We’re incredibly excited to welcome Kathleen Glasgow, bestselling US author of TikTok sensation Girl in Pieces. Kathleen discusses mental health issues and coming-of-age themes in her books. Her new novel The Glass Girl is the story of a teenage girl on the brink, and the bumpy road back to recovery. Hosted by mental health expert and writer, Tasha Bailey.
There is a book signing after this event
We’re so happy to welcome international bestselling author Kathleen Glasgow to our shop! Writing from personal experience of alcoholism and ‘expert self-medication’, Glasgow explores addiction and recovery with sensitivity and hope in this highly anticipated and deeply moving new book.
Tickets guarantee your place in the queue and a copy of The Glass Girl to be collected on the day. More books will be available to purchase.
Ticketholders will also be entered into a raffle: 3 winners will be announced on checking-in at the signing to win a selfcare gift box and a Rock the Boat YA goodie bag!
Join us for a YA panel like no other. Tackling mental health, writing through your feelings and what makes a story, join bestselling author, Kathleen Glasgow for a creative conversation like no other. Held at the stunning Whitworth Locke in Manchester city centre, cosy up for an Autumnal evening of literature and discussion.
Alongside her will be Amazon’s best YA Book of the Year 2023, Josh Silver and Carnegie medal-nominated writer Louisa Reid.
Hosted by journalist and presenter L’Oréal Blackett.
Your ticket includes one copy of the YA Panel author’s books, which they will sign and dedicate as well as your entry to the panel. You can select on the night between:
The Glass Girl – Kathleen Glasgow
Handle with Care – Louisa Reid
Dead Happy – Josh Silver
You’ll also be able to buy additional copies on the night.
Join us for an evening celebrating epic dystopian YA fiction with Moira Buffini and Josh Silver.
Moira Buffini is one of the UK’s leading scriptwriters. She has written acclaimed TV, films and plays, including The Dig (Bafta-nominated), Harlots, Jane Eyre, Tamara Drewe, Dinner and Handbagged. She co-chairs the board of trustees of Tonic, a charity which supports equality, diversity and inclusion across the performing arts. She is a fellow of the Royal Society of Literature and the Royal Society of Arts. Songlight is her debut novel. Moira lives in London.
Josh Silver grew up on a farm in the Lake District, before moving to Manchester with his family, where he spent his teenage years loving the city. He trained as an actor at the prestigious Royal Academy of Dramatic Art in London and went onto perform in the West End and on Broadway. After deciding to change careers, Josh now works with teenagers as a mental health nurse. Josh lives in Manchester.
Moira and Josh will be in conversation with Melissa Welliver.
Melissa Welliver is the author of two dystopian rom-coms, My Love Life and the Apocalypse and Soulmates and Other Ways to Die. The first book in her dark dystopian trilogy, The Undying Tower, will be published by UCLan Publishing in August 2024.
Join us Above the Bookshop in conversation with Zulekhá A. Afzal, debut author of Dancers of the Dawn – an enchanting story of magic, sisterhood, and belonging.
Zulekhá A. Afzal grew up in Cornwall. She now lives in Bath where she studied English Literature with Creative Writing and completed the MA in Writing for Young People at Bath Spa University. When she isn’t writing or working as an editorial assistant, you can find Zulekhá in a ballet class.
Deep in the desert, under the blazing sun, an elite troupe of dancers are trained to harness their magic. They are the queen’s most formidable assassins.
A special pre-publication event with an exciting new name in YA fantasy fiction, Zulekhá A. Afzal as she launches her stunning debut, Dancers of the Dawn. She talks to Joana Nadin.
Royal assassins and forbidden love! Join Zulekha A. Afzal and Molly X Chang as they share the stories of – and behind – their Romantasy debuts Dancers of the Dawn and To Gaze Upon Wicked Gods.
Zulekhá A. Afzal grew up in Cornwall. She now lives in Bath where she studied English Literature with Creative Writing and completed the MA in Writing for Young People at Bath Spa University. When she isn’t writing or working as an editorial assistant, you can find Zulekhá in a ballet class.
Born in Harbin, China, Molly X. Chang was raised on folklore told by the grandparents who taught her to take pride in the heritages and cultures that shaped her life, and the harrowing history of the ancestors who’d come before her. To Gaze Upon Wicked Gods is her debut novel.
This event will be chaired by Nyla Ahmad.
A Series of Unfortunate Events author Lemony Snicket talks about his cautionary tale, Poison for Breakfast, involving a bewildering note and a winding set of clues to solve the mystery of his own demise. Enjoy this thought-provoking discussion for curious children and adults with Lemony Snicket, the pen name of American novelist Daniel Handler. Hosted by Daniel Hahn.
Writer and poet Laura Dockrill presents three debut novelists writing across popular YA genres: TikTok star Bea Fitzgerald’s Greek myth re-imagining, Ravena Guron’s murder mystery, and Josh Silver’s dystopian novel. They talk about finding their voice, their creative processes and different paths to being published. Followed by a Q&A.
