A Short History of Queer Women - with Kirsty Loehr
2023-10-10 18:30 - 21:00 (Europe/London) | Truman Books, 95 Town Street, Farsley, Leeds, LS28 5HX
As part of the 2023 Farsley Literature Festival, hear author Kirsty Loehr in conversation about her hilarious and informative book, A Short History of Queer Women.

Dispensing with the patriarchal “drivel”, this is a little book that packs a big punch against centuries of outrageous straightwashing. The book that reinserts queer women such as Virginia Woolf, Anne Frank, and Lorraine Hansberry, back into history.

No, they weren’t ‘just friends’! Queer women have been written out of history since, well, forever. ‘But historians famously care about women!’, said no one. From Anne Bonny and Mary Read who sailed the seas together disguised as pirates, to US football captain Megan Rapinoe declaring ‘You can’t win a championship without gays on your team’, via countless literary salons and tuxedos, A Short History of Queer Women sets the record straight on women who have loved other women through the ages.

Kirsty Loehr is a writer and English teacher. She loves women, football, history and comedy—but not necessarily in that order. She currently lives in Brighton with her son AND SHE IS SINGLE.
This event is part of 2023 Farsley Literature Festival.

An Evening with The Times - bestselling series writer, Ian Moore
2023-07-20 18:30 - 21:00 | Truman Books, 95 Town Street, Farsley, Leeds, LS28 5HX
Join us in the shop for an evening with leading TV/radio comedian Ian Moore as he talks about the latest book in his Follet Valley Mystery series. Death at the Chateau, is the third book and follows the success of Death & Croissants and Death & Fromage.

Ian Moore is a leading stand-up comedian, known for his sharp, entertaining punditry. A TV/radio regular, he stars in Dave’s satirical TV show Unspun and Channel 5’s topical comedy Big Mouths. He lives in rural France and commutes back to the UK every week. In his spare time, he makes mean chutneys and jams.

An evening with historical novelist Laura Shepherd-Robinson
2023-07-18 18:30 - 21:00 | Truman Books, 95 Town Street, Farsley, Leeds, LS28 5HX
Join us in the shop for an evening with this award winning author. Laura will be talking about and reading from her stunning must read historical novel of 2023 ‘The Square of Sevens’

The Square of Sevens follows Red, the daughter of a Cornish fortune-teller, who travels with her father making a living predicting fortunes using the ancient method: the Square of Sevens.
When her father suddenly dies, Red becomes the ward of a gentleman scholar. Now raised as a lady amidst the Georgian splendour of Bath, her fortune-telling is a delight to high society, but she cannot ignore the questions that gnaw at her soul: who was her mother? How did she die? And who are the mysterious enemies her father was always terrified would find them?
The pursuit of these mysteries takes her from Cornwall and Bath to London and Devon, from the rough ribaldry of the Bartholomew Fair to the grand houses of two of the most powerful families in England. And while Red’s quest brings her the possibility of great reward, it also leads her into grave danger…

Finding Home - A Windrush Story with Alford & Howard Gardner
2023-07-05 18:30 - 21:00 | Truman Books, 95 Town Street, Farsley, Leeds, LS28 5HX
On 24 May 1948, the Empire Windrush sailed from Kingston, Jamaica, to harbour at Tilbury Docks. It carried 1,027 passengers and two stowaways, and more than two thirds of them were West Indies nationals. On 22nd June 1948 they disembarked onto the docks, Alford Dalrymple Gardner was among them.

Alford’s story traverses both the uplifting highs and intolerant lows that West Indian migrants of his generation encountered upon travelling to Britain to forge out a life. From joining the British military during World War II to returning back to Jamaica once it was won-only to come back to the UK when the government decided it needed him again-Alford witnessed milestone events of the 20th century that shaped the country he still lives in today. In the context of a supposedly ‘post-Imperial’ Britain where the lives of West Indian migrants hang precariously on the whims of the Home Office, Alford’s heartening testimony is a celebration of those who endured hardships so that generations to come could call this place home.

We are delighted that Alford and Howard will join us in the shop to talk about this memoir ‘Finding Home’ which will be released on 22nd June.

Born in 1926 in Kingston, Jamaica, Alford Gardner first came to England in 1944 to support the war effort, serving in the RAF. After a brief stay back in Jamaica, he decided to return to England to help to rebuild the country. He boarded the HMT Empire Windrush intending to build a life in the country he once called home. Despite a less than accommodating welcome back, he persisted and succeeded in forging a better life for his family. Now 97 and twice widowed, Alford spends all his leisure time at the bingo hall. When not playing bingo, he can be found watching sports or spending time with his family. A much fuller sense of Alford’s life is conveyed in his autobiography: Finding Home.
Howard Gardner, not the American psychologist, but a retired engineer from Leeds. Taking after his father, Howard is a big sports fan, especially rugby league and supports Leeds Rhinos. He also follows Leeds United, Yorkshire Cricket team and the West Indian Cricket test team. He has spent the last two years helping his father record his memoirs.

An evening with 'Seven Sisters' Harry Whittaker
2023-05-31 18:30 - 21:00 | Old Woollen, Sunnybank Mills, 83-85 Town Street, Farsley, LS28 5UJ, United Kingdom
Join us, at The Old Woollen, for an evening with Harry Whittaker, to celebrate the release of the final book in the Seven Sisters series.

Spanning a lifetime of love and loss, crossing borders and oceans, Atlas: The Story of Pa Salt, draws Lucinda Riley’s Seven Sisters series to its stunning, unforgettable conclusion.

The son of Lucinda Riley, Harry became a storyteller himself, as an award-winning radio presenter for the BBC and a member of one of the UK’s most renowned improv troupes. In 2019, Harry and Lucinda co-authored the Guardian Angels series for children – four reassuring, timeless stories addressing worries that a small child may have.

After Lucinda’s death in 2021, it was announced that Harry would complete the Seven Sisters series on behalf of his late mother.

1928, Paris
A boy is found, moments from death, and taken in by a kindly family. Gentle, precocious, talented, he flourishes in his new home, and the family show him a life he hadn’t dreamed possible. But he refuses to speak a word about who he really is.
As he grows into a young man, falling in love and taking classes at the prestigious Conservatoire de Paris, he can almost forget the terrors of his past, or the promise he has vowed to keep. But across Europe an evil is rising, and no -one’s safety is certain. In his heart, he knows the time will come where he must flee once more.

2008, the Aegean
The seven sisters are gathered together for the first time, on board the Titan to say a final go odbye to the enigmatic father they loved so dearly.
To the surprise of everyone, it is the missing sister who Pa Salt has chosen to entrust with the clue to their pasts. But for every truth revealed, another question emerges.
The sisters must confront the idea that their adored father was someone they barely knew.

And even more shockingly: that these long-buried secrets may still have consequences for them today.

Kevin Sinfield Book Signing
2023-05-26 12:30 - 14:30 | Truman Books, 95 Town Street, Farsley, Leeds, LS28 5HX
We are delighted to announce that Leeds Legend, Kevin Sinfield will be joining us in the shop to meet fans and sign copies of his autobiography, The Extra Mile.

The Extra Mile is no ordinary sports memoir. But Kevin Sinfield is no ordinary sportsman. A one-club legend of Leeds Rhinos, who has now crossed codes as a defence coach for the England national rugby union team, Kevin Sinfield is a rugby icon. But in recent years has shown heroism of a very different kind through his selfless and extraordinary fundraising for motor nurone disease (MND), the terminal illness that has affected his best mate and former teammate Rob Burrow.

Told with Sinfield’s characteristic warmth, dry wit and inspirational leadership, The Extra Mile is the story of an astonishing life, of an enduring friendship, of perseverance against the most difficult of challenges, and of a remarkable, humble human being who has defied the odds. The book equips readers to embrace with the tools and the mindset togetherness and to overcome their own challenges. It leaves the reader with the urgent question: Who would you go the extra mile for to help in life?

The inspirational and life-affirming memoir from rugby league’s greatest player.

An evening with Robert Welbourn
2023-05-17 18:30 - 21:00 | Truman Books, 95 Town Street, Farsley, Leeds, LS28 5HX
Join us in the shop for an evening with Robert Welbourn to chat about his second novel Belonging.

Robert’s debut, Ideal Angels, published in 2018 and received overwhelmingly positive reviews. His writing asks the question, what is it to be human? With a BA and MA in literature, Welbourn’s writing tries to find out how to survive in a world that feels like it doesn’t care. His fast-pace, ironic prose may look shallow on the surface, but in reality it makes us look into ourselves and discover who we really are.

Robert’s stand-out achievement in the novel is his ability to map out the hundreds of different ways in which his protagonist strives to make connection with others.

Noah is young, attractive, and madly in love with two people. These two people are both madly in love with Noah, yet neither knows about the other. Can Noah balance two secret relationships while trying to discover who he really is as a person? When family tragedy strikes, how will Noah cope with all that follows? Belonging is a novel about being young and in love in a world that’s cold and uncaring. Can you ever truly know someone if you don’t know yourself? Can you find a meaning in a world that seems random and thoughtless? Does anybody, like, actually care?

An evening with Kate Sawyer
2023-05-16 18:30 - 21:00 | Truman Books, 95 Town Street, Farsley, Leeds, LS28 5HX
Join us in the shop as we chat to Kate about her triumphant second novel, This Family which will be released on 11th May.

Splintered in a dozen different ways, Mary’s family must come together for her wedding day in the home that has been both battleground and sanctuary for them all. The place where so many things have fallen apart will now become the site of a long-awaited union. Could it also see the mending of broken sibling bonds and the healing of bruised hearts, or are some thing impossible to forgive? Even when it’s family?

With shades of Mrs Dalloway, This Family is set over the course of an English summer’s day but punctuated with memories from the past forty years of love and loss, hope and joy, heartbreak and grief. This is the story of a family told by a chorus of characters. It is an exploration of the small moments that bring us to where we are, the changes that are brought about by time, and what, despite everything, stays the same.

‘Intriguing, gripping, moving – this deserves to be HUGE.’ MARIAN KEYES

Kate Sawyer was born in Bury St Edmunds, where she grew up the eldest of four siblings. She trained in acting at the Webber Douglas Academy of Dramatic Art, Kate has worked as an actor since.Her debut novel, The Stranding, was shortlisted for the Costa First Novel award, won the East Anglian Fiction Prize and was adapted for Book at Bedtime on BBC Radio 4.

An evening with Farsley author Caroline Bond
2023-04-26 18:30 - 21:00 | Truman Books, 95 Town Street, Farsley, Leeds, LS28 5HX
Join us for a glass of chilled prosecco to celebrate the paperback publication of Thea & Denise by author and Farsley resident Caroline Bond. Caroline will be talking about and reading from her new book, answering questions and signing copies of, what is now, her 5th novel.

Ever wanted to escape it all? Work? Bills? Kids?
When polar opposites Thea and Denise become friends and realise they’re both in need of escape, they embark on a Thelma and Louise – style road trip that will change them forever.
But they can’t outrun their pasts forever and when things start to become complicated, both women have an important decision to make. Do they give up or keep going? Turn around or drive on?

Book Launch Event: Down to Earth by Andrew Crowther
2023-04-20 18:30 - 21:00 | Truman Books, 95 Town Street, Farsley, Leeds, LS28 5HX
Join us for a glass of something cold to celebrate the publication of Down to Earth by Bradford born author Andrew Crowther. Andrew will be talking about and reading from his debut novel, answering questions, and signing copies.

Andrew has been making up stories ever since he was a child, forever dreaming of fantastic events, miraculous escapes and happy endings. He is fascinated by the power of the imagination to transform this crazy life of ours into something that has shape and meaning.

New school teacher Jenny Threadneedle has lived for almost as long as she can remember in High Hants, an enclosed idealised Little Britain located in a very, very remote region. Founded by wealthy white English businessmen and Red Top journalists, aghast by immigration and climate catastrophe, life in High Hants is just perfect – unless you ask questions, or begin to doubt this “1950s paradise” is as wonderful as claimed. A dystopian satire of tiny minds and limited outlook. Is it possible to escape and live a life more Down to Earth?

Down to Earth is a cautionary tale about building a castle and pulling up the drawbridge behind you.

Andrew has also written several plays which have been performed around Yorkshire, including Welcome to Paradise (2003), Funny Men (2008), Working Lives (2011) and Night Secrets (2022).
In another part of his life, he is the Secretary of the W.S. Gilbert Society. He has written extensively about the dramatist of the Gilbert and Sullivan operas, most notably in a well-regarded 2011 biography entitled Gilbert of Gilbert and Sullivan.
Down to Earth is Crowther’s first novel. He says he doesn’t write about the real world because he’s never been there.

Art Offline: A conversation with Analog Sea founder Jonathan Simons
2023-04-05 18:30 - 21:00 | Truman Books, 95 Town Street, Farsley, Leeds, LS28 5HX
Join us in the shop for a very special evening of readings and discussion with the founder of Analog Sea, Jonathan Simons.

Analog Sea is an American non-profit press with a mandate to support the printed word and local literary culture, including bookshops and libraries, as well as championing fair compensation for writers and artists and interrogating the effects of the digital revolution on the arts and letters. Based out of Austin, Texas, and Freiburg, Germany, Analog Sea was founded in 2018 by writer and editor Jonathan Simons.

They are delighted to announce the release of the fourth edition of its award-winning literary journal, The Analog Sea Review, a print-only hardback edition of poetry, essays, interviews, short fiction, and artwork.

Jonathan will read from his essay “Toward a New Renaissance” from the introduction of The Analog Sea Review, Number Four, and other texts from the journal.

As an offline publisher distributing exclusively to physical bookshops, Analog Sea “wishes for books to be traded between human beings and not relegated to robots and algorithms. Digital platforms are great for efficiency and massification, but they believe that efficiency and massification are in no way acceptable strategies for handling the arts and letters. Analog Sea explores these questions through their various publications, including their offline literary journal, The Analog Sea Review.”

An evening with JM Hall
2023-03-29 18:30 - 21:00
We are thrilled to welcome back Yorkshire crime writer, Jonathan Hall to the shop to chat about his latest release A Pen Dipped in Poison. Hall’s debut novel, A Spoonful of Murder is about retired primary school teachers who turn to sleuthing and has sold over 59,000 copies to date.

J.M. Hall is an author, playwright and deputy head of a primary school. His plays have been produced in theatres across the UK as well as for radio, the most recent being Trust, starring Julie Hesmondhalgh on BBC Radio 4.

Retired school teachers Liz, Pat and Thelma are back at their usual table at the Thirsk Garden Centre café with a brand-new mystery to solve.
Curious white envelopes have been delivered to friends and neighbours. Inside are letters revealing the deepest secrets they have tried to hide. As one by one, careers are ended, marriages destroyed and no one is beyond suspicion, the three friends decide enough is enough. They must take matters into their own hands before more damage is done. But as they work to uncover the truth, they begin to wonder just how far someone will go to silence this poison pen … Could a murderer be in their midst once again?
A totally addictive and page-turning cosy mystery featuring these very unlikely sleuths. Fans of Agatha Christie and Midsomer Murders will be hooked from the very first page.

CBeebies Star George Webster Book Signing
2023-03-18 14:00 - 15:00 | Truman Books, 95 Town Street, Farsley, Leeds, LS28 5HX
We are beyond excited to announce that Leeds born CBeebies star, Bafta winner, author and Ambassador for People with Down’s syndrome, George Webster will be joining us in the shop to meet fans and sign his debut book, This is Me!

George has teamed up with bestselling illustrator Tim Budgen to publish this uplifting and full-of-heart, powerful picture book to show children that not only are they amazing, but their friends, family and even people they haven’t yet met are amazing too!

Come along to meet George in the bookshop and get your copy of This is Me! personally signed.

An evening with Ann Cleeves
2023-03-15 20:00 - 22:00 | Old Woollen, Sunnybank Mills, 83-85 Town Street, Farsley, LS28 5UJ, United Kingdom
Ann Cleeves is the author of more than thirty-five critically acclaimed novels and we are thrilled to announce that she will be joining us for an evening at The Old Woollen. Ann will talk about the tenth book in her Vera Stanhope series, The Rising Tide which will be released in paperback on 16 March.

In 2017 Ann was awarded the highest accolade in crime writing, the CWA Diamond Dagger. She is the creator of popular detectives Vera Stanhope, Jimmy Perez and Matthew Venn, who can be found on television in ITV’s Vera, BBC One’s Shetland and ITV’s The Long Call respectively. The TV series and the books they are based on have become international sensations, capturing the minds of millions worldwide.

A school reunion turns deadly as the tide rises on Northumbria’s Holy Island. Fifty years ago, a group of teenagers spent a weekend on Holy Island, forging a bond that has lasted a lifetime. Now, they still return every five years to celebrate their friendship, and remember the friend they lost to the rising waters of the causeway at the first reunion. Now, when one of them is found hanged, Vera is called in. Learning that the dead man had recently been fired after misconduct allegations, Vera knows she must discover what the friends are hiding, and whether the events of many years before could have led to murder then, and now. But with the tide rising, secrets long-hidden are finding their way to the surface, and Vera and the team may find themselves in more danger than they could have believed possible . . .

Harriet Muncaster Book Signing
2023-03-01 15:30 - 16:30 | Truman Books, 95 Town Street, Farsley, Leeds, LS28 5HX
We are excited to announce that Harriet Muncaster, internationally bestselling author and illustrator of the Isadora Moon series of young reader books, will be joining us in the shop to sign her latest book.

Isadora Moon is a hugely popular series of books for children aged 5–8. Each book is a stand-alone story about Isadora Moon, who is “half fairy, half vampire, totally unique!” The stories celebrate her mixed family heritage. In February 2020, 300 bookshops and libraries in the UK, including Truman Books, celebrated “Isadora Moon Day”.
The series has since been translated into 30 languages and has sold over 1.2 million copies globally. There are 16 books in the series; the latest was published in October 2022, and the next is due in spring 2023.

Festive Late Night Shopping
2022-12-08 18:00 - 20:00 | Truman Books, 95 Town Street, Farsley, Leeds, LS28 5HX
Come and enjoy our Christmas Special late night shopping event. With a glass of mulled wine, mince pies, Christmas present recommendations and a bit of bookish chat.

A Curious History of Sex - An Evening with Dr Kate Lister
2022-11-24 20:00 - 22:00 | The Constitutional, 51 Town Street, Farsley, Leeds, LS28 5HX
As part of the Farsley Literature Festival we are thrilled that Dr Kate Lister writer of A Curious History of Sex, will be joining us at The Constitutional for a fascinating evening of discussion. This one will be fun.

Dr Kate Lister is Senior Lecturer in English Literature at Leeds Trinity University. She is the author of A Curious History of Sex (Unbound, 2020) and has also published in the medical humanities, Victorian Studies, and medievalism. Her most recent book, Harlots, Whores, and Hackabouts: A History of Sex for Sale was published by Thames and Hudson in 2021. She is the host of the Betwixt the Sheets Podcast and tweets about her research under the alias @WhoresofYore

Choose Joy with Sophie Cliff
2022-11-23 18:30 - 21:00 | Truman Books, 95 Town Street, Farsley, Leeds, LS28 5HX
We are excited to welcome Sophie Cliff (aka The Joyful Coach) to the shop for an evening of inspiring chat.

Sophie is a certified coach and positive psychology practitioner who uses her expertise to help individuals and organisations flourish by finding more joy and prioritising wellbeing. Choose Joy: Relieve Burnout, Focus on Your Happiness, and Infuse More Joy into Your Everyday Life is her first book.

Early in her career, Sophie scaled the corporate ranks at companies like the Walt Disney Company and venture-backed start-ups. But while on paper her life seemed perfect, she couldn’t fight the feeling that there was something missing. When a family tragedy shook her life, Sophie decided to stop delaying decisions and following the wrong path. In 2018, she started The Joyful Coach, a business helping individuals and companies find purpose and joy.

Now through her coaching, workshops and chart-topping podcast, Practical Positivity, Sophie helps people all over the world lead more joyful lives and has way more fun than she ever had in her previous career.

An Evening with Cressida McLaughlin
2022-11-22 18:30 - 21:00
As part of the Farsley Literature Festival we are excited to announce that this bestselling author and queen of feel-good fiction will be joining us in the shop. Come along for a festive evening with mulled wine to chat about her glittering new Christmas read The Cornish Cream Tea Bookshop.

Ollie Spencer has started a new life in the idyllic Cornish seaside town of Port Karadow. Throwing herself into her job at the town’s bookshop, A New Chapter, is one way to make friends. The shop is glitzing up for its grand opening and Ollie hopes her inspired ideas will give the shop the edge it needs to dazzle the town.But far from being the Christmas fairy the place needs, Ollie is fast becoming its Christmas pudding. With the bookshop’s future at stake, Ollie turns to twinkly-eyed café owner Max for help. Can he help Ollie to turn the page, and put the sparkle back into her Cornish dream?

An evening with Bethany Clift
2022-11-16 18:30 - 21:00 | Truman Books, 95 Town Street, Farsley, Leeds, LS28 5HX
As part of the Farsley Literature Festival we are excited to announce that Bethany will be in the shop to chats about her new book which was released on 4th August

Bethany Clift is a graduate of the Northern Film School and the director of her own production company, Saber Productions. Her debut novel, Last One at the Party, was published by Hodder & Stoughton in 2021 and the television rights have been optioned by Scott Free Films. Love and Other Human Errors is Bethany’s second novel and she is currently working on her third novel as well as two television series.

An unforgettable story about love in all its chaotic glory from the author of Last One At The Party.

A book synopsis is fundamentally ridiculous. How can I possibly convey, in only 100 words, the events of the past year and their impact on my perfectly ordered existence? It is insufficient space to accurately detail how I was blackmailed into demonstrating my flawless algorithm to find a soulmate, despite having no desire for one. In my former life I avoided trivial human connections.

I was alone, accomplished and brilliant. Unfortunately, that solitary and driven woman no longer exists. My name is Indiana Dylan and this is the extraordinary account of how I fell in love.

There: 100 words exactly.

An evening with Robin Ince
2022-11-15 20:00 - 22:30 | Old Woollen, Sunnybank Mills, 83-85 Town Street, Farsley, LS28 5UJ, United Kingdom
Doors open at 7pm, event starts at 8pm

Robin Ince is co-presenter of the award-winning BBC Radio 4 show and podcast, The Infinite Monkey Cage. He has toured his award-winning stand-up across the world, both solo and with his radio double-act partner, Professor Brian Cox.

Robin Ince

Why play to 12,000 people when you can play to 12? In Autumn 2021, Robin Ince’s stadium tour with Professor Brian Cox was postponed due to the pandemic. Rather than do nothing, he decided instead to go on a tour of over a hundred bookshops in the UK, from Wigtown to Penzance; from Swansea to Margate, and yes even to Farsley!

Packed with witty anecdotes and tall tales, Bibliomaniac takes the reader on a journey across Britain as Robin explores his lifelong love of bookshops and books – and also tries to find out just why he can never have enough of them.

It is the story of an addiction and a romance, and also of an occasional points failure just outside Oxenholme.

All you need to know about Anne Lister - An Evening with Jill Liddington
2022-11-10 18:30 - 21:00 | The Constitutional, 51 Town Street, Farsley, Leeds, LS28 5HX
As part of the Farsley Literature Festival we are excited to announce that this prize winning British writer will be joining us in The Constitutional to talk about Anne Lister – the real Gentleman Jack.

Jill is a writer and historian. Her main research interest lies with women’s history ~ most especially the Votes for Women story. She has always been fascinated by discovering the history of forgotten suffragists and suffragettes, wherever they lived. Indeed, ‘Votes for Women – everywhere!‘

Female Fortune is the book which inspired Sally Wainwright to write Gentleman Jack, now a major drama series for the BBC and HBO. Lesbian landowner Anne Lister inherited Shibden Hall in 1826. She was an impressive scholar, fearless traveller and successful businesswoman, even developing her own coalmines. Her extraordinary diaries, running to 4-5 million words, were partly written in her own secret code and recorded her love affairs with startling candour. The diaries were included on UNESCO’s Memory of the World Register in 2011.
Jill Liddington’s classic edition of the diaries tells the story of how Anne Lister wooed and seduced neighbouring heiress Ann Walker, who moved in to live with Anne and her family in 1834.

Elizabeth: The Feisty Feminist - An Evening with Mary Holmes
2022-11-08 18:30 - 21:00 | Truman Books, 95 Town Street, Farsley, Leeds, LS28 5HX
As part of the Farsley Literature Festival we are thrilled to announce that Yorkshire author Mary Holmes, writer of The Feisty Feminist, will be joining us in the shop for a fascinating evening of discussion.

Mary Holmes has lived much of her life in Leeds while travelling extensively throughout the UK with her business. As a young person she spent two years teaching abroad with Voluntary Services Overseas: this strengthened her commitment to women’s rights and workplace equality.

Living in Yorkshire allows Mary to indulge her love of walking. She also enjoys reading and is actively involved with the theatre. It was during her work on a Fulneck Heritage Open Day exhibition that she first discovered Elizabeth Wolstenholme Elmy.

Early women’s rights and fighting for the vote, Elizabeth Wolstenholme Elmy led the way.

Fiffty percent of the population had no legal rights and belonged to their fathers and husbands when Elizabeth was born. British women were powerless, and domestic violence was legally acceptable.

How did all this change? The book explores Elizabeth’s many campaigns. She was a founder of the suffragist movement and frustration at no change drove her to demand the more militant action of the suffragettes, demonstrating shoulder to shoulder with the Pankhursts.

Book Lovers Quiz Night
2022-11-06 19:30 - 22:30 | The Constitutional, 51 Town Street, Farsley, Leeds, LS28 5HX
As part of the Farsley Literature Festival we are exited to bring you something very different. Gary Wigglesworth, author of The Book Lover’s Quiz Book will be hosting our very own Book Lovers Quiz Night. Join us at The Constitutional for what is sure to be a fun night with great prizes to be won.

The aim of all Gary’s quizzes, and this book, is that people should have fun and be able to guess (if they don’t know) as much as possible. There are lots of multiple-choice questions, some amusing answers, clever red herrings, little-known facts about authors and some of the much-loved Say What You See picture round.

Gary Wigglesworth was a bookseller for sixteen years & now works in publishing as sales manager for British Library Publishing. His book quiz has a monthly residency at The Betsey Trotwood pub in Farringdon and provides the only monthly book quiz for London’s literature lovers. ‘The Book Lover’s Quiz Book’ was published by Robinson (little, brown) in November 2020 with Val McDermid describing it as ‘The perfect gift for quizzers’.

Untold Stories - with Jennifer Saint
2022-11-06 14:00 - 16:00 | The Constitutional, 51 Town Street, Farsley, Leeds, LS28 5HX
As part of the Farsley Literature Festival we are so excited to announce that this popular writer will be back with us at The Constitutional for an afternoon exploring Untold Stories.

Jennifer Saint was born in Leeds. She worked for thirteen years as a high school English teacher before finding fame with her debut novel Ariadne (2021), which retells the Greek myth of Theseus and the Minotaur from the perspective of the Cretan princess who helped Theseus to escape from the creature’s clutches. Her second novel Elektra focuses on the origins of the Trojan War and the dreadful curse blighting the House of Atreus and was published in April 2022.

Indie Publisher Showcase
2022-10-30 14:00 - 16:00 | The Constitutional, 51 Town Street, Farsley, Leeds, LS28 5HX
As part of the Farsley Literature Festival we are exited to announce this unique opportunity.

Join us at The Constitutional with a panel featuring some of the North’s most highly respected independent publishers as they each showcase their pick of their current releases. We will be welcoming guests from Bluemoose Books, And Other Stories, Fly On The Wall Press, Peepal Tree Press and Lendal Press.

This is a FREE event but tickets must be allocated for venue.

The World of Independent Publishing
2022-10-30 12:30 - 13:30 | The Constitutional, 51 Town Street, Farsley, Leeds, LS28 5HX
With Bluemoose Books, Peepal Tree Press, And Other Stories, and Fly on the Wall Press.

As part of the Farsley Literature Festival we are exited to announce something very different. Have you ever wondered about the world of publishing? How does publishing work? How do you get your book published? What are the challenges facing Independent Publishers?

Join us at The Constitutional with a panel featuring some of the North’s most highly respected independent publishers as we dive beneath the surface of what can be an opaque industry. We are delighted to welcome guests from Bluemoose Books, And Other Stories, Fly On The Wall Press and Peepal Tree Press.

Yorkshire Crime Writing - Why Place Matters
2022-10-29 14:00 - 16:00 | The Constitutional, 51 Town Street, Farsley, Leeds, LS28 5HX
With Yorkshire Crime Writers Chris Nickson, Julia Chapman, AA Dhand and Frances Brody.

As part of the Farsley Literature Festival we are absolutely delighted to announce that these four hugely popular Yorkshire crime writers will be with us at The Constitutional for an afternoon of discussion about Why Place Matters.

Released September 2022

Released September 2022

Out NOW

Released October 2022

Chris Nickson was born in Leeds, but lived in the United States from the age of 21, returning to the UK in 2005. As a music journalist, he specialised in world and roots music. The DI Tom Harper series which takes place in Leeds in the 1890s, now includes ten books, A Dark Steel Death will be released in September.

Julia Chapman is the pseudonym of Julia Stagg. Born with a wanderlust that keeps her moving, Julia has lived in Japan, Australia, the USA and France. She is now glad to call the Yorkshire Dales home, its distinctive landscape and way of life providing the setting for her latest series of novels, the Dales Detective, her latest release is Date with Death which will be released in September.

A.A. Dhand was raised in Bradford and spent his youth observing the city from behind the counter of a small convenience store. After qualifying as a pharmacist, he worked in London and travelled extensively before returning to Bradford to start his own business and begin writing. The history, diversity and darkness of the city have inspired his Harry Virdee novels.  The Blood Divide is a stand alone novel which is out now.

Frances Brody was born in Leeds, where she now lives. She studied at Ruskin College, Oxford and has a degree in English literature and History from University of York .Frances she has written a series of 1920s crime novels featuring Kate Shackleton, sleuth extraordinaire. The sixth in the series, An Avid Reader, is set in the Leeds Library, the oldest surviving subscription library of its type in the UK. After nine books in the series Brody wrote a short story prequel, Kate Shackleton’s First Case, in which the story begins in a Harrogate teashop. The thirteenth book in the series (excluding “first case”) A Mansion for Murder will be released in October.

The Best is Yet to Come!
2022-10-28 20:00 - 22:00 | The Constitutional, 51 Town Street, Farsley, Leeds, LS28 5HX
Yorkshire Fiction Writers Milly Johnson, Caroline Bond and Alexandra Potter.

As part of the Farsley Literature Festival we are excited to announce this unique opportunity to hear these three fabulous female Yorkshire fiction writers chat together about their books, inspirations, characters and future projects.

Milly Johnson

Caroline Bond

Alexandra Potter

Milly Johnson was born, raised and still lives in Barnsley, South Yorkshire. A Sunday Times bestseller, she is one of the Top 10 Female Fiction authors in the UK with millions of copies of her books sold across the world. In 2020,she was honoured with the Romantic Novelists’ Association’s Outstanding Achievement Award and was a featured author in the Reading Agency’s Quick Reads and World Book Night campaigns. A writer who champions women and highlights the importance of friendship and community, Milly’s characters are celebrations of the strength of the human spirit.

Caroline Bond was born on Yorkshire’s beautiful east coast in Scarborough. After studying for a degree in English Literature at Lincoln College, Oxford she took a long break from education before completing an MA in Creative Writing at Leeds Trinity University.
In the interim, she combined a career in market research with raising three children with her husband, Chris. Having spent years researching TV drama she began script writing, for adults and children, which led onto fiction writing. Caroline is a trained volunteer for Victim Support and is currently the Chair of Weekenders, a charity that runs youth schemes and social events for disabled children and teenagers. Caroline is a runner and a writer, she’s quicker at the latter, but there are a lot of hills in her part of the world.

Alexandra Potter is the bestselling author of numerous romantic comedy fiction novels in the UK including Confessions of a Forty-Something F**k Up, which is currently being developed as a TV series. Her books have sold in twenty-two territories and achieved worldwide sales of more than one million copies (making the bestseller charts in the UK, US, Germany, Czech Republic, Slovenia and Serbia).
Yorkshire born and raised, Alex currently lives in south-west London with Mr California and their Bosnian rescue dog, and when she’s not spending time writing or travelling, she’s spending far too much time on Instagram being reminded that she should be exercising regularly, drinking enough water, practising mindfulness and feeling blessed.

An evening with Esme Young from The Great British Sewing Bee
2022-10-25 20:00 - 22:00 | Old Woollen, Sunnybank Mills, 83-85 Town Street, Farsley, LS28 5UJ, United Kingdom
As part of the Farsley Literature Festival we are excited to announce this special opportunity to hear the story of Esme Young, fashion designer and judge on the hugely popular BBC show The Great British Sewing Bee. Join us at The Old Woollen, where Esme will also be signing copies of her Sunday Times Bestseller ‘Behind the Seams’.

£18.50 + Booking Fee. Doors 7pm. Starts 8pm. Seated show.

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