Join us at The Open Book Club, a monthly gathering for anyone who loves a good natter about books. We meet up to discuss a chosen book in a friendly and inviting atmosphere.

Reservation Details:

To secure your spot, a non-refundable deposit of £10 is required. This deposit covers venue expenses and a free drink for you! Please reserve your place through Eventbrite, as spaces are limited.

Questions:

If you have any questions, feel free to fire us a direct message on our Instagram page (@theopen_bookclub). We're happy to help!

Join poets and fellow Dream Catcher editors Hannah Stone and Joe Williams in conversation on Hannah's most recent collection, The Invisible Worm (Indigo Dreams Publishing, 2023). 

'Part threnody, part celebration of friendship’, these poems celebrate Hannah’s friendship with Rosemary Mitchell, and explore how we face end of life.

Hannah is Poet-Theologian to Leeds Church Institute, and convenes poetry/music collaborations. Last year she featured in the Guardian’s Poem of the Week, and won the David Oluwale Memorial Association Writing competition.

‘STRIKE’, published by Stairwell Books in January 2024, is the latest book by award-winning Leeds/Doncaster poet Sarah Wimbush. It is an exploration of both famous and previously unseen photographs of the 1984 miners’ strike, through the lens of poetry.

2024 is the 40th anniversary of the start of the 1984-1985 miners’ strike, one of the longest industrial disputes in British history. In conversation with poet Joe Williams, himself born in the north east colliery town Ashington, Sarah will discuss the process of writing the book and her personal experiences of the strike.

Join Leeds-based author Sarah Brooks as she talks about and reads from her stunning debut novel The Cautious Traveller’s Guide to the Wastelands. Read more here.

It is the end of the Nineteenth Century, and the world is awash with marvels. But there is nothing so marvellous as the Wastelands: a terrain of terrible miracles that lies between Beijing and Moscow.

UK general practice has reached crisis point. The impact of the Covid-19 pandemic has placed a strain on an already crumbling primary care service, leaving both patients and NHS staff struggling. Seventy-five years after the NHS was created, Dr Ellen Welch lifts the curtain on general practice. She looks back on the history of the profession exploring how the job has changed – particularly since the pandemic – then ahead to what the future of general practice might look like.

Join us in the shop as we meet Leeds based author Sarah Brooks and talk to her about her debut nostalgic fiction novel The Cautious Traveller’s Guide to the Wastelands.

‘A woman on the platform with a borrowed name. A disgraced naturalist determined to discover miracles. A child with a dangerous secret.’

Filled with wild imagination, and a fantastical twist, this piece of gloriously nostalgic fiction takes you on a wild and thrilling ride on the Great Trans-Siberian express during the golden age of steam.

A special event to mark Refugee Week 2024. Author Anna Nyburg joins us to tell the fascinating story of those who fled Nazism and found a new life at M&S.

This is a free, in-person event with light refreshments.

Booking essential.

Founded in 2007 by author and activist Paul Burston, Polari is a multi award-winning LGBTQ+ literary salon. Known for its high energy, thought-provoking performances, Polari is a heady mix of live literature and cabaret, in which the performers happen to be writers.

Described by The Huffington Post as “the most exciting literary moment in London”, the salon also tours regularly, supported by Arts Council England.

Each year of the decade is represented by a piece of popular music. 

Themes from the songs are enlarged upon, so by the end of the talk, subjects covered include fashions back then, the Cold War, Vietnam, flower power, the space race – and more! 

A light-hearted and nostalgic look back at a decade many remember fondly!