An evening with Stu Hennigan for Keshed in Leeds

We're delighted to have Stu Hennigan, author of Ghost Signs, joining us on the 12th of February to talk about his debut novel Keshed - a brutal and brilliant exploration of class, masculinity, addiction and parenthood. Stu will be in conversation with Terri White (Coming Undone).

About Keshed:

In the derelict shell of what was once his family home, a dying man surveys the wreckage of his former life and drinks himself senseless, haunted by the chain of events that led him there. Dark, complex and visceral, Keshed is an unflinching character study exploring class, belonging, fatherhood and conflicting ideals of modern masculinity. At heart it's the story of a relationship struggling to cope with the impossible pressures of raising a child under late-stage capitalism; but it's also a love letter to the working class North, from the grinding poverty of Thatcher's 80's to the present day.

About the author:

Stu Hennigan is a writer, poet and musician from the north of England. His book Ghost Signs (Bluemoose, 2022) was shortlisted for best non-fiction at the Books Are My Bag Awards and Best Political Book By A Non-Parliamentarian at the Parliamentary Book Awards in 2022/3. His short fiction, essays, poetry, criticism and articles have been published widely in print and online. Keshed is his first novel.

Terri White is a culture and social affairs journalist, broadcaster and the former Editor-in-Chief of Empire magazine, for which she was named Entertainment Magazine Editor of the Year (British Society of Magazine Editors). She additionally previously edited some of the biggest publications in the UK and US, including Time Out New York and ShortList, and has also written for the Guardian, Grazia and the Big Issue.


"Profane, darkly funny, and unflinching in its focus on the wreckage of ordinary lives. Hennigan is a voice we need." - Naomi Booth, author of raw content and Exit Management

"Stu Hennigan is one of my favourite writers. His voice is unmistakable and always compelling. Keshed, in its presentation of class and fatherhood, displays verve, fearlessness and total commitment to its characters and their world. It's brutal and beautiful." - Wendy Erskine, author of The Benefactors

"Keshed is a wild, lyrical, journey through the labyrinth of Northern English working-class culture. A story of escape and belonging, hope and loss, this is a beautiful, blazing debut, burning from first page right to last. Hennigan’s language is explosive, Baroque, think Henry Millar meets Jim Cartwright and Violette Leduc with the intelligence of Mark Fisher orchestrating the tune." - Susanna Crossman, author of Home Is Where We Start and The Orange Notebooks"This is one of the mightiest books I have ever read - sometimes I wanted to turn away from it but the vortex created is so powerful you cannot escape from it - it is fireworks and pinched flesh and it will not leave you quietly." - Robin Ince

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