Queer witchy horror: India-Rose Bower, Emma Hinds & Jodie Matthews in Leeds

We are delighted to have a queer, feminist witchy panel coming your way on the 22nd of January at 7pm! We will be joined by India-Rose Bower, Emma Hinds and Jodie Matthews. Sunyi Dean will be chairing this event!

We Call Them Witches by India-Rose Bower
In a post-apocalyptic world where eldritch creatures hunt, Sara and her family fight to survive. Until, one day, a young girl shows up out of nowhere and Sara finds herself falling in love despite the threat this new stranger brings… After Sara’s younger brother Noah is snatched by Witches, Sara and the mysterious girl must set out across the merciless moors, to hunt the very creatures they’ve been hiding from.
India-Rose Bower was longlisted for the Discoveries prize and has several stories and poems published in magazines and anthologies.

Witchlore by Emma Hinds
Whip-smart, darkly funny and engrossing, this irresistible YA romantasy from the bestselling author of The Knowing sees shapeshifters, witches and an unexpected resurrection at Demdike College of Witchcraft.
Emma Hinds is a queer writer living and working in Manchester who is passionate about writing queer fantasy that explores the depth of British magical folklore. Her debut adult novel, The Knowing, is a gothic fantasy published by Bedford Square (January 2024). Witchlore is her first novel for YA readers.

Meet Me at the Surface by Jodie Matthews
Merryn grew up on the wilds of Bodmin moor, raised by her mother and her aunt in an old farmhouse. Here, the locals never leave the village, fear for the future of their farms and cling desperately to the folkloric tales that are woven into their history. Except Merryn, who has escaped to Manchester for university, briefly untethering herself from her past.

When Merryn returns home for the memorial service of her ex-girlfriend Claud, she finds her childhood home stranger and more secretive than ever. She’s sure that her mother is hiding something. The villagers are hunting on the moors at night, but for what? And then there’s a notebook, found in an old chest of drawers, full of long-forgotten folklore that seems to be linked somehow to Claud.
Jodie Matthews is a Cornish writer and poet, currently living in the north. Her first novel has been shortlisted for the Bath Novel Awards 2021 and the Blue Pencil First Novel Awards 2021.

The Girl with a Thousand Faces by Sunyi Dean
Due to be published in May 2026, The Girl with a Thousand Faces is a haunting dark urban fantasy set in historical Hong Kong, where ancient myths and local legends combine in a story of ghosts, grief and women who will not forgive.
Sunyi Dean is an author of speculative fiction. Though born in Texas and raised in Hong Kong, she now resides in Northern England. Her debut novel, The Book Eaters, was an instant #2 Sunday Times Bestseller.

These talented authors will be in conversation for 45 minutes, followed by 15 minutes of audience Q&A and then a signing.

Also check out other Arts events in Leeds, Literary Art events in Leeds.