Live Events

For Books’ Sake was perhaps best known for its award-winning live spoken word night, That’s What She Said,  later renamed to That’s What We* Said.

Showcasing powerful, ambitious and vulnerable work by emerging and established writers and performers, these events became renowned for their DIY punk ethos, rebellious spirit and celebratory and inclusive atmosphere.

For several years, For Books’ Sake took place monthly in Manchester, London and Bristol, with special spin-off editions taking place at arts and literature festivals across the UK, including sold-out runs at the Edinburgh Fringe and a year-long residency of quarterly late-night literary salons at the Royal Albert Hall.

Publishing Projects

In line with our ethos of supporting marginalised writers to develop their craft, confidence and community, we published a series of anthologies, including several collections of short fiction — Short Stack, Derby Shorts, Tongue in Cheek and [RE]Sisters —  and an anthology of poetry, FURIES, which raised thousands of pounds for our charity partner Rape Crisis England & Wales to support their work with survivors of rape and sexual violence. We also made zines featuring writing created in and following on from our writing workshops.

Writing Retreats

For several years, I ran a series of weekend residential writing retreats in the Peak District, bringing marginalised writers together in a cosy, comfortable setting to spend time writing, sharing stories and building connections to each other. Making and protecting dedicated time for writing is a challenge for so many writers, so it was a joy and privilege to be able facilitate and co-create a space for that, especially when our weekends together also featured epic amounts of delicious home-made food; walks and wild swims in beautiful countryside; pyjama parties watching our favourite films; and bonding, tears, laughter, stories and spells around the fire pit.

Workshops + Conferences

For many years, For Books’ Sake collaborated with Write Like a Grrrl to deliver writing workshops for thousands of women and non-binary writers across the UK and beyond, and I loved my time as the main facilitator of these within the North West of England.

In 2018 and 2019, a core team of myself, Kerry Ryan and Claire Askew collaborated to deliver the weekend writing conference Grrrl Con. Delivered in both Manchester and Edinburgh, Grrrl Con was a collaboration between For Books’ Sake and Write Like a Grrrl, featuring an extensive programme of interactive workshops, keynote lectures, peer mentoring and opportunities to share, network and perform.

During my time at For Books’ Sake, I also delivered sessions in collaboration with a long list of other organisations and education providers, including workshops in libraries, schools, universities, women’s centres and prisons, and at arts and literature festivals, and I am grateful to be able to continue this work in an independent, freelance capacity.