Sally Barrett And Lydia Unsworth - Double Book Launch - 30/04

The first book event in our shop of 2026 and it's a double whammy!

On Thursday 30th April come and celebrate the launch of The Remains (pub. JOAN publishing) and Stay Awhile (pub. Knives Forks And Spoons), new books by Sally Barrett and Lydia Unsworth.

They'll both be reading and then chatting with local author Tom Jenks.

The event is free however please sign up for a ticket here so we know numbers.

Barrett has been writing for around twelve years, and has had three pamphlets and a full-length collection of poetry published during that time. This event is to launch her latest book, The Remains. It consists of a deep interrogation of ‘toilets’ in literature, art, and in themselves, as stand-alone objects. It is a must-read for anyone who ever thinks about toilets, uses them, or has any interest whatsoever in the phenomenon. Barrett uses poems and photos to explore toilets, including an interview with Auntie Margaret (an octogenarian), sequences, and individual pieces. Barrett’s voice uses humour in a somewhat surreal style at times. Ultimately her work can mean whatever you like, including nothing very much, which is potentially what is left when waste is removed i.e. The Remains.

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Sunderland, Blackburn, Morecambe, Warrington, Runcorn, Middlesborough, Halifax, Crewe, Southport, Blackpool, Manchester, Stockton, Swansea, Birmingham, Wigan, Leeds. Who decides what beauty is? What landscapes should be loved and nurtured? In a series of journeys by foot, bus, and train, Stay Awhile attempts to navigate the post-industrial urban environment and its effect on public and private memories and emotions. The poems in this collection constellate ideas of persistence, obsolescence, neglect and decay, calling into question the socio-political forces that engineer our landscapes, while at the same time celebrating the details of the structures that have been left to us and seeking care and kindness among the spoils.