An afternoon exploring the supernatural with writers Jenn Ashworth, David Gaffney, Beth Barker and Nicholas Royle – four contributors to Brutalist Ghost Stories, a haunting new anthology inspired by Britain’s post-war architecture.

Blending literary fiction with the uncanny, these original stories reimagine Brutalist buildings as places where history, memory and the supernatural collide. From Preston Bus Station and the Barbican to Forton Service Station and a substation in Sheffield, the collection offers a striking new way of seeing familiar spaces.

Hear readings from the anthology and discover how four distinctive Northern voices have transformed these monumental settings into unforgettable ghost stories. Brutalist Ghost Stories is edited by Richard V. Hirst and published by Manchester’s Cōnfingō Publishing.

Jenn Ashworth is an award-winning novelist whose books include A Kind of Intimacy, Fell and Ghosted. Her memoir Notes Made While Falling was shortlisted for the Gordon Burn Prize. She lives in Lancashire.

David Gaffney is a novelist and short story writer whose books include Never Never, Out of the Dark and Sawn-Off Tales. His work has been appeared on BBC Radio 4. He lives in Manchester.

Beth Barker is a writer from Blackpool, interested in all things dark and unsettling. She was shortlisted for New Writing North’s Word Factory Apprentice Award in 2023. Her short fiction was published by Factory International as part of a folk horror series in 2024. Her story ‘Skeletons’ appeared in Motives Unknown, an anthology of new crime writing from the North.

Nicholas Royle is an acclaimed novelist and short story writer whose books include First Novel, Antwerp and Ornithology. He is the editor of Best British Short Stories and founder of Nightjar Press.

Location: Manchester Central Library