Join us for an evening of readings and discussion around short stories and novel writing from three exceptional debut authors, Marni Appleton, Rupert Dastur and Celia Silvani. They’ll be sharing their unique perspectives on how they became published, as well as reading and discussing their books. If you are interested in writing there’ll be a chance to ask questions, as well as buy signed dedicated copies of their books.

I Hope You’re Happy – Marni Appleton
Marni’s bittersweet debut collection of short stories focuses on the experiences of millennial women – their obsessions, friendships, betrayals and crushes.

Appleton’s wry observational style is well suited to these tales of young women navigating the modern world. She writes with empathy for her vulnerable protagonists, conveying their inner conflicts and deceptions. – The Guardian

Marni is a writer living in London. She holds a PhD in creative-critical writing from the University of East Anglia. Her writing has been published in literary and academic journals including Banshee, The Tangerine, Contemporary Women’s Writing and Comparative American Studies.

Cloudless – Rupert Dastur

It is Autumn 2004 and in a farmhouse on the hills outside Llandudno, a family endures the agonising wait for their son to come back from Iraq. His decision to join up has left them reeling, yet there are other pressing concerns to be met at home: the working of the farmland that has been theirs for generations, and what to do with their troubled younger son.

Rupert is a writer, editor and publisher. His writing has been shortlisted for the Bath Short Story Award and the Fish Short Story Prize, and won the Federation of Scottish Writers Award in 2018. He is the founder of TSS Publishing and director of the Cambridge Prizes for short fiction, and runs writing workshops. He read English at Cambridge University and lives in London.

Baby Teeth – Celia Silvani

The emotional, thought-provoking novel about motherhood, secrets and lies. Claire is expecting a baby. It’s her dream but not everyone is as supportive as she’d like. Isolated and vulnerable, she is drawn into an online group for ‘natural motherhood’ and is warmly embraced by the sisterhood. As Claire withdraws further into their world and with her due date fast approaching, she is unsettled by the group’s conformity and the total shunning of medical intervention.
But blind loyalty can be catastrophic – and her silence could be fatal…

Celia is a communications director and freelance writer, who has written for Stylist, The Guardian and BBC Future on topics ranging from weddings to hurricanes. She got the inspiration for BABY TEETH from an NBC article she couldn’t stop thinking about, so interviewed midwives and obstetricians to get a fuller picture of birthing stories – as well as spending a lot of time lurking in the dark corners of the internet.