Beth Underdown at International Anthony Burgess Foundation

Sarah-Clare Conlon, Literature Editor

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Beth Underdown: Love makes as many

16 October 2018

Always double check opening hours with the venue before making a special visit.

Writer Beth Underdown
Writer Beth Underdown.
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Named by The Observer last year as one of its New Faces of Fiction and counting among her fans The Girl on the Train author Paula Hawkins – who described her debut novel, The Witchfinder’s Sister, as “vivid and terrifying” – Beth Underdown was the perfect choice to complete a writing residency at Quarry Bank Mill, on the Styal Estate near Wilmslow.

The Witchfinder’s Sister (out with Penguin Random House and a Richard & Judy Book Club pick) tells of the witch-hunts orchestrated by Matthew Hopkins in seventeenth-century Essex; Love Makes As Many, the result of her recent residency in Cheshire, explores women’s rights and the effects of Suffrage, which gave some the ability to vote a century ago, in 1918.

The new commission – being launched as part of this year’s Manchester Literature Festival programme – responds to the Lost Voices of Quarry Bank exhibition, which sheds light on the women who weren’t heard at the time, and who often remain lost to us today because of their age, status or means, and which can be seen at the working mill until 7 October 2018.

Supported by Trust New Art and working with the National Trust archive, Beth has been finding out how, a few brief weeks before the Armistice, the shortage of cotton brought a strange hush to Quarry Bank mill and the women who made their lives there suddenly found their voices – and found that their voices were finally being heard. Taking their stories as a starting point, and the surroundings as inspiration, Beth came up with Love Makes As Many, a limited-edition collection of ghost stories. These are ghost stories about love – and love stories about ghosts – that capture the voices of five women at Quarry Bank, and the echoes they left behind.

At this event in the atmospheric Engine House at the International Antony Burgess Foundation, Beth – who also manages to fit in lecturing in Creative Writing at The University of Manchester’s Centre for New Writing – will be reading some of her new stories, and discussing the writing residency at Quarry Bank with poet and short story writer Tania Hershman. As Tania is currently writer-in-residence at Manchester’s Southern Cemetery (the largest municipal cemetery in the United Kingdom and the second largest in Europe), she’s likely no stranger to the odd spooky goings-on, so you can expect some salient questions and perhaps a shiver down the spine now the nights are drawing in…

For more Trust New Art events in National Trust properties, read on. You can also see Beth at Rochdale Literature & Ideas Festival later in the month, on Saturday 20 October.

Where to go near Beth Underdown at International Anthony Burgess Foundation

Manchester
Café or Coffee Shop
Burgess Cafe Bar
at IABF

Small but perfectly-formed café – which also serves as the in-house bookstore, stocking all manner of Burgess-related works, along with recordings of his music. It’s a welcoming space, with huge glass windows making for a bright, welcoming atmosphere.

Dog Bowl bowling alley and restaurant Manchester.
Manchester
Bar or Pub
Dog Bowl

A bar and 10-pin bowling alley combined, Dog Bowl is a neon-lit venue that serves up cocktails and Tex-Mex food to go with your time on the lanes.

The Ritz Manchester live music venue
Manchester
Music venue
The Ritz

The Ritz was originally a dance hall, built in 1928, has hosted The Beatles, Frank Sinatra and The Smiths and is still going strong as a gig venue now.

Gorilla, Whitworth street Manchester
Manchester
Bar or Pub
Gorilla

Gorilla is a good choice for breakfast, lunch or dinner. From a hearty full English to meaty burgers via good vegan and veggie options. It also hosts some of the

HOME Manchester
Manchester
Theatre
HOME Manchester

Offering a packed schedule of events and things to do, HOME Manchester is one of the city’s leading hubs for arts and culture.

Manchester
Restaurant
Indian Tiffin Room, Manchester

Indian Tiffin Room is a restaurant specialising in Indian street food, with branches in Cheadle and Manchester. This is the information for the Manchester venue.

The Modernist shop
Manchester
Shop
Modernist Society

The bricks and mortar The Modernist shop opened in May 2019 in the Northern Quarter and is the only bookshop in Manchester specialising in architecture and design.

Rain Bar pub in Manchester
City Centre
Bar or Pub
Rain Bar

This huge three-floor pub, formerly a Victorian warehouse, then an umbrella factory (hence the name), has one of the city centre’s largest beer gardens. The two-tier terrace overlooks the Rochdale canal and what used to be the back of the Hacienda, providing an unusual, historic view of the city.

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