Northern Bookshelf Live
Welcome Northern Bookshelf Live 2025 – connecting the best writers with libraries and readers across the North of England.
Following on from the successful launch of Northern Bookshelf Live 2024 which saw 24 libraries around the North programming over 30 author events with support from the programme, New Writing North is delighted to announce the new cohort of Northern authors taking part in library events throughout the region in 2025, covering crime-writing, poetry, Greek mythology, and children’s fiction.
These eight authors all currently live and work in the North of England and from spring onwards, they will be joining libraries around the region to take part in author events for their most recently published books.
Keep an eye on this page to see events happening near you in 2025!
Featured authors:
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Sarah Brooks
Sarah Brooks won the Lucy Cavendish Prize in 2019 and a Northern Debut Award from New Writing North in 2021 for her debut historical fantasy novel The Cautious Traveller’s Guide to the Wastelands (2024). She works in East Asian Studies at the University of Leeds where she also helps run the Leeds Centre for New Chinese Writing. Originally from Lancashire, she now lives in Leeds.
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Sairish Hussain
Sairish Hussain is a Bradford based author. Her debut novel, The Family Tree (2020), was published by HarperCollins and shortlisted for the Costa First Novel Award, the Portico Prize and The Diverse Book Awards. It was also longlisted for the Authors’ Club Best First Novel Award and winner of Calibre Audio’s ‘Hidden Gem’ Prize. Her second novel, Hidden Fires, was published in 2024.
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Tawseef Khan
Tawseef Khan is a qualified immigration solicitor who holds a doctoral degree from the University of Liverpool, where he examined the fairness of the British asylum system. His debut non-fiction book Muslim, Actually was published by Atlantic in 2021, and his debut novel, Determinations, was published by Footnote Press in 2024. He is based in Manchester.
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Eirinie Lapidaki
Eirinie Lapidaki is an author based in Gateshead. Early chapters of her debut novel, The Wives of Halcyon, won a Northern Writers Award, and was later published by Legend Press in 2024. She is currently working on her next novel, about medical gaslighting, chronic illness, and the wellness industry.
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Len Pennie
Len Pennie is a poet who writes predominantly in the Scots language. She writes passionately about the promotion of minoritised languages, survivors of domestic abuse and the destigmatisation of mental illness. She began sharing a “Scots word of the day” on TikTok in 2020 and now has over 700k followers. Poyums (2024), a Sunday Times bestseller, is her debut collection. She lives in Newcastle.
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Ashley Thorpe
Ashley Thorpe is a children’s author and editor at Storymix, where he helps other writers to create epic stories, and is passionate about expanding representation for young readers. He lives in Manchester and is a trustee of Manchester Libraries Trust. The Boy to Beat the Gods (2024) is his first book.
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Lizzy Tiffin
Lizzy Tiffin is a journalism graduate from the North East of England. She has always been passionate about mythology, but the closest she got to Ancient Greece was an 18-30’s holiday in Zante. Her debut non-fiction book, Bad Girls of Ancient Greece, was published in 2024 by Harper North.
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Trevor Wood
Trevor Wood is an award-winning author of three crime novels set in Newcastle’s homeless community, and a standalone thriller set in Northumberland. He lives in Newcastle and is one of the founding members of the Northern Crime Syndicate. The Silent Killer (2025) is his fifth novel, featuring a senior police officer who is in the first stages of Early Onset Dementia.
Featured books:
Find an event near you
Trevor Wood at Washington Library – 2 April
Tickets £3
Book a place
Culture House Sunderland is thrilled to host North-East crime author Trevor Wood for a conversation about his latest crime novel with a twist, The Silent Killer. This book is the first in a Newcastle-set police procedural series featuring DCI Jack Parker, a detective with a secret. He has Early Onset Dementia and he will do anything and everything to keep it hidden from his peers and the criminals he’s investigating. Whilst staying within the realms of the police procedural genre, this cracking thriller will explore character in depth and with sensitivity, as well as with the author’s trademark dark humour.
Trevor Wood has lived in Newcastle Upon Tyne, for more than 30 years. He’s a former playwright who has also worked as a journalist. Prior to that he served in the Royal Navy for 16 years. His first novel, The Man on the Street, set in Newcastle’s homeless community, won several awards and was auctioned for television. His following books completed his first trilogy and were equally successful. The Silent Killer is his latest book and the first of a new series.
Trevor Wood and Eirinie Lapidaki at The Word – 26 April
Saturday 26 April, 2pm, The Word
Tickets free
Book a place
Join Trevor Wood and Eirinie Lapidaki as they discuss their books and what it means to them to be part of this year’s Northern Bookshelf Live.
About Trevor Wood
Trevor Wood is an award-winning author of three crime novels set in Newcastle’s homeless community, and a standalone thriller set in Northumberland. He lives in Newcastle and is one of the founding members of the Northern Crime Syndicate. The Silent Killer (2025) is his fifth novel, featuring a senior police officer who is in the first stages of Early Onset Dementia.
About Eirinie Lapidaki
Eirinie Lapidaki is an author based in Gateshead. Early chapters of her debut novel, The Wives of Halcyon, won a Northern Writers’ Award, and was later published by Legend Press in 2024. She is currently working on her next novel, about medical gaslighting, chronic illness, and the wellness industry.
SPRING WRITE FESTIVAL
Spring into writing, storytelling, mystery and much more with our fabulous week long festival! Our Spring WRITE Festival will give you a flavour of what’s to come at WRITE Festival 2025 which takes place throughout September.
Eirinie Lapidaki, Len Pennie and Lizzy Tiffin at Hebden Bridge Library - 1 May
Tickets Free
An ‘in conversation’ with an audience Q&A. Introduction from Michelle Barlow with a short reading from each author followed by 40 min conversation and 15 min audience Q&A. Book signing also available at the end.
Panellists:
Len Pennie is a poet who writes predominantly in the Scots language. She writes passionately about the promotion of minoritised languages, survivors of domestic abuse and the destigmatisation of mental illness. She began sharing a “Scots word of the day” on TikTok in 2020 and now has over 700k followers. Poyums (2024), a Sunday Times bestseller, is her debut collection.
Lizzy Tiffin is a journalism graduate from the Northeast of England. She has always been passionate about mythology, but the closest she got to Ancient Greece was an 18-30’s holiday in Zante. Her debut non-fiction book, Bad Girls of Ancient Greece, was published in 2024 by Harper North.
Eirinie Lapidaki is an author based in Gateshead. Early chapters of her debut novel, The Wives of Halcyon, won a Northern Writers Award, and was later published by Legend Press in 2024. She is currently working on her next novel, about medical gaslighting, chronic illness, and the wellness industry.
Sairish Hussain at Bolton Central Library - 1 May
Thursday 1 May, 7:15pm, Bolton Central Library
Tickets Free Book a place
Join us for an evening talk with Sairish Hussain as she discusses her novel ‘Hidden Fires‘. From the Costa Prize-shortlisted author of The Family Tree and Women’s Prize x Good Housekeeping Futures Finalist, Hidden Fires is a powerful story of grief and loss, the power of family and the long arm of history.
Books with be available to purchase at this event and there will be an opportunity to get them signed and ask the author questions.
Trevor Wood at Elland Library - 15 May
Thursday 15 May, 2:00pm, Elland Library
Tickets Free
An ‘in conversation’ with an audience Q&A. Introduction from Michelle Barlow with a short reading from Trevor Wood author followed by 40 min conversation and 15 min audience Q&A. Book signing also available at the end.
Trevor Wood is an award-winning author of three crime novels set in Newcastle’s homeless community, and a standalone thriller set in Northumberland. He lives in Newcastle and is one of the founding members of the Northern Crime Syndicate. The Silent Killer (2025) is his fifth novel, featuring a senior police officer who is in the first stages of Early Onset Dementia.
Eirinie Lapidaki at Houghton Library – 5 June
Tickets £3
Book a place
Culture House Sunderland is delighted to welcome author Eirinie Lapidaki for a talk on her fantastic debut novel, The Wives of Halcyon, a powerful story of coercive control, motherhood and extraordinary women living under the laws of a charismatic cult leader in the remote Scottish settlement of Halcyon. But cracks have begun to form in the community’s idyllic façade which will test the loyalty of the women and force them to come together as danger mounts within their isolated community.
Born in the north-east of England and currently living in Gateshead, Eirinie studied English Literature at St Andrews and completed her MLitt at Newcastle University. She began writing her debut novel, The Wives of Halcyon, while working as a bookseller at Waterstones, and won a Northern Writers’ Award from New Writing North with this novel. Eirinie is currently working on her next novel, about the wellness industry and its impact on women’s bodies.
Trevor Wood at Northallerton Library - 11 June
Wednesday 11 June, 7:00pm, Northallerton Library
Tickets £3
Email [email protected] or call 01609 533832 to book.
Award-winning crime writer Trevor Wood will be in conversation at Northallerton library on Wednesday, 11 June, at 7pm, talking about his latest novel, The Silent Killer, and his other work.
The Silent Killer is a Newcastle-set police thriller with a twist. With a series of murders terrorising the neighbourhood and one of his closest colleagues lying in the mortuary following a hit and run, DCI Jack Parker thinks things are as tough as they have ever been. But he is about to confront one killer he can’t stop: early onset dementia.
Tickets cost £3 and are available from Northallerton library. Visit the library, call 01609 533832 or email northallerton.library@northyorks.gov.uk. Places are limited, so booking is essential.
Len Pennie at Morpeth Library – 11 June
Tickets £8
Book a place
Join us at Morpeth Library for an evening of poetry with Len Pennie!
Len Pennie is a poet who writes predominantly in the Scots language. She writes passionately about the promotion of minoritised languages, survivors of domestic abuse and the destigmatisation of mental illness.
Poyums, a Sunday Times bestseller, is her debut collection.
Lizzy Tiffin at Horsforth Library – 17 June
Tickets pay-as-you-feel, on sale from 20 May at ticketsource.co.uk/leedslibraryevents
You’ve heard all about the ‘brilliant men’ of ancient myth, but what about the scheming and scandalous women who were so often lost in their shadow? Author Lizzy Tiffin’s non-fiction debut Bad Girls of Ancient Greece contains profiles of wayward wives, mad mothers, scandalous sisters, and damsels who quite frankly caused others A LOT of stress in the ancient world.
Join us for an evening with Lizzy Tiffin at Horsforth Library, as we dive into her accessible, intelligent, hilarious (and sometimes spicy!) guide to the women of ancient mythology.
This event is pay-as-you-feel and is BYOB for ticketholders. Doors will open from 6.45, and there will be a break to socialise, relax and browse the library halfway through the event. The event will include a talk from the author and a Q&A.
Tawseef Khan at The Compton Centre - 17 June
Tuesday 17 June, 6:30pm, The Compton Centre Community Hub
Tickets Pay as You Feel
For Refugee Week 2025, join us in conversation with author Tawseef Khan at the Compton Centre, to discuss his debut novel Determination, longlisted for the 2025 Jhalak prize.
Tawseef is a qualified immigration solicitor and holds a doctoral degree from the University of Liverpool, where he examined the fairness of the British asylum system. He is also a graduate of the creative writing programme at the University of East Anglia, where he received the Seth Donaldson Memorial Bursary. His fiction has appeared in Lighthouse and Test Signal: a Northern anthology; his non-fiction in the New York Times, The Face and Hyphen. His debut non-fiction book Muslim, Actually was published by Atlantic in 2021. His debut novel Determination will be published in paperback on 19 June 2025. He lives in Manchester.
Trevor Wood at Bolton Central Library - 19 June
Thursday 19 June, 1:00pm, Bolton Central Library
Tickets Free Book a place
Join us for a lunchtime author talk with crime author Trevor Wood as part of National Crime Reading Month.
Books with be available to purchase at this event, with an opportunity for them to be signed and to ask the author questions.
Lizzy Tiffin at Seaton Carew Library – 20 June
Tickets TBC at crossingthetees.org
You’ve heard all about the ‘brilliant men’ of ancient myth, but what about the scheming and scandalous women who were so often lost in their shadow?
Bad Girls of Ancient Greece contains profiles of wayward wives, mad mothers, scandalous sisters and damsels, that quite frankly, caused others A LOT of stress in the ancient world.
Lizzy Tiffin is a journalism graduate from the North East of England. She has always been passionate about mythology, but the closest she got to Ancient Greece was an 18-30s holiday in Zante. With the recent rise of mythological retellings, Lizzy has created a guide on the female characters, rooted in humour and accessibility.
Sarah Brooks at Norton Library – 21 June
Tickets TBC at crossingthetees.org
Sarah Brooks discusses how the history of the real Trans-Siberian Express – and the experience of travelling from Beijing to Moscow at a time of rapid change for both Russia and China – inspired her novel The Cautious Traveller’s Guide to the Wastelands, which is set on a fantastical version of this famous train.
Sarah Brooks lives in Leeds and works in East Asian Studies at the University of Leeds. She won the Lucy Cavendish Fiction Prize in 2019, and a Northern Writers Debut Award in 2021. The Cautious Traveller’s Guide to the Wastelands is Sarah’s first novel and was a Sunday Times Bestseller.
Sarah Brooks at Marsden Library - 26 June
Thursday 26 June, 7pm, Marsden Library
Tickets £3
The Cautious Traveller’s Guide to the Wastelands – Readings and Q&A
Come join us at Marsden Library for an evening of literary escapism. Sarah Brooks will read from her debut novel and Sunday Times Bestseller, The Cautious Traveller’s Guide to the Wastelands, a historical fantasy set on a version of the Trans-Siberian express. “It is said there is a price that every passenger must pay. A price beyond the cost of a ticket.”
Audience Q&A, book signing and sales.
Trevor Wood at Newton Aycliffe Library - 3 July
Thursday 3 July, 11am, Newton Aycliffe Library
Tickets Free
Email [email protected] or call 03000 269 519 to book your free place.
In partnership with New Writing North, Newton Aycliffe Library is hosting an “in-conversation” with Trevor Wood. The Silent Killer is the first book in a Newcastle set police procedural series with a twist. DCI Jack Parker has a secret; he has early onset Dementia and will do anything to hide it from his peers and the people’s he’s investigating.
Eirinie Lapidaki at Consett Library - 5 July
Saturday 5 July, 10:30am, Consett Library
Tickets Free
Email [email protected] or call 03000 269 513 to book your free place.
In partnership with New Writing North, Consett Library is hosting an “in-conversation” with Eirinie Lapidaki, who will discuss her debut novel, The Wives of Halcyon.
Born in the North East, Eirinie began writing her novel while she was working as a bookseller at Waterstones.
Eirinie Lapidaki at Jesmond Library - 9 July
Wednesday 9 July, 7pm, Jesmond Library
Tickets £5 – Pay on the door
Eirinie Lapidaki in conversation with Dr Deniz Yonucu, Senior Lecturer of Sociology at Newcastle University, and Jesmond Library Book Club.
Three women controlled by one man – their charismatic husband Elijah, leader of their cult who dictates every aspect of life in the remote Scottish settlement of Halcyon. But cracks have begun to form in the community’s idyllic façade…
A powerful story of coercive control, motherhood and extraordinary women, The Wives of Halcyon asks questions about the way we perceive faith and family.
Len Pennie at Jesmond Library - 16 July
Wednesday 16 July, 7pm, Jesmond Library
Tickets £5
An Evening of Poetry with Len Pennie at Jesmond Library.
Len Pennie, whose debut poetry collection ‘poyums’, won Scots Book of the Year 2024 and was a Sunday Times bestseller, will perform and discuss her work. During the evening she will explore the darker side of love – violence, pain and obsession. Her poems are emotional, wrapped in beautiful language which also shows courage and innate strength.
The evening will be hosted by local poet Christine Fowler and will also include an Open Mic for up to 10 performers. Please email [email protected] to book your time slot.
Tawseef Khan at Marsden Library - 4 September
More events to be announced!
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If you have any questions about Northern Bookshelf Live, or want to find out how your library can get involved, email us at [email protected].