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

Sarah-Clare Conlon, Literature Editor

Book now

Literature Live: Nat Ogle, Gurnaik Johal and Saba Sams

28 March 2022

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

Writer Nat Ogle
Writer Nat Ogle.
Book now

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
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.

What's on: Literature

Dan Coxon.
LiteratureLiverpool
Writing The Magic launch at Dead Ink Bookshop

Writing the Magic (Essays on Crafting Fantasy Fiction) is the fourth in Liverpool-based publisher Dead Ink Books’ award-winning series of guides, and this launch event hears from editor Dan Coxon.

From £5.00
LiteratureManchester
Manchester Poets at Chorlton Library

This autumn Manchester Poets returns to its usual home of Chorlton Library, following its exile to Withington while renovations took place at the Carnegie HQ.

Free entry
LiteratureCalder Valley
Arvon’s Story House at Lumb Bank

We just celebrated former Poet Laureate Ted Hughes’s birthday in the town of his birth, now head to his former home Lumb Bank for Arvon’s Story House.

Free entry
Rose Condo
LiteratureKendal
Verbalise at Kendal Brewery Arts

Rose Condo is a multi-award-winning poet and spoken word artist, who carefully blends poetry and prose to create live shows she performs with aplomb.

From £11.00

Culture Guides

Cinema in the North

A host of Halloween horrors, experimental shorts, plus pioneering black British cinema make our October Cinema Guide.

Theatre in Manchester and the North
Theatre in the North

Theatre this month bursts with contrasts - from bold new writing and Black History Month highlights to contemporary arts and reimagined classics.

Exhibitions in the North

Galleries around the North are gearing up for a new season of exhibitions - from iconic art prizes to smaller, artist-led gems.

Wisp Press Image
Music in the North

From corrupted shoegaze to experimental electronica, post-hardcore to Indian classical, these are the shows that should be on your radar.