Literature Live: Nat Ogle, Gurnaik Johal and Saba Sams at Burgess Foundation

Sarah-Clare Conlon, Literature Editor

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Literature Live: Nat Ogle, Gurnaik Johal and Saba Sams

28 March 2022

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Writer Nat Ogle
Writer Nat Ogle.
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The Literature Live programme from the University of Manchester’s Centre for New Writing is back in full swing, this time welcoming graduates Nat Ogle, Gurnaik Johal and Saba Sams reading from their work and chatting to author, lecturer and literary editor Luke Brown.

Saba Sams’ debut collection of short stories Send Nudes was published by Bloomsbury earlier this year, and described by the Guardian as “rare and uplifting”.

Darlington-born Nat Ogle came to Manchester to study, and left with a Bachelors, a Masters and a PhD from the Centre for New Writing, and now works as a bookseller in London. His “original and provocative” debut novel In The Seeing Hands Of Others is published by Serpent’s Tail in 2022 and tells the story of a contentious trial, pieced together in documents from the accused and accuser.

Gurnaik Johal is a writer from West London and works in children’s publishing. He was shortlisted for the Guardian 4th Estate BAME Short Story Prize in 2018 and graduated from the University of Manchester in 2019. His story collection We Move, centred around the Indian diaspora in West London, will be published by Serpent’s Tail in April 2022.

Saba Sams is a fiction writer based in London. Her stories have appeared in The Stinging Fly and The Tangerine, and she was shortlisted for The White Review Short Story Prize in 2019. Saba Sams’ debut collection of short stories Send Nudes was published by Bloomsbury earlier this year, and described by the Guardian as “rare and uplifting”. Madeleine Feeny described it as “acute portraits of the fragile intimacies and euphoric moments snatched by a generation of women coming of age into a precarious future”.

Luke Brown is a lecturer in creative writing at the Centre for New Writing and the author of the novels My Biggest Lie (2014) and Theft (2020). Having worked as a commissioning editor, for the prizewinning small press Tindal Street Press, and later as deputy editor of Granta magazine, Luke still works as an editor on a freelance basis for a variety of literary imprints, and reviews books for the Financial TimesLondon Review of BooksTimes Literary Supplement and New Statesman.

Taking place in real life at the International Anthony Burgess Foundation, this event’s ticket price includes discounts at the bookstall run by Blackwell’s bookshop.

In The Seeing Hands Of Others by Nat Ogle
In The Seeing Hands Of Others by Nat Ogle

Where to go near Literature Live: Nat Ogle, Gurnaik Johal and Saba Sams at 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
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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
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The Ritz

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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 best gigs and events in Manchester.

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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