Step into a world of literary magic as we proudly present Pride in Prose, an event that celebrates the intersection of queer and Irish identities through the voices of two exceptional debut authors, Chloe Michelle Howarth, author of Sunburn, and Soula Emmanuel, author of Wild Geese.
Event Highlights:
- Engaging Panel Discussion: Join Chloe Michelle Howarth and Soula
Emmanuel as they discuss their debut novels and share insights into their
creative processes. Discover the stories behind their novels and the
significance of representing queer and Irish identities in literature. - Audience Q+A: Have burning questions for the authors? This is your chance
to ask! Participate in an interactive Q+A session where you can delve deeper
into their works and writing journeys. - Book Signing: Don't miss the opportunity to get your own personalised
copies of Sunburn and Wild Geese signed by our talented authors.
About the books :
Sunburn:
It's the early 1990s, and in the Irish village of Crossmore, Lucy feels out of place. Despite her fierce friendships, she's always felt this way, and the conventional path of marriage and motherhood doesn't appeal to her at all. Not even with handsome and doting Martin, her closest childhood friend.
Lucy begins to make sense of herself during a long hot summer, when a spark with her school friend Susannah escalates to an all-consuming infatuation, and, very quickly, to a desperate and devastating love. Fearful of rejection from her small and conservative community, Lucy begins living a double life, hiding the most honest parts of herself in stolen moments with Susannah. But with the end of school and the opportunity to leave Crossmore looming, Lucy must choose between two places, two people and two futures, each as terrifying as the other.
But only one can offer her real happiness. Sunburn is an astute and tender portrayal of first love, adolescent anxiety and the realities of growing up in a small town where tradition holds people tightly in its grasp.
Wild Geese:
New home, new name and newly thirty: Phoebe Forde has stepped into emigrant life in Copenhagen with her anxious dog, Dolly.
Almost three years into her gender transition, she has learned to move through the world carefully, savouring small moments of joy. A woman without a past can be anyone she wants - that is, until an unexpected visit from Grace, her first love, brings memories of Dublin and a life she thought she'd left behind. Over the course of a single weekend, as their old romance kindles something sweet and radically unfamiliar, Grace helps Phoebe to navigate the jagged edges of migration, nostalgia and hope.
Doors will open at 7pm
Be sure to reserve your spot early, as seats are limited.
Please note that this event is taking place in our downstairs event space, which sadly is not wheelchair accessible. For any guests who are able to manage the stairs but still require accessible toilet facilities, we have these on the ground floor.
There are a limited number of free tickets available for this event - if you cannot afford the minimum pay-what-you-can ticket type, please email us at books@commonpress.co.uk and we will add you to the guest list, no questions asked.