ll be joining Dipika Mummery and Carmen Marcus as we discuss what it means to be a working-class writer writing about the natural, fantastical and mythological world.
We’ll be highlighting the importance of authentic voices, give readings from our latest works and discuss the barriers working-class writers face when entering the world of publishing.
Tickets available here.
September 18th, 2022
Prestwich Arts Festival: Memoir Writing Talk and Q&A.
On Saturday September 24th, I’ll be returning to the excellent Prestwich Arts Festival to present a talk on memoir writing, sharing some of my techniques, the perils and the wonders of telling true stories, and read from my memoir, Cold Fish Soup. The talk will be followed by a Q&A, where I’ll answer audience questions about writing and routes to publication.
Tickets are free but limited. Please book here.
September 10th, 2022
Pigeons & Doves Autumn Writers Club
On November 10th I’ll be at Radcliffe Library as one of the guest writers for Pigeons & Doves, a new writing initiative for 7-18 year olds in Prestwich, Radcliffe and Bury. Pigeons & Doves aims to inspire future writers from all backgrounds and help them find their voices outside of a traditional graded classroom environment.
As part of their Autumn Writers Club, I’ll be running a true story telling workshop at the library from 5-7pm. The sessions run every Thursday for 10 weeks from September 15th, where young writers will get the chance to learn how to tell their stories from other visiting authors, playwrights, journalists and script writers. All sessions are run by published writers and professional educators (enhanced DBS). You can sign up for single sessions or the whole 10 weeks! Details can be found on the Pigeons & Doves website.
Thanks to support from Arts Council England and the Arnold Clarke Community fund there are some free places, making sure no aspiring writer is left behind. Ticket info here.
September 1st, 2022
Rewriting the North: In conversation with Catherine Simpson on Memoir.
On September 15th, as part of the Portico Library’s Rewriting the North series, which celebrates writers and writing connected with the North of England, Catherine Simpson and I will be in conversation with Will Mackie of New Writing North, discussing life writing, memoir and the lines (or not) between (auto)biography and fiction. Dr David Cooper (Centre for Place Writing at Manchester Metropolitan University) will introduce the event.
The event will be hosted on Zoom and tickets are available via Eventbrite for £3.
August 21st, 2022
Foyles: In Conversation with Wyl Menmuir
My first event in support of Cold Fish Soup will be at Foyle’s in London on August 10th, where I’ll be in conversation with the Booker-listed writer Wyl Menmuir, discussing our respective new books, our sea obsession, the eccentricities of coastal living and anything else that crops up.
I’ve been a fan of Wyl’s writing for some time and his latest book, The Draw of the Sea, a captivating portrait of life and obsession with the Cornish coast, is an absolute delight. We share a similar life journey towards the coast, mine from rural Suffolk to the Holderness coast and his from urban Stockport to Cornwall. I’m so excited to be sharing a stage with him, where we will dig into each other’s stories, respond to a Q&A and sign some books.
The event will be hosted in The Auditorium (Level 6) at Foyles, 107 Charing Cross Road. Tickets and event details are available here.
August 21st, 2022
Cold Fish Soup Book Launch: Blackwell’s, Manchester
I’m delighted to announce that the book launch of Cold Fish Soup will be held at Blackwell’s in Manchester on September 8th, where I’ll be in conversation with Jenn Ashworth.
Jenn is the author of five novels including A Kind of Intimacy, Cold Light and Fell. Her latest novel Ghosted: A Love Story was shortlisted for The Portico Prize and she also wrote the powerful memoir, Notes Made While Falling. She also lectures in Creative Writing at the University of Lancaster and, crucially, acted as my mentor during the writing of Cold Fish Soup. I can’t think of anyone better to host this event with me.
Tickets are £3.00 or free when pre-ordering a copy of the book. Cold Fish Soup will also be available to purchase on the night and I’ll be more than happy to sign copies after the talk. If you would like a signed copy but cannot make the event, please contact Blackwell’s via 0161 274 3331 or manchester@blackwell.co.uk and they’ll be able to arrange this for you.
Although this official launch is happening in September, Cold Fish Soup will be published in the UK on August 4th in paperback, e-book, and audiobook. It will be released in the US during the Fall when there will be a separate online launch.
June 16th, 2022
A Moment That Changed Me
I’ve written a piece for The Guardian about how my mother’s burlesque career became a pivotal moment for me as a writer and performer.
I’ve long been a fan of The Guardian’s ‘A Moment That Changed Me’ column so was delighted to be included, and to feature in The Guardian for the first time (in a gold suit, no less).
As much as the piece is about a change in me, it’s also intended as a tribute to my singular and always inspiring mother, who took up burlesque at the age 63 and is quite the most fearless human being I know. It’s been wonderful to read the overwhelmingly positive responses to this piece and to learn that it is being received as the tribute I intended it to be.
You can read it here.
June 15th, 2022
Edinburgh International Book Festival
On August 17th I will be appearing at this year’s Edinburgh International Book Festival alongside the brilliant novelist Jon Ransom.
We’ll be discussing each other’s debut books, east coast writing, and anything else that comes up in the Q&A. I’m overjoyed to be included on the festival’s lineup for the first time, especially alongside Jon, whose novel, The Whale Tattoo, is a true marvel and a remarkably assured piece of work. You can buy it here (and should).
Tickets for all festival events go on sale at 10 am on June 23rd, via this link. The event will also be available online and on-demand.
June 8th, 2022
The Bookseller Editor’s Choice
I was delighted to learn that Cold Fish Soup had been chosen as a nonfiction Editor’s Choice in this week’s issue of The Bookseller, alongside great new books from the likes of Kit de Waal and Philippe Sand.
I’m bowled over that this book, set in a part of the country I believed no one cared about seems to be resonating with advance readers, and I can’t wait to hear what people think of it when it’s published this summer.
Paperback pre-orders are now live at Bookshop.org, Blackwell’s, Hive, Amazon, (where it is also available on e-book) and on audiobook from Audible. It will be available in book shops from August 4th.
May 13th, 2022
Manchester Writers for Ukraine
I’ve teamed up with Kate Feld and Ivan Wadeson to stage Manchester Writers for Ukraine, an incredible line-up of poetry, stories, and performance at The Kings Arms in Salford on Friday, March 25th at 7 pm. The event will raise funds for those affected by the war in Ukraine.
Performers confirmed so far are Sarah Butler, Michael Conley, Fat Roland, Peter Kalu, John McAuliffe, Cheryl Martin, Reshma Ruia and Louise Wallwein, with additional performers to be announced.
Tickets are available for £9 (plus booking fee) with 100% of proceeds going to the Disasters Emergency Committee Ukraine Humanitarian Appeal.
March 17th, 2022
NorthBound Award and Writing the North Roadshow
On Thursday, February 10th at 7pm, I’ll be one of the speakers at the NorthBound Award and Writing the North Roadshow.
This roadshow highlights one of the Northern Writers’ Awards flagship prizes, the NorthBound Book Award, which I was lucky enough to win in July of 2021. This award, made possible by the University of York and the award-winning publisher Saraband, offers a £5000 prize and publication by Saraband. Additionally, the event will look at the wider context around writing being generated in the North and the opportunities for writers looking to find agents and publishers for their work.
The session will be chaired by New Writing North’s Will Mackie, and speakers include the University of York’s Janine Bradbury, writer and 2022 NorthBound Book Award judge Catherine Simpson, and Saraband’s Sara Hunt.
The event is free and you can sign up for tickets here.
February 1st, 2022
The Portico Podcast: Rewriting the North
I’ve been chosen to contribute to The Portico Library’s new podcast series, Rewriting the North, which launched on November 1st.
In association with the 2022 Portico Prize, a number of writers from the North of England have been commissioned to write and present an episode about a place of personal significance, recorded on location.
My episode concentrates on my hometown of Withernsea on East Yorkshire’s Holderness Coast. I discuss the town and read a new essay, The Californian, focussing on the town’s ongoing battle with erosion and the pod of whales that were beached there on Christmas Eve of 2020.
You can listen to it via the embedded player on the left, and find a link to the podcast series here (please follow it on your preferred podcast service). My episode was also highlighted in The Guardian’s Best Podcasts of the Week. You can read about it, along with all the other picks, here.
November 22nd, 2021
Northern Soul - “Oh, God! I’ve won an award.”
I wrote a piece for the northern arts and culture website. Northern Soul, about what it meant to win the NorthBound Book Award at this year’s Northern Writers’ Awards.
You can read it here, then stick around and read all the other articles on there. Absolutely worth your time.
If you’re a writer based in the north, you should also really consider submitting to the Northern Writers’ Awards, as the impact winning has had on my life has been transformative and I want the same thing for you. More prominent northern voices in literature are better for everyone, and it’s free to enter. The only risk is to your ego (I entered twice and got nowhere before finally winning this year). Entries for the 2022 awards open on December 2nd, but you can look at the various categories now.
https://northernwritersawards.com/
November 7th, 2021
Test Signal Showcase at Blackwell’s, Manchester.
On Monday, November 15th I’ll be part of the TEST SIGNAL showcase event at Blackwell's, Manchester. TEST SIGNAL is a groundbreaking anthology, published by Dead Ink Books and Bloomsbury, featuring stories and essays from a mix of established names and emerging newcomers (I am the latter), representing some of the very best in contemporary northern writing.
I’ll be reading from my essay GOD HATES WITHERNSEA, alongside the excellent Jane Claire Bradley, Lara Williams, Laura Bui, Melissa Wan, Robert Williams, and Tawseef Khan, all hosted by the brilliant Helen Mort. Being part of this is a real “pinch me” moment (please don’t pinch me).
Tickets (and copies of the anthology) are available here.
October 4th 2021
Northern Lights Writers’ Conference 2021
Next week, I'll once again be running one of the writer advice sessions for the annual Northern Lights Writers’ Conference. You can book a slot with me from 1-5 pm on Monday the 27th of September, to discuss your creative nonfiction, memoir and/or life writing. I love these sessions and getting to hear about other people’s working progress, as evidenced by this photo from one of the last in-person events, which I didn’t realise was being taken.
This year’s conference is a mix of in-person and physical events, but these advice sessions are being handled by Zoom this year. There are also sessions on Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday with YA speculative fiction writer Melissa Welliver, children’s fiction editor Tilda Johnson and poet Jazmine Linklater, which you can find more info about here.
September 20th 2021
NorthBound Panel Discussion
On August 26th I'll be playing the role of a serious writer as part of a panel discussion with the previous two NorthBound Book Award winners. Given the threat of COVID, which didn’t abruptly stop on July 19th, the event will double as John D. Rutter’s book launch.
It’s free and is happening on that Thursday when you're not doing anything else, so if three northern writers talking about northern books is your thing, then this will probably be your thing too. Click the image to visit the Eventbrite page.
(Update: a recording of the event is available to watch on the Saraband YouTube channel.
July 23rd 2021
The NorthBound Book Award
On July 9th, 2021 it was announced that my manuscript, Cold Fish Soup, had won the NorthBound Book Award at New Writing North’s annual Northern Writers’ Awards. As part of the award, Cold Fish Soup will be published by renowned publisher Saraband books in August of 2022. At times like this, it’s customary to the point of cliche for a writer to say that they are surprised and delighted to receive such news, but I absolutely am.
There’s still a long way to go, with edits, recording the audiobook, attending events, and working with the University of York in the run-up to publication day and there are a lot of people to thank for getting me to this point. If I include them all, my acknowledgments section will likely be thicker than the Domesday book but I’ll do my best.
To read more about the book and the award, click the image below to take you to Saraband’s press release. If you’re still compelled, you can also hear the judge’s detailed feedback via their social media announcement of my award. I’d urge you to read more about all the other Northern Writers’ Awards winners. I’m very proud to be counted alongside them as the class of 2021.
July 10th 2021
Radio 4 documentary – ‘Walking the Plank’
I was recently approached to be a featured contributor on ‘Walking the Plank’, a BBC Radio 4 documentary presented by seaside historian Kathryn Ferry, focussing on the efforts of Withernsea local Torkel Larsen to build a new pier for the town. Do click the link image below to give it a listen. It was a treat to be included in this documentary, to hear about people who are so passionate about a town I love, and to get to talk about doughnuts, arcades, and crumbling cliffs on the BBC, which is how I define ‘living the dream’.
Click the image to visit the BBC Sounds page and play the doc.
April 20th 2021
Test Signal: An anthology of new northern writing.
My nonfiction essay, GOD HATES WITHERNSEA, written as part of my Arts Council England-supported essay collection, has been selected for inclusion in Test Signal, an anthology of northern writing. Produced in conjunction with Dead Ink Books, Bloomsbury and New Writing North, the anthology focuses on both established and emerging northern writing talent and I feel honoured to have been included alongside some truly incredible writers. It’s due for publication on July 1st 2021 and you can read an article all about it in The Bookseller and check out details of the Kickstarter project that funded it.
My mum features so prominently in this essay that if anyone wants a signed copy, it’ll have her name in it.
August 31st 2020
Read All About It podcast
I made an appearance on the excellent Read All About It podcast at the end of May. It’s a kind of Desert Island Books format, where writers talk to host Paul Cuddihy about their favourite book from childhood; the book that made the greatest impact on their formative years; the book they’d recommend to anyone; the book they couldn’t be paid to read again and the book they’re currently reading. Along the way we got into the perils and joys of creative nonfiction writing, werewolves, false narratives, precarious coastal living and exactly how angry I am about the book that I think should have been crammed into a wood chipper the moment it left the printing press. It was a hugely enjoyable excuse to talk for an hour about the things I love (and one particular thing I hate/am baffled by the existence of). You can listen to it HERE.
June 2nd 2020