New Writers Showcase

Free, booking required

Suitable for ages 16+

Join us at The Word as we feature new writers from a variety of genres in this writing showcase. Each writer will introduce themselves and talk about their work. There will then be a Q&A session and an opportunity to purchase the authors’ books.

The writers joining us are: Nicky Black, Eileen Wharton, Esme Morgan Smithson, Jo Lyons and Káyọ̀dé Akinropo.

Nicky Black

Nicky Black is a collaboration between two friends, Nicky Doherty and Julie Blackie, who have known each other for 25 years. They have self-published two Amazon best-sellers, The Prodigal and The Rave, and Nicky is currently working on the third novel in the gritty Valley Park series. They both had careers in urban regeneration back in the 90s, working at the heart of disadvantaged communities in the North East of England. During that time, they experienced the real grit and struggle of peoples’ every-day lives, as well as their humour and determination to lead a happy existence, whatever that meant to them. The first two books in the Valley Park series began life as television and film scripts, written b y Julie, and adapted into novels by Nicky.

Eileen Wharton

Eileen Wharton is an Oscar winning actress, Olympic gymnast, and Influencer. She also tells lies for a living. Her first novel was published in 2011 to worldwide critical acclaim. And she’s won awards for exaggeration. It did top the Amazon humour chart so she’s officially a best-selling author. She currently has five ‘lively’ offspring ranging from thirty-four to fifteen years of age, and has no plans to procreate further, much to the relief of the local schools and police force. She lives on a council estate in County Durham. She is hearing impaired, is allergic to cats and has a phobia of tinned tuna. She’s retired from arguing with people on the internet.

 

Esme Morgan Smithson

“Esme Morgan Smithson is an up-and-coming author due to experiencing 50 years of bad luck. My life has been a rollercoaster of a ride due to living in poverty and suffering vicious attacks. I had saved my body and soul for someone special although this turned out terribly wrong. I had to end up doing a DNA test two decades later in order to resolve the True-Life Mamma Mia Story otherwise known as Esme’s Encounter with Evil People (EEwEP).”

Jo Lyons

Jo Lyons spent years working in Turkey as a holiday rep, in the Alpes at a ski resort, in the south of France at a vineyard and eventually washed up in Spain as a teacher.

She thought she’d put her fairly adequate skills of ‘getting on with people’ to good use, but on her way to The Hague, she became terribly distracted by a DJ and subsequent motherhood. Twenty of her best, frozen-foreheaded years flew by before she suddenly remembered her previous ambition for world peace and politics…oh yes, and to write a book. ​You can sign up to her newsletter and visit her website at www.jolyonsauthor.com for a behind the scenes look at how she cobbles together her books and sneak previews of all of her upcoming novels.

Twitter: @J0Lyons Instagram: @Hinnywhowrites Tiktok: @Jo_Lyons_author

 

Kayode Akinropo

Káyọ̀dé was born and raised in Ìbàdàn, Ọ̀yọ́ State, Nigeria. He lives with his wife in Newcastle-upon-Tyne. They are both blessed with two children.

He attended Ọ̀yọ State College of Arts and Science, Ilé-Ifẹ̀. He has a Bachelor of Arts (Education) English degree from the Ọbáfẹ́mi Awólọ́wọ̀ University, Ilé-Ifẹ̀, Nigeria; Master of Arts in English from the University of Lagos, Nigeria; Level  5 diploma in DTE(E)LLS and Teaching Knowledge Test: Knowledge About Language (TKT:KAL) Band 3 from the University of Cambridge, United Kingdom.

He was a lecturer at the College of Journalism, Lagos, Nigeria. He worked as a supply teacher in the UK. At present, he is a freelance interpreter/translator and a registrant with the National Register of Public Service Interpreters (NRPSI), United Kingdom.

Some topical articles he wrote have been published in Nigerian newspapers and magazines. Scars Do Heal is his first published novel and is now on sale on Amazon’s kindle and paperback versions

His hobbies are writing, reading, travelling and sports.

 

 

 

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