What’s On

Stephen May and Sophie Haydock discuss how they reimagined real life historical figures and events in their latest novels, Green Ink and Madame Matisse.  Green Ink explores the disappearance of…more

Get together with other poetry lovers in our friendly, informal group session hosted by Jamie Field and Rachel Curzon, two of Word Up North’s 2025 New Northern Poets. You’ll take…more

Hear some of the 40 best poems of the last 40 years, gathered from The North, the UK’s inspirational poetry magazine produced by The Poetry Business.  Editors Ann and Peter…more

Jo Hamilton was one of more than 700 sub-postmasters prosecuted by the Post Office based on false information, her story immortalised in the smash hit ITV drama Mr Bates vs…more

Jo Hamilton was one of more than 700 sub-postmasters prosecuted by the Post Office based on false information, her story immortalised in the smash hit ITV drama Mr Bates vs…more

Natural history museums are incredibly popular tourist attractions, but we don’t often stop to think about what they really tell us about our world. Jack Ashby, curator and president of…more

Join us for a showcase of readings by exceptional poets associated with the thriving University of Leeds Poetry Centre. Participating poets include Charlotte Eichler, John Whale, Maia Elsner, Matt Howard…more

When does a bandit become a monarch? When does a gang become a government? And is organised crime at the heart of every modern state? Join Professor Mark Galeotti for…more

Former Chief Whip and Conservative MP Simon Hart had a front-row seat to the most turbulent times in Britain’s recent political history. He’s seen and heard it all, from negotiations…more

Jung Chang’s global bestseller Wild Swans defined a generation. An epic personal history of Chang, her mother and grandmother – ‘three daughters of China’. Beginning with her grandmother’s birth in…more

Jung Chang’s global bestseller Wild Swans defined a generation. An epic personal history of Chang, her mother and grandmother – ‘three daughters of China’. Beginning with her grandmother’s birth in…more

Choose life. Choose love? Irvine Welsh joins us to discuss the sequel to his million-copy bestseller, Trainspotting. Men in Love picks up in a new era, as the Trainspotting crew…more

Hear from Word Up North’s 2025 cohort of New Northern Poets: Nóra Blascsók, Rachel Curzon, Nigeen Dara, Jamie Field, Vanessa Napolitano and Laura Strickland. This is a unique opportunity to…more

With more than five million listeners and having run for more than 20,000 episodes since its first broadcast in 1951, The Archers is a British institution. Join Archers writer, editor,…more

Enjoy an evening with actor and bestselling memoirist Hugh Bonneville.  The star of Paddington, W1A and Downton Abbey will delight us with brilliantly vivid stories from his glittering career on…more

Whether you’re trying to break into poetry publishing or simply want to meet with like-minded verse lovers, Word Up North’s informal networking event offers the opportunity to relax and make…more

Get lost in translation on this enthralling tour around the rarest languages in the world with writer and linguist Lorna Gibb.  Discover the history of rare languages, the cultures they…more

Buckle up for the adventure of a lifetime in this hilarious family event with Paddington star and children’s author, Hugh Bonneville. Find out how adventures on stage and screen helped…more

The Times political columnist Patrick Maguire and Sunday Times Whitehall Editor Gabriel Pogrund share the definitive, explosive behind-the-scenes account of Labour’s brutal reinvention and dramatic return to power under Keir…more

Women’s Prize for Fiction shortlisted writers Sanam Mahloudji and Nussaibah Younis discuss how their razor-sharp debut novels balance serious social and political subjects with deliciously dark humour. Mahloudji’s enormously entertaining…more