Join editors Lily and Zoe online, and contributors, JL Hall, Adam Kelly Morton, Rob True and Maggie Sawkins and more, to celebrate the publication of A Wild and Precious Life (published by Unbound, 15th April, 2021).

We will all experience recovery at some point in our lives, whether from addiction, physical illness, mental health issues, or loss. In the experience of recovery, we may discover ways to live with our changed selves, and to reclaim a life. We may find a new voice, or unearth one which has been submerged.

Vitally, recovery can mean community. This anthology grew out of a small creative writing class run by Lily Dunn at Hackney Recovery Service, and was later broadened into a nationwide call for submissions by Dunn and her teaching partner, Zoe Gilbert. It represents a community of writers: new, unheard voices alongside emerging and established authors.

Theirs are stories from the dark back alleys, the deep crevices of the mind, and from the wild, ecstatic heights of life before, during and after recovery. These are voices that urgently need to be heard, in all their variety. Their writings include: a Scottish family who laughs its way through destitution and debauchery; a song to an addict now passed; the power of words to destroy and to heal; a girl waking up in her hospital bed ready to face her anorexia — and many more.

● In A Wild and Precious Life writers in recovery share their stories and celebrate the fact that recovery can mean community

● Includes work by celebrated writers such as Kerry Hudson (Lowborn), Julia Bell (Radical Attention), Michele Kirsch (Clean), and John O Donoghue (Sectioned: A Life Interrupted), alongside an exciting range of new and emerging voices

● Includes a foreword by Will Self

You will be emailed a link to Zoom a few days before the event which should be used to access the launch on 13th May.

About the Editors

Lily Dunn is an author, mentor and editor. Her first novel was published by Portobello Books and her memoir about the legacy of her father's various addictions will be published by Weidenfeld & Nicolson in Spring 2022. Her creative nonfiction has been published by Granta, Aeon and Litro. She co-runs London Lit Lab, with fellow writer and friend, Zoe Gilbert.

Zoe Gilbert is the author of two novels, Folk and the forthcoming Mischief Acts (Bloomsbury, Spring 2022). Her short stories have been broadcast on BBC radio, published internationally, and won prizes including the Costa Short Story Award. She teaches and mentors creative writers at London Lit Lab.

A Wild and Precious Life Launch