Rewriting The North: Catherine Simpson and Adam Farrer online

Sarah-Clare Conlon, Literature Editor

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Rewriting the North: Catherine Simpson and Adam Farrer on Memoir

15 September 2022

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Cold Fish Soup by Adam Farrer
Cold Fish Soup by Adam Farrer
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The next event in The Portico’s Rewriting The North series, which celebrates writers and writing connected with the North of England, features Catherine Simpson and Adam Farrer in conversation with New Writing North’s Will Mackie, covering life writing, memoir and lines (or not) between (auto)biography and fiction. Dr David Cooper from the Centre for Place Writing at Manchester Metropolitan University will introduce the event, which takes place online via Zoom.

Catherine Simpson and Adam Farrer in conversation with New Writing North’s Will Mackie, covering life writing, memoir and lines (or not) between (auto)biography and fiction.

Catherine Simpson is a memoirist, novelist, poet and short story writer based in Edinburgh. Her memoir One Body (2022) was recently published by Saraband, and follows an earlier memoir, When I Had A Little Sister (4th Estate, 2019), and her debut novel, Truestory (Sandstone Press, 2015). She is a regular reviewer on BBC Radio Scotland’s Tuesday Review.

Adam Farrer is a writer and editor based in Manchester. His first book, Cold Fish Soup – a memoir in essays about the Yorkshire coast – won the NorthBound Book Award at the 2021 Northern Writers’ Awards and is published by Saraband, with a launch event at Blackwell’s on 8 September – more here. He also wrote one of the Portico’s Rewriting the North podcasts.

Will Mackie is Senior Programme Manager for Writing and Awards at new Writing North, leading on talent development and devising programmes of support for writers and translators while working alongside partners such as Channel 4, Hachette Children’s Group and the British Council. Additionally, he manages New Writing North’s literary prizes – the David Cohen Prize and the Gordon Burn Prize – and Read Regional, NWN’s programme of library activities in the North.

The 2022 season of Rewriting the North explores themes in the Portico Prize 2022 winning novel, Toto Among The Murderers by Sally J Morgan, which captures life for young women on the edges of counterculture in 1970s Sheffield and Leeds. Themes that are explored in the novel and that will be discussed during the events include the impact of male violence, fiction about the recent past, memoir fused with fiction, writing about the north at a distance, and women’s art.

Rewriting the North is funded by the Arts Council and is curated by the Portico Library in partnership with the Centre for Place Writing, Manchester Metropolitan University.

Where to go near Rewriting The North: Catherine Simpson and Adam Farrer online

Hern Food
Leeds
Restaurant
Hern

This produce-driven bistro in Chapel Allerton, Leeds, prides itself on cooking with the only finest ingredients and his headed up by Cordon Bleu-trained chef Rab Adams.

Indie Makers
Leeds
Shop
Indie Makers

Indie Makers, located in Leads’ corn exchange, trades in art and gifts from independent makers across the UK.

Plant Point
Leeds
Shop
Plant Point

Plant Point is designed to help you bring the jungle into your urban or suburban space. The home of beautiful plants in Leeds.

Leeds
Restaurant
Eat Your Greens

Eat Your Greens is a vibrant, organic restaurant bringing a hint of European flair to the city’s plant-based dining scene.

Sela opened in 2004 with an idea to provide quality imported beers from around the world, fun cocktails to compliment the beer selections and a stage for the region’s finest and most talented musicians to play on.Over ten years later, we’re still all about the beer, cocktails, live music and pizza!We carry over a selection of over thirty different beers spanning the globe from Pickering with The Great Yorkshire Brewery’s Yorkshire Blackout, to New York with a selection from Brooklyn Brewery, and Belgium with longtime Sela favourite, Vedett.Our cocktails change regularly too. Our best-sellers are joined by fun, new offerings and our pizza menu is regarded as one of the best the city of Leeds has to offer.As for the live music, Sela has had not only the great and the good from the region. Local funksters, The New Mastersounds are regular visitors and we stage the amazing Mojah Reggae Band for their weekly Wednesday residency.  Our other long running programming incl
Leeds
Restaurant
Sela Bar & Pizzeria

Sela Bar is a cosy Leeds basement spot with live music, great drinks, and a cool, laid-back, atmospheric vibe.

Leeds Beckett SU
Leeds
Restaurant
Leeds Beckett Student Union

Leeds Beckett Student Union hosts big-name artists and supports students through events, live music, and a vibrant campus venue.

Located on Cardigan Fields Leisure Park, Vue Leeds Kirkstall is a nine screen cinema with almost 2000 seats. There's ample parking and the cinema is surrounded by various restaurants and entertainment facilities, making for a great evening out!

Watch the latest film releases and enjoy the industry-leading Sony 4K Digital screens, boasting spectacular picture quality, along with enhanced audio quality courtesy of Dolby 'Profound Sound'. Stepped SuperVue seating means you will never miss a second of the action while VIP seating guarantees you an extra touch of luxury whenever you want to upgrade.

Three of the nine screens showcase the newest 3D releases while Vue Classical brings the latest stage sensations to the big screen, and parents can save as they go with Family Tickets and Kids AM screenings offering great value for money.
Leeds
Cinema
Vue Cinema – Leeds Kirkstall Road

Located on Cardigan Fields Leisure Park, Vue Leeds Kirkstall is a nine screen cinema with almost 2000 seats. There’s ample parking and the cinema is surrounded by various restaurants and

Restaurant 2
Leeds
Café or Coffee Shop
Empire Café

Empire Café is located in Leeds’ ‘home of day dining’- Fish street!

Restaurant
Leeds
Restaurant
Phranakhon

Phranakhon Thai Tapas is a revolutionised Thai dining restaurant with a combination of European indulgence and authentic Thai tastes.

Restaurant
Leeds
Restaurant
Wen’s

Wen’s is a family owned Chinese restaurant specialising in authentic, home cooked cuisine.

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