Centre for New Writing #WorldBookDay reading list

Thursday 5 March is World Book Day, an initiative aimed at making books more accessible for all children and for celebrating authors, illustrators and in general. Here at Centre for New Writing, we champion creative writing all year round, but World Book Day is another opportunity to spread the word and to highlight some of the wonderful books by our own staff that are making an impact in the contemporary literary scene.

To mark the occasion, we’ve compiled a CNW World Book Day Reading List. Each book has either been published in the last year or is soon to be published, so the list is a demonstration of the vital and relevant work that our staff our producing, in addition to fostering the talents of our CNW students.

Without further ado, here are our CNW World Book Day 2020 recommendations:

Frankissstein (Penguin), Jeanette Winterson, Professor of New Writing

An original take on the classic Frankenstein story, Jeanette Winterson’s latest novel spans time and geography, going inside the mind of Mary Shelley herself and imagining a near future in which artificial intelligence really has taken over the world.

Theft (And Other Stories), Luke Brown, Lecturer in Creative Writing

Following the story of not-particularly-successful literary journalist Paul, Theft examines familial relationships and artistic anxiety in the age of Brexit. This is Luke’s second book after My Biggest Lie was incredibly well received in 2014.

The Voice in My Ear (Penguin), Frances Leviston, Lecturer in Creative Writing (Poetry)

After publishing two highly successful poetry collections including the T. S. Eliot Prize-shortlisted Public Dream, Frances Leviston’s first work of fiction presents a startling perspective on contemporary womanhood which is forlorn and funny in equal measure. The book was featured in New Statesman as a book to read in 2020.

The Kabul Olympics (The Gallery Press), John McAuliffe, Reader in Modern Literature and Creative Writing

The latest poetry collection by CNW Director John McAuliffe conjures up impossible places, from a vision of the Olympics in Kabul to an alternative reality of Manchester in the wake of the Arena bombing. This is an eviscerating but hauntingly beautiful blend of imagination and stark reality.

Keeper (Penguin), Jessica Moor, Burgess Writing Fellow

Soon to be published on 19 March, the debut novel by Jessica Moor has been highlighted by the Observer, the Sunday Times and Cosmopolitan as one of the most exciting books of the year. Keeper follows a fraught police investigation after the body of a young woman is pulled from the waters of a local suicide spot.