Amy Lilwall and John Ironmonger in conversation

Blackwell's are delighted to welcome Amy Lilwall and John Ironmonger to the shop to discuss their speculative and charged novels set amidst the climate crisis. Expect powerful readings, sharp insights and a lively discussion that asks: can fiction help us change the world?

Doors: 6.30pm, starts: 6.45pm.

Tickets are £4. Admission is free when purchasing a copy of either book.

About The Water That May Come:

As rising seas threaten to engulf Britain, four lives are on the brink: Pinko, a privileged heir clinging to decadence; Jane, a working-class veterinary nurse racing to reunite her family; her pregnant teenage daughter Ashleigh, grappling with impending motherhood; and humble young artist Gavin. With sanctuary beckoning across the Channel. Each faces impossible choices; who will they save? What will they sacrifice?

A lyrical, thought-provoking novel which blurs borders and challenges notions of identity and belonging. In a future where we all may become refugees, it asks: how far would you go to stay afloat?

About The Wager And The Bear:

When young idealist Tom publicly humiliates politician Monty in a Cornish pub, it sparks a simmering feud that cascades through their intertwined lives. The consequences of their argument, and the deadly wager they strike, will cascade down the decades.

Years later, they find themselves a long way from St Piran onto a colossal iceberg drifting south away from Greenland, their only companion a starving polar bear.

This is a heart-stopping tale of anger, tragedy, and enduring love, cast against the long unfolding backdrop of an irreversible global crisis.

About the authors:

Amy Lilwall was born and raised in the South East of England, spending several years teaching English in France before returning to the UK to complete her PhD in Creative Writing at the University of Kent. Now a teacher in Creative Writing at the University of Lincoln, she has a passion for imagining odd scenarios and alternative realities, often exploring themes of power imbalance and injustice in her work. Lilwall's debut novel, The Biggerers, established her as a voice to watch in speculative fiction. She coproduces the literary podcast On Silence and serves as a guest editor for The Lit literary journal.

John Ironmonger was born in East Africa and is now based in Cheshire. He has a doctorate in zoology, and was once an expert on freshwater leeches. He is the author of The Good Zoo Guide and the novels The Notable Brain of Maximilian Ponder (shortlisted for the 2012 Costa First Novel Prize and the Guardian‘s Not the Booker Prize), The Coincidence Authority and The Whale at the End of the World (an international bestseller). He has also been part of a world record team for speed reading Shakespeare, has driven across the Sahara in a £100 banger, and once met Jared Diamond in a forest in the middle of Sumatra.

Our event format is usually a 45 minute talk or discussion followed by a chance for audience members to ask questions. There will be the opportunity to get your book signed/dedicated after the event. Events are a brilliant opportunity to discover new books, meet authors and likeminded readers and learn something new.

Support your local bookshop and help us keep the Manchester literary scene vibrant and exciting. You can follow us on and social media (@BlackwellsMCR) to keep up to date on upcoming events.

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