John Goodridge and Adam  Bridgen will introduce and discuss their pioneering new book of essays, British Working-Class and Radical Writing Since 1700 and look at some of the important issues it raises, with contributions from local author Kathleen Bell and (we hope) others who are involved in the project.

At a time when working-class writing is gaining long-overdue recognition and radical ideas may be more important than ever, this event examines the intersection of British working-class and radical writing from the eighteenth century to the present day, embracing variety to reflect the richness of working-class and radical cultures across the last three centuries.

Topics will include the ways in which working-class writers got into print, the obstacles they faced in doing so and in expressing their views, the rise of women writers and their involvement in radical culture, representations of animals and more-than-human perspectives, socialism and environmentalism, feminism, anti-imperialism, and the intersection of working-class and diasporic identities.

Questions of genre and form are also addressed, from dialect poetry to the novel, pastoral to melodrama, and life writing to theatre. We will discuss forgotten working-class authors, as well as reappraise better-known figures such as John Clare and Ethel Carnie Holdsworth.

Refreshments provided

British Working-Class and Radical Writing Since 1700 will be available at a discount on the night of the event or you can buy a “book and ticket” to get the discounted book and a ticket thrown in.