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RLF Writers’ News: September 2025

Publishing

Kiran Millwood Hargrave‘s new book The Ship of Strays (Hachette Children’s) is out now.

The third book in the Geomancer book trilogy, The Ship of Strays follows Ysolda as she nears the end of her quest, continuing the story that began with In the Shadow of the Wolf Queen and The Storm and the Sea Hawk.

A thrilling book series aimed at young readers, the Geomancer trilogy weaves together the magic of nature, the lure of power and the strength of love.

Kiran will also be appearing at the Bath Children’s Literature Festival, which begins later this month.

Franny Moyle’s new book, Mrs Kauffman & Madame Le Brun, is set to be published on 11 September .

Mrs Kauffman & Madame Le Brun tells the story of two extraordinary 18th century artists, Swiss history painter Angelica Kauffman and the French portraitist Elisabeth Vigée Le Brun. Former child prodigies, members of prestigious academies and celebrated court painters in their respective countries, both made disastrous marriages that had drained them financially and made them the subject of scandal.

Franny Moyle will be at Heron Books in Bristol discussing the book and her career as an author of ‘cultural non-fiction’ on 13 September. For more information and to buy tickets, visit the Heron Books website.

Broadcasts

On 19 September Testament presents an edition of Radio 4’s The Adverb, from the Contains Strong Language Festival in Bradford.

Testament will be joined by Daljit Nagra, Kate Fox, Andrew McMillan and Kirsty Taylor in a celebration of poetry and live performance. You can join the broadcast live at the festival, or listen later on BBC Radio 4.

On 20 September Ian McMillan presents a live edition of Radio 4’s cabaret of the word, The Verb, from the Contains Strong Language Festival in Bradford.

Ian’s guests will include Imtiaz Dharker, Keiron Higgins, Nabeela Ahmed and Katrina Porteus. You can join the broadcast live at the festival, or listen later on BBC Radio 4. More information here.

Productions

Lydia Marchant has been announced as one of the writers of the newly relaunched Play for Today, a series of programmes that will be broadcast on 5 (formerly Channel 5), beginning later this year.

In the 1970s and 1980s, the BBC’s Play for Today introduced new writing and acting talent to the British public. This year’s relaunch by 5 will see a new host of writers, actors and creatives take on a variety of issues, as Commissioning Editor Paul Testar recently announced: “Play for Today is synonymous with high quality standalone television dramas and we’re excited to be reviving it with a new slate of single films on 5 to support emerging talent behind the scenes – from writers and directors to production teams – especially those from lower-income backgrounds who haven’t always had clear pathways into the industry, is a chance to tell great stories while helping to shape the future of British drama.” 

Lydia Marchant’s commission Never Too Late, co-written with Simon Warne, is an irreverent take on ageing, following a rebellious woman – played by Anita Dobson – as she is forced to start over in a retirement village.

Events and appearances

On 13 September Nii Ayikwei Parkes joins fellow writers Felicity Ward, Samantha Ellis, Theon Cross, Karrie Fransman and Sabrina Mahfouz for Book Slam x The Royal Society of Literature at Somerset House.

Part of a series of collaborations between the RSL and Book Slam to celebrate the spoken and written word, each event will explore a different theme in a different, distinctive venue. With a mixed bill of writers and performers, the events combine music, spoken word, comedy, myth-making and visual wizardry exploring the theme of rebirth, revival and retelling.

Tickets are free and more information can be found here.

John Siddique, North of England Project Coordinator for the RLF and WritersMosaic, is appearing in a number of poetry events at BBC Radio 4’s Contains Strong Language festival this month, including:

Contains Strong Language Poetry Shorts: Mind & Body on 19 September. Also featuring poets Antony Dunn, Andrew McMillan and Emma Conally-Barklem.

Contains Strong Language Poetry Shorts: Poetic Justice, also on 19 September. 

Contains Strong Language Poetry Gala on 20 September. This special line up sees all the core Contains Strong Language poets perform as part of the same bill for the first time, including Saju Ahmed, Rachel Bower, Emma Conally-Barklem, Antony Dunn, Kemmi Gill, Zaffar Kunial, Andrew McMillan, Kim Moore and Kirsty Taylor.

Contains Strong Language Poetry Shorts: Love in the 21st Century on 21 September. Also features Keiron Higgins, Andrew McMillan, Nabeela Ahmed and Kim Moore.

Clare Chambers, Susan Fletcher and Andrew Miller – whose latest book, The Land in Winter, was recently longlisted for The Booker Prize – are all set to appear at The Marlborough Literature Festival (25 – 28 September). Susan Fletcher’s book The Night in Question is the Festival’s Big Town Read, which aims to get as many local people reading and discussing a chosen book.

You can browse the full programme of events here.

Jasbinder Bilan will be leading a Creative Writing Masterclass for children aged 9 and over at this month’s Bath Children’s Literature Festival on 27 September.

It will be an interactive masterclass that looks at how writers build stories and create vibrant characters, sparking children’s imagination through creative writing.

More information here.

At the Northern Poetry Library, Morpeth on 30 September three Northern writers – Christy Ducker, Zoë Howe and Harry Man – will discuss the places that matter to them, using short readings from fellow RLF writers as a springboard for discussion.

For tickets and more information, take a look here. 

Awards and appointments

Mary Paulson-Ellis, formerly an RLF Fellow at the University of Edinburgh, has been appointed as the University’s new Writer in Residence.

An award-winning writer of crime, historical and literary fiction, Mary joins a distinguished roll-call of writers who have previously held the role including author and poet Jenni Fagan, poet and playwright Liz Lochhead, Scottish Gaelic poet Sorley Maclean and poet and teacher Norman MacCaig.

JB Priestley Award recipient Adam Weymouth and former RLF Trustee Richard Holmes are among the writers to have been longlisted for this year’s Baillie Gifford Prize for Non-Fiction.

Adam Weymouth’s Lone Wolf: Walking the Faultlines of Europe sees him follow in the footsteps of  a young Slovenian wolf while Richard Holmes’ biography of Alfred, Lord Tennyson, The Boundless Deep: Young Tennyson, Science and the Crisis of Belief, tracks Tennyson through his younger years.

Congratulations to all the longlisted authors. You can see the full list here.

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