Word Soup was the Lancashire Writing Hub’s regular Live Lit Night. Live literature performers at these events numbered over 260 over the first two year period, with some high-profile established performers such as Jo Bell, Conrad Williams, Robert Sheppard, Ian Parks, and Sarah Hymas giving readings and talks about their work,  alongside numerous up-and-coming writers, many performing in front of an audience for the very first time.

North West author and independent publisher Nicholas Royle said of Word Soup;

‘I can’t imagine there’s a Live Lit scene anywhere in the country livelier than that in the North West – and I don’t mean north-west London.’

Our first year of Word Soup was marked by our first published book, Word Soup: Year One, which featured a mixture of prose and poetry from professional and emerging North West writers. Writers published in the book included professional authors Nicholas Royle, Peter Wild, Sarah Hymas, A. J. Duggan, and Tom Fletcher, with emerging talents Rachel McGladdery (who went on to win several poetry grand slams and the first ever John Lennon Poetry Slam), Sandy Calico, Socrates Adams, Norman Hadley, Mollie Baxter, and J. A. Brunning, and a photodocumentary by Garry Cook.

 “magic poetry – wonderful! Original!!”
Kate Swingewood – Audience

Read more about Lancashire Writing Hub

Back to main Literature page