Susan Brownrigg and The Secret of Abney Hall, Meet The Author, readings and Q and A
Saturday 31.10.26 Widnes Library FREE No booking Required
The Secret of Abney Hall
Cheadle, near Manchester, December 1926.
Agatha Christie has been found. After a mysterious eleven-day disappearance, the world’s most famous crime writer is whisked away to Abney Hall to recover. But for her private nurse, Jane Goodbetter, the retreat is anything but peaceful.
As a local theatre troupe arrives to rehearse a macabre new play, the atmosphere turns sinister. Secrets are leaking to the press, and Jane’s own dark past at a wartime asylum threatens to surface.
Susan, is a Lancashire lass, she grew up in Wigan and now lives in Skelmersdale. She previously worked for twelve years in heritage and wildlife education, including as Learning Manager at Norton Priory Museum & Gardens, Runcorn. She has also worked at Rufford Old Hall, Tatton Park, Quarry Bank Mill, Catalyst Science Discovery Centre and Blackpool Zoo.
Event type: Literature
Paul Birtill: Blissful Oblivion – Book Launch
Writing on the Wall is delighted to announce a special night to launch Liverpool-born poet Paul Birtill’s superb new collection, Blissful Oblivion: Poems 2022–2026, published by Writing on the Wall.
Described by John Cooper Clarke as a poet who “makes me laugh and feel depressed at the same time and that’s a rare gift”, Birtill has built a distinctive body of work from the darker, stranger and frequently ridiculous sides of everyday life.
Blissful Oblivion finds him in unmistakable form. Ageing, mortality, family, childhood, sex, religion, memory, loneliness and the sheer inconvenience of being alive all come under his uncompromising gaze. The result is poetry that can move in a few lines from bleakness to laugh-out-loud comedy – and sometimes manage both at once.
At the launch, Paul will read from Blissful Oblivion as well as from earlier collections and will join us in conversation about this new collection, his Liverpool beginnings and his life in poetry.
Born in Walton, Liverpool in 1960 and now living in London, Paul Birtill has published numerous poetry collections with Hearing Eye and Wrecking Ball Press, including New and Selected Poems. His plays have also been staged at London theatres, including Squalor, which was shortlisted for the Verity Bargate Award.
Direct, funny, uncomfortable and sharply observant, Birtill’s poetry has little interest in pretending that life makes more sense than it does. As he writes elsewhere in the collection, poetry became a means of “translating pain into words” – an approach that lies at the heart of this funny, melancholic and unmistakably human collection.
Tickets:£5 – Event only£15 – Event plus a copy of Blissful Oblivion
Know Your History? WoW Archive Project Launch
Writing on the Wall is excited to announce a special event to launch our year-long programme of activity cataloguing, sharing and creatively interpreting WoW’s archive.
The title Know Your History? is intended as a provocation – how can we recognise and remember the struggles and achievements of the diverse communities that have shaped Liverpool? What role do archives, literature and storytelling play in ensuring that these histories are not lost?
We will be joined by Gary Younge, an award-winning author, broadcaster and a Professor of Sociology at the University of Manchester. Formerly editor-at-large at The Guardian, he has written seven books, most recently Pigeonholed: Creative Freedom as an Act of Resistance (Faber, 2025). He will reflect on his work with Writing on the Wall over the past 25 years, considering how WoW’s history can shine a light on changes in our broader social and political landscape and why it remains so important to understand and document these histories.
We’ll also have performances from artists in WoW’s creative community and an exhibition of items from our archive.
If you’ve been a part of WoW’s history over the past 25 years, or are passionate about archiving and local history, we would love you to join us – come and see archive materials on display and share your knowledge of WoW to help uncover, preserve and celebrate the often-overlooked heritage of Liverpool’s diverse communities.
Following on from the launch event there will be several opportunities to engage in the creation and celebration of WoW’s archive, including a free education and training programme, archival volunteering, and creative commissions. An expression of interest form for these activities can be found here.
If you’d like to attend our launch event, please book your place hereMonday 16th November, 7:30pm-9:00pmToxteth Library, Windsor Street, L8 1XF
Following on from the launch event there will be several opportunities to engage in the creation and celebration of WoW’s archive, including a free education and training programme, archival volunteering, and creative commissions. If you’d like to get involved in the project in the coming months, you can register your interest here.
About Gary Younge:
Gary Younge is an award-winning author, broadcaster and a Professor of Sociology at the University of Manchester. Formerly editor-at-large at The Guardian, he has written seven books, most recently Pigeonholed: Creative Freedom as an Act of Resistance (Faber, 2025). Winner of the 2023 Orwell Prize for Journalism and the 2025 Robert. B. Silvers Prize for Journalism, he has written for the New York Review of Books, Granta, GQ and New Statesman, among others, and made radio and television documentaries on subjects ranging from gay marriage to Brexit.
His fifth book, Another Day in the Death of America, won the J. Anthony Lukas Prize from Columbia School of Journalism and Nieman Foundation.
The National Lottery Heritage Fund
Using money raised by National Lottery players, The National Lottery Heritage Fund supports projects that connect people and communities with the UK’s heritage. 25 Years of of Creating Change Through the Power of the Word is made possible with The National Lottery Heritage Fund.
Thomas Glave & Stephen Small: In Conversation
Thomas Glave and Stephen Small join Dr Amal Abu-Bakare, Lecturer in the Politics of Race and Decolonial Studies at the University of Liverpool.
Thomas Glave is a Professor in the English Department at Binghamton University, State University of New York, author of five books and editor of Our Caribbean: A Gathering of Lesbian and Gay Writing from the Antilles. A two-time Fulbright Scholar and honorary visiting professor at the University of Liverpool, he serves on the editorial board of Wasafiri and is a trustee of Writing West Midlands and Peepal Tree Press. His latest essay collection, published by Jacaranda Books, will be out in the autumn.
Liverpool 8 born, Stephen Small is a Professor of the Graduate School in the Department of African Diaspora Studies at the University of California, Berkeley. He researches the history and sociology of Black people across the diaspora and his most recent book Black Liverpool: ‘the real thing’. West African, West Indian and Afro-American culture at the end of the twentieth century was published by Liverpool University Press.
Recapture Book Launch
Recapture is a yearlong publishing mentorship that takes budding writers with previous drug and alcohol dependency or mental health issues through the process of becoming a self-published writer. Within the year we have worked with industry professionals, created community workshops and submitted artist grants in the build-up to a public release and launch of full collections of writing: “Black, White and Rainbow Chaos” by Chloe Jones “Little Life Musings” by N.S G “What ye Doin Today?” by Jaimie Cannon “1095” by Simon Taylor These books will go on sale from the Tuesday 24th November , with all proceeds going towards the writers themselves to continue their craft. The first sale will be at the book launch happening at Make: Hamilton on Tuesday 24th November, 1-4pm. This day will also have exhibitions from the illustrators, guest music and poetry performances, talks around how to start your writing journey and how to network within the creative writing world, no matter your background or literacy level. This an abstinent celebration of the recovery community of Wirral and is welcome to all! Tickets are free and can be booked through this link, Recapture: Book launch Tickets, Tuesday, November 24 • 1 PM – 4 PM | Eventbrite If you are unable to or have issues with Eventbrite, you can email hannah.weiner@spiderproject.org.uk or call 0151 647 7723 Our first cohort are ready to read extracts from there new publications at this community launch event, and would love to invite yourself, or anyone who you may know that would enjoy this event. If you have any questions, please email hannah.weiner@spiderproject.org.uk or call 0151 647 7723
The 2026 Lowry Lounge: Malc, Magic and Mexico
Our annual celebration of Wirral-born writer Malcolm Lowry focuses on three new books.
Helen Tookey will discuss her new book ‘Outward Bound from Liverpool: Reading Malcolm Lowry‘, Mexican academic and writer Alberto Rebollo will talk about his novel, ‘The Demons of Mezcal’, along with the annual Lowry Colloquium he organises in Cuernavaca, and Mark Valentine (editor), Mark Goodall, Jonathan Wood and Michael Romer will discuss ‘The Magus of Mexico: Malcolm Lowry, Magic and Myth‘, which they contributed to.
£8 (booking required)
October Writing Advice Desk
The Windows ProjectWRITING ADVICE DESK
WEDNESDAY 7th OCTOBERat Liverpool Central LibraryWilliam Brown Street L3 8EW
Drop in between 5.30pm and 7.00pmfor one-to-one appraisal of scripts, stories, poemsand details of publishing opportunities, performance venues, workshops and courses
with
ALISON DOWN Screenwriter and poetBAFTA Rocliffe’s Emerging Children’s Writer.
DAVID WARDAuthor and poetEditor ‘Smoke’ magazineNominated for Carnegie Medal
Please book in on arrival. Each individual session usually lasts 20 minutes.
Masterclass: The Wreck of the Deutschland
Masterclasses offer an inspiring deep‑dive into literature, giving you the space to discover great stories, spark new ideas and share the experience with fellow book lovers. It’s a rewarding, energising way to take your reading to the next level in friendly and open-minded company.
Join us for a thought-provoking Shared Reading Masterclass exploring Gerard Manley Hopkins’ The Wreck of the Deutschland, a dramatic and deeply moving poem inspired by the real-life shipwreck of the SS Deutschland in 1875 and the loss of five Franciscan nuns fleeing religious persecution.
Led by The Reader’s founder, Jane Davis, we will delve into Hopkins’ vivid imagery, innovative language, and emotional intensity as he grapples with themes of faith, suffering, courage, and the search for meaning in the face of tragedy.
Diwali at the Storybarn
Join us to celebrate love and light with a very special Diwali session in collaboration with MILAP. There’ll be time to explore the magical Storybarn, and share Diwali inspired stories and crafts.
We strive to make all of our spaces and events as accessible as possible to all, please see our accessibility page to help you plan your visit.
Bookshop After Dark
Dare to discover your next chilling read this Halloween…
Whether you’re a curious newcomer looking for a gentle shiver or a seasoned horror fan hunting for your next nightmare, our Bookshop team will guide you through the dark and delightful world of spooky fiction.
To start the evening, we will chat through some beloved gothic and horror titles, from ghostly classics to modern chills, helping you discover your perfect spooky read. Then it’s time to explore our specially curated shelves, where haunted houses, vengeful spirits, gothic mysteries and creatures lurking in the dark await.
Who knows which book will call out to you…
Your ticket includes:
A glass of fizz on arrival
Recommendations from our Bookshop team
15% off all book purchases on the evening
A £5 National Book Token
Join us for a night of thrills, chills, and unforgettable stories, if you dare…
We strive to make all our spaces and events as accessible as possible to all, please see our accessibility page to help you plan your visit.