Join indie publisher Comma Press at The Book Corner to celebrate The Book of Bradford, the latest in Comma's Reading the City series. David Barnett will be hosting the event, joined by M.Y. Alam and Lesley McEvoy.
A city built on proud northern values, but one which also boasts one of the UK’s youngest and most diverse populations, Bradford is nothing if not a place of immense contrasts. Bringing together fiction from some of the city's most celebrated writers, this anthology reflects this intriguing juxtaposition, celebrating the city’s infinite potential while robustly challenging the sometimes unwelcome stereotypes. During this event, you'll hear readings from The Book of Bradford, followed by a discussion with the authors and the chance to ask your own questions.
Comma Press is a Manchester-based independent publisher, initially founded to redress the dearth of short-story publishing opportunities in the UK. Comma has built an international reputation for excellent and ground-breaking commissioning. Comma has published two subsequent Nobel Prize winners; it has sold rights to its titles into over 30 languages, seen over 60 stories broadcast on BBC Radio 4 and had two stories adapted for the big screen.
David Barnett was born and brought up in Wigan and is the author of several novels, his most recent being the folk horror books WITHERED HILL and SCUTTLER’S COVE, and the festive rom-com THE LITTLE CHRISTMAS LIBRARY. His internationally-published novel CALLING MAJOR TOM was set in Wigan, and translated into a dozen languages. David also writes comics, and created the first Wigan-born character for DC Comics. He also works as a journalist, writing for the Guardian, Independent, Observer, Sunday Times and more, and starting his career with the Chorley Guardian and the Wigan Evening Post.
M.Y. Alam has written several works of fiction, including crime novels such as Annie Potts is Dead (1998), Kilo (2002) and Red Laal (2012). He has also written a range of academic texts and oral histories relating to race, class, consumption and the extent to which Muslims are invariably framed as a threat. He has produced research about multiculture as well as popular culture, sport, consumption, car cultures and postcolonial literatures. His forthcoming publication with Bristol University Press, Race, Coloniality and the Academy: An Ethnography, will be released in September 2025.
Lesley McEvoy was born and bred in Yorkshire and has had a passion for writing all her life. The writing took a backseat as Lesley developed her career as a Behavioural Analyst, Profiler and Psychotherapist. Lesley’s work in some of the UK’s toughest prisons was where she met people whose lives had been characterised by drugs and violence and whose experiences have informed the themes she now writes about. In 2019 Lesley produced her successful debut novel The Murder Mile. This novel, plus five further series novels, have been acquired by Zaffre Books. These days, Lesley lives in Cheshire with her husband and a mad Boxer dog, Bruce – the model for the fictional ‘Harvey’.
