Twelve books by northern authors have been selected for Read Regional 2017, the annual campaign that connects authors with readers in library settings across the North, including North Yorkshire.
Read Regional is a celebration of brilliant new books from the North of England, run in partnership by New Writing North, North Yorkshire County Council and 22 other library authorities across the region. Founded in 2008, it has previously promoted authors including Melvin Burgess, Ann Cleeves, Kim Moore and Mari Hannah.
The 2017 campaign encourages readers to ‘take a risk’ with their reading, by picking up a book by a new writer or by reading in a different genre. Ten of this year’s selected titles are debuts, and the wide variety of literary fiction, crime fiction, memoir, creative non-fiction, poetry and writing for children, offers readers the chance to try something different.
More than 80 inspiring author events will take place across the North this spring as part of Read Regional, including workshops, book group discussions and readings.
Kathleen McKay, Shelley Day and A. A. Dhand will all be visiting North Yorkshire between March and June.
Friday 3 March, 6.30pm Kathleen McKay Northallerton Library 01609 533832
Tuesday 23 May, 7pm Shelley Day Richmond Library 01609 534580
Thursday 8 June, 7pm A. A. Dhand Crosshills Library 01609 534502
For more information and to buy tickets, contact the library.
Libraries across North Yorkshire will create special displays of the books, while readers can also download a reading guide for each title and follow the authors as they write about their experiences on the New Writing North blog.
Following the spring campaign, the Read Regional titles will remain in stock in libraries, adding to the wealth of new northern literature readers can borrow from local libraries.
The 2017 list contains a selection of exciting new books by some of the best contemporary writers in the North. The Read Regional titles are as:
Walking the Lights by Deborah Andrews (Freight)
The Lost Art of Sinking by Naomi Booth (Penned in the Margins)
The Confession of Stella Moon by Shelley Day (Contraband)
Streets of Darkness by A. A. Dhand (Transworld)
The Death’s Head Chess Club by John Donoghue (Atlantic)
You Could Do Something Amazing With Your Life [You Are Raoul Moat] by Andrew Hankinson (Scribe)
Greetings from Grandpa by Jack Mapanje (Bloodaxe)
Hard Wired by Kathleen McKay (Moth)
Katy Parker and the House That Cried by Margaret Mulligan (Bloomsbury)
The Lightless Sky by Gulwali Passarlay (Atlantic)
The Curious Charms of Arthur Pepper by Phaedra Patrick (HarperCollins)
Every Little Sound by Ruby Robinson (Pavilion)
The Read Regional titles are selected by New Writing North from an open submission process, and in 2017 include several award-winning titles. Andrew Hankinson’s book about Raoul Moat won the Crime Writers’ Association Gold Dagger for Non-Fiction 2016 and Naomi Booth’s The Lost Art of Sinking won the Saboteur Award for Best Novella 2016. Ruby Robinson’s poetry collection Every Little Sound was shortlisted for the 2016 Felix Dennis Prize for Best First Collection and for the T S Eliot Prize 2016.
County Councillor Chris Metcalfe, Executive Member for Library and Information Services, said: “I’m delighted that North Yorkshire libraries are once again involved in the Read Regional project. Author visits are always popular with readers, and the opportunity to meet northern authors gives these events added appeal.”
Claire Malcolm, Chief Executive, New Writing North, said: “We are excited to announce this year’s Read Regional list, which must be one of our strongest yet. Read Regional is all about celebrating new books by authors in the North, and encouraging readers in the region to pick up a new title and perhaps come and meet the author in their local library. Libraries are the perfect places to challenge your reading, and we are fortunate to work with librarians who are passionate about promoting new authors and helping readers to find books they will love. We hope all readers will add a Read Regional title to their reading list this spring.”
Follow the writers’ journeys on the New Writing North website, where you will also find details of events and reading guides www.newwritingnorth.com.