Book a place to meet author

Award winning author Jenn Ashworth is making a return visit to the borough next week, as part of Rochdale Literature & Ideas Festival.

Jenn, who recently hosted a fully booked event in the town, will be talking about her latest novel, The Friday Gospels, at a special Meet the Author event at Rochdale Library from 11 am to 12 noon on Friday 25 October.

The event is free but tickets must be booked in advance at www.rochdaleliteraturefestival.co.uk

Jenn Ashworth’s first novel, A Kind of Intimacy, won a 2010 Betty Trask Award and her latest novel The Friday Gospels is about growing up as a young Mormon in Lancashire. Jenn herself hails from Preston. Her novels have been translated into French, Italian and German and published in the US. Jenn also reviews fiction for The Guardian and lectures in Creative Writing at Lancaster University.

This is one of a number of events being held as part of the Rochdale Literature & Ideas Festival which takes place from Friday 25 to Sunday 27 October.

The festival will feature workshops, music, readings, children’s shows, debates, talks and more from guests including:

• Poet Laureate Carol Ann Duffy
• television personality Gyles Brandreth
• Dragons’ Den winner Mark Champkins
• poet Simon Armitage
• MOBO award-winning rapper Akala
• Former Coronation Street star Kevin Kennedy
• multi-award winning author and playwright Trevor Hoyle
• poet James Nash
• former rugby league international and author of ‘Tries and Prejudice’, Ikram Butt
• top children’s storyteller Susanna Oldfield

Funded by the Maskew Bequest and the Arts Council’s Grants for the Arts Award, the festival is organised by Rochdale Borough Council. For more details visit www.rochdaleliteraturefestival.co.uk