TOWN FESTIVAL: RLF Writers on "The Writer & the City"

Join three acclaimed Royal Literary Fund writers for this unique hour of discussion and short readings on the fascinating theme of The Writer & the City. With music writer and biographer Zoe Howe, novelist, short story writer and memoirist Pete Kalu and poet and playwright Amanda Dalton.

About the writers:

Zoë Howe has produced acclaimed biographies of The Slits, Poly Styrene, the Jesus & Mary Chain, Wilko Johnson, Stevie Nicks, Lee Brilleaux and others. Zoë was part of the team behind award-winning documentary Poly Styrene: I Am A Cliché, and she has made radio programmes for Absolute Radio, Resonance FM and Soho Radio amongst others. Zoë is a Royal Literary Fund Writing Fellow in residence at UCLH. Her debut novel Shine On, Marquee Moon was shortlisted for the Virginia Prize in 2016, and her latest book, The Jam: 1982, was published in 2023 (Omnibus).

Pete Kalu’s forthcoming memoir/essay collection is Act Normal (Hope Road/Peepal Tree 2025) and his most recent novel is One Drop (Andersen Press 2023). His short stories can be found in Collision (Comma Press 2023), Glimpse (Peepal Tree 2023), Lancashire Stories (Lancashire Libraries 2023), Closure (Peepal Tree 2015), Seaside Special (Bluemoose 2018) and A Country to Call Home (Unbound 2017). He was part of a team that created the story architecture for the RPG Game Simulacrum Funk / Welcome to the Bloods longlisted for a New Digital Media prize in 2023. He received a Society of Authors Travelling Scholarship Award in 2024.

Amanda Dalton is a poet, playwright and essayist. Her poetry collections How To Disappear, Stray and Fantastic Voyage (2024) are published by Bloodaxe Books. Poetry pamphlets include an experimental poetry ‘sketchbook,’ 30 Poems In Thirty Days (Arc 2021) and Notes on Water (smith|doorstop 2022). For theatre and BBC Radio 4 and 3 she writes original drama, essays and adaptations and she frequently works in collaboration with other artists and artforms. She is a visiting lecturer at Manchester University and MMU’s Writing School, and an RLF Fellow. Amanda lives in Hebden Bridge. Her website is at amandadalton.co.uk

Founded in 1790, the Royal Literary Fund (RLF) is a UK charity that helps writers in financial need. Since 1999, their RLF Education programmes have created earning opportunities for over 750 professional writers at over 100 universities and institutions. Most begin as RLF Fellows, teaching students writing skills across the UK, from Aberdeen to Aberystwyth, Belfast to Brighton. Many then continue to work with the RLF by creating local reading round groups, leading expressive writing sessions, and helping develop writing skills in the workplace.

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