by Tim Nuttall
Award-Winning writer Adam Farrer is set to return to his roots next month for a three-day run of appearances on the Yorkshire coast.
Adam, whose debut release, Cold Fish Soup, reflects on different aspects of life in his former hometown of Withernsea, will visit the town’s high school where he has been invited to discuss his life and coastal inspirations with aspiring young writers.
He said: “It means so much to have been asked to Withernsea High School, where so many members of my family have studied, and talk to the pupils about the value of writing and how to tell stories from their own lives.
“Withernsea has been so inspiring to me, and writing about it has changed my life in so many rewarding ways.
“My hope is that I will be able to encourage these young people to seek out the wealth of stories that can be found in their town and gain as much from writing as I have.”
Laura Aldridge, lead for whole school literacy and reading at Withernsea High School, said: “We are looking forward to welcoming Adam to the school as the latest in a growing line of writers and authors who serve as excellent role models and inspiration to our students.
“With Adam’s work being firmly rooted in the Yorkshire coast, particularly his upbringing in Withernsea, we are looking forward to working with a local author, writing about the local area, so that our students can tangibly
recognise that Withernsea is a special place.” Preceding his visit to Withernsea, Adam will
be appearing at The Whitby Bookshop, Church Street, Whitby, from 1pm on Wednesday, December 6, where he will be signing copies of Cold Fish Soup.
This will be followed by a trip further north to the Book Corner in Saltburn-by-the-Sea
on Thursday, December 7, where he will be in conversation with novelist Jenna Warren, discussing the writing of Cold Fish Soup and holding a Q&A session.
Both events are free and are the latest in a long line of successful appearances for Adam since his book was first published to critical acclaim in August 2022.
Told across 10 interconnected personal essays, Cold Fish Soup is a memoir charting a course from Adam’s adolescence right up to Covid times – featuring stories of “life, death, interdimensional werewolves, burlesque dancing pensioners and problematic compulsions”.
Adam added: “I have loved these last 18 months, travelling the country and appearing at literature festivals, libraries and bookshops, getting to talk about Cold Fish Soup and sharing stories of the Yorkshire coast. I have a few more workshops and events lined up for next year, but I will mostly be focusing on writing my next book which will, of course, feature more Withernsea stories.”
Adam Farrer is a writer, lecturer and the Editor of the creative non-fiction journal The Real Story. In 2019 he became the inaugural writer-in-residence for Peel Park, Salford. His manuscript, Cold Fish Soup, a memoir in essays, won the NorthBound Book Award at the 2021 Northern Writers’ Awards and was published by Saraband books in the UK on August 4, 2022, and in the US on October 18.
His writing can be found in numerous publications, including the Guardian, the short story collection Flash Nonfiction Funny (Woodhall Press, 2018), Test Signal (Dead Ink Books/Bloomsbury, 2021), Hinterland magazine and Lunate. He has also appeared on Radio 4 and BBC Radio Manchester.
Adam has performed his work at a number of arts and literature festivals, including the Edinburgh International Book Festival, Sheffield Doc/Fest, Leeds Litfest, the Ilkley Literature Festival and the Manchester Literature Festival.
He has also run workshops on creative non-fiction writing for the University of Salford’s Festival of Research, the Northern Light Writers Conference, the Prestwich Arts Festival, Victoria Baths Weekend of Words, and the Greater Manchester Fringe Development Conference.
