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RLF Writers’ News: September 2026

Publishing

Anthony Quinn’s new novel, The Millionaire Waltz has been published by Abacus.

A prequel to his previous novel, Curtain Call, The Millionaire Waltz is set in London in the 1920s. Against a backdrop of thuggish blackmail, constricting high society and a London still fragile from the war, Edie Greenlaw is trying to decide what she wants from the world. The closer the prospect of marriage with her handsome war hero fiancé becomes, the less fulfilling it seems. Defying caution, she goes to the aid of a friend – and entangles herself in a dangerous demi-monde of sexual extortion and violence.”

Wren James’ latest novel, The Victors, is released this week in Australia and New Zealand.

Illustrated by Beth Fuller, it tells the story of Dirk Earnest, who once led the world to victory in a savage battle against the evil overlord Rárog and his demon horde. Now he’s just a normal university student – or he’s trying to be.

Described by The Guardian as a “witty YA graphic novel” that “elegantly subverts the ‘chosen one’ trope, The Victors is also out now in the UK. Find out more here.

Broadcasts

Amanda Dalton’s recent radio drama The Observer’s Book is available to listen to now on BBC Sounds.

Directed by Nadia Molinari and recorded on location in Midgley, West Yorkshire, The Observer’s Book follows artist Misha who, after the sudden death of her friend Joe, persuades her lifelong friend Grace to accompany her to his remote country cottage to sort his belongings. As tensions rise and their friendship fractures, both women must confront what it means to truly know someone.

Listen now on BBC Sounds.

Productions

Ben Musgrave’s new play The Go-Between is touring theatres across East Anglia until 19 September.

Inspired by LP Hartley’s classic novel, this bold adaptation is a haunting showcase of the beautiful landscape of Norfolk and the thrilling power of live theatre. With original music, striking visuals and a powerful sense of place, the play follows young Leo Colston as he becomes the unwitting messenger between two forbidden lovers during the summer of 1900 – and what begins as an innocent errand soon unravels into a dangerous web of love, loss and betrayal.

Directed by Jake Smith. For tickets and more information, visit the Eastern Angles website.

Stephen Wyatt’s new play Look Up At The Stars, directed by Jason Moore from an idea by Jessica Martin and Stephen Wyatt, will be staged at the Hen and Chickens Theatre, London, from 24 – 27 September:

“In 1954, British film actress Patricia Meadows starred in Look Up At the Stars. Her award-winning performance marked a new high in her career. Her future looked bright. But fate had other plans for Patricia. Fast forward to the 1980s, and Patricia Meadows has a tell-all memoir which threatens to expose many scandals. But what price will Patricia pay to reclaim her place in show business history?” 

For tickets and more information, visit the Unrestricted View website.

Collected: Live 

This month’s Collected: Live panel events include:

The Books That Changed Us at The Reader Bookshop in Liverpool on Thursday 24 September, from 7pm.

Host Zoë Howe will be joined by four other celebrated writers – Carys Bray, David Swann, Peter Kalu and Lizzie Nunnery – as the panel share their experiences about the joys of reading and the writers who inspire them. Tickets here.

Events and appearances 

Zoë Howe begins a series of events inspired by the RLF’s Collected: Live series at Liverpool Central Library from Tuesday 1 September.

A Place For Us is a creative reading and writing course taught through a series of four workshops, to be held over the coming months. Participants will read and discuss writing about place, as inspiration for their own writing. Tickets and more information here.

Ian Seed is giving the Matt Simpson Annual Reading at the Bluecoat Gallery on Tuesday 1 September, presented by Liverpool Poetry space.

The Matt Simpson Memorial reading series celebrates the legacy of Matt Simpson (1936-2009), a poet and literary critic born in Bootle, Merseyside. The annual series welcomes poets to read their work. Ian will be reading work from across his recent publications, including Forgetfulness (Shearsman, 2026), Night Window (2024) and The Dice Cup (2023). 

For more details and tickets, visit the Bluecoat website.

Katharine McMahon, Wren James and Testament will be running RLF Reading Round Group sessions at the Queen’s Reading Room Festival in Chatsworth House, Derbyshire, on 19 and 20 September.

Across the weekend, visitors can take part in Reading Round groups, exploring selected poems and short stories that will also be read aloud by the writers during the sessions. Spaces are limited to 24 places per session, so please apply in advance by emailing [email protected].

The sessions are part of The Queen’s Reading Room Festival, a two-day literary festival that unites authors, experts and literature enthusiasts for a weekend of events dedicated to celebrating the written word. Find out more about the festival, including the full programme, here.

Awards

Jim Carruth’s short story Leavin Eden has won the 2026 Neil Gunn prise.

Set against the approaching ‘roup’, or public auction, of a farm and the leaving of it by a couple whose sons, for different reasons cannot take it on, the judges praised its exceptionally good use of Scots and English, saying “each language telling us more about the individual and their relationship to place than the words alone can. The impact of this is heightened as the story is revealed in shorter and shorter segments, the duality of perspective driving us relentlessly to its inevitable and devastating conclusion”.

Established in memory of Scottish novelist and critic Neil Miller Gunn (1891-1973), the Neil Gunn Prize was established to celebrate writers and writing in the Highlands of Scotland. More information here.

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