Durham Book Festival

Meet three of the most exciting new voices in northern literature, as they introduce their compelling coming-of-age tales.

In Saltwater Jessica Andrews explores the complexities of mother-daughter relationships and the challenges of moving from a working-class home in Sunderland to London for a new life at university.

Lara Williams’ Supper Club is the tale of a secret society for hungry women. They drink and dance and roar, and seek to answer the question: ‘if you feed a starving woman what will she grow into?’.

In The Private Joys of Nnenna Maloney, Northern Writers’ Awards winner Okechukwu Nzelu tells the story of half-Nigerian teenager, Nnenna Maloney. In this comedy about family and making mistakes, Okechukwu brings us a story that covers the expanse of race, gender, class, family and redemption.