A Wild Hunt Books Showcase

Blackwell’s Manchester welcomes Wild Hunt Books for a night of northern fiction, celebrating the Northern Weird Project series with readings and discussion from authors Gemma Fairclough, Neil McRobert, and Matt Wesolowski, chaired by Ariell Cacciola, editorial director of Wild Hunt Books.

The Northern Weird Project shines a light on unsettling, uncanny, and atmospheric fiction rooted in northern landscapes and folklore. From haunted communities to sinister retreats and journeys into the unknown, these stories probe the shadows that lie just beyond the familiar.

Gemma Fairclough’s The Retreat unravels the disturbing legacy of a mysterious Cumbrian wellness centre in the 1990s, where charismatic leaders hold dangerous sway. Neil McRobert’s Good Boy follows a woman who stumbles upon a grave being dug on the very spot a boy has vanished—only to find something more chilling than she imagined. In Matt Wesolowski’s (Don’t) Call Mum, a seemingly routine train journey through North East England descends into terror as night falls and something unearthly emerges from the darkness.

Together, these authors bring a distinctly northern lens to horror, gothic, and speculative storytelling, drawing on folklore, landscape, and psychological unease. Expect an evening of chilling tales, dark imagination, and the chance to hear directly from three rising voices in contemporary northern fiction.