The Portico Prize awards £10,000 to the book that best evokes the spirit of the North of England.

This year, the Prize has established the Society of Readers and Writers, an appointed group of 15 individuals from the world of literature who have collectively determined the Longlist.

Join them along with several of the nominated authors for a discussion on writing about the North in light of this year’s Longlist. The Portico Prize is proudly presented in partnership with Manchester Metropolitan University.

Speakers are Rachael Allen, poet and poetry editor at Granta; Kamal Kaan, award winning screenwriter and actor; and Dr Louisa Yates, Director of Collections and Research at Gladstone’s Library.

Ticket includes a complimentary drink. All Longlisted books will be available to buy on the night.

Tickets £7 advance (not including booking fee) / £10 on the door.

Find more about The Portico Prize here.

Event schedule

18:30 Doors
19:00 Drinks Reception
19:45 – 21:00 Chaired discussion + Q&A
22:00 Bar closes

The Portico Prize Longlist

• Saltwater by Jessica Andrews (Sceptre) Fiction
• Ironopolis by Glen James Brown (Parthian) Fiction
• The Boy with the Perpetual Nervousness by Graham Caveney (Picador) Non-Fiction
• Sensible Footwear: A Girl’s Guide by Kate Charlesworth, (Myriad Editions) Graphic Memoir
• Lowborn: Growing Up, Getting Away and Returning to Britain’s Poorest Towns by Kerry Hudson (Chatto & Windus) Non-Fiction
• Zebra by Ian Humphreys (Nine Arches Press) Poetry
• Us by Zaffar Kunial (Faber & Faber) Poetry
• Long Road from Jarrow by Stuart Maconie (Ebury Press) Non-Fiction
• Black Car Burning by Helen Mort (Chatto & Windus) Fiction
• Under the Rock: The Poetry of a Place by Benjamin Myers (Elliott and Thompson) Non-Fiction
• The Mating Habit of Stags by Ray Robinson (Lightning Books) Fiction
• The One who Wrote Destiny by Nikesh Shukla (Atlantic) Fiction
• The Look Away by Richard Skelton (Xylem Books) Fiction
• Black Teeth and a Brilliant Smile by Adelle Stripe (Fleet) Fiction
• Gentleman Jack: A Biography of Anne Lister by Angela Steidele, translated by Katy Derbyshire (Serpent’s Tail) Non-Fiction
• 2020 by Kenneth Steven, (Saraband) Fiction
• Mancunia by Michael Symmons Roberts (Jonathan Cape) Poetry

Image: Mo Ray, Louisa Yates and Qaisra Shahraz, members of The Society of Readers and Writers, at The Portico Library.