Copies of the new volume, Tolka 10, will be on sale at the event as will a selection of previous issues.

This is a great opportunity to celebrate a significant landmark from a groundbreaking and visionary publication, and to hear from some wonderful writers.

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Polly Barton is a writer and Japanese literary translator. Her translations include Butter by Asako Yuzuki and Hunchback by Saou Ichikawa. She has published two works of non-fiction, Fifty Sounds, and Porn: An Oral History. What Am I, A Deer?, her debut novel, will be published in April 2026.

Chloé Duane is an academic researcher and contributing editor at Tolka. Her academic research focuses on audience engagement, scenography, and adaptation in contemporary theatre. She has published extensively, with work appearing in Theatre and Performance Design, Irish University Review, and Samuel Beckett Today/Aujourd’hui.

Liam Harrison is a founding editor of the literary journal Tolka and a senior lecturer in creative writing at the University of the West of England. His writing has appeared in The Irish Times, The Stinging Fly and other publications.

Ralf Webb is the author of the poetry collections Rotten Days in Late Summer and Highway Cottage, and the non-fiction book Strange Relations, which was shortlisted for the Sunday Times Young Writer of the Year Award. His poems, essays, and fiction have appeared widely, including in the London Review of Books, Fantastic Man, Granta and the Guardian.

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And before we sign off events-wise for 2025, we want to say a huge thank you to you for supporting and taking part in this year’s programme; it’s one of the great joys of the shop’s activities that we get to share these occasions with you.

We will have more stimulating and horizon-broadening events next year and can’t wait to unveil them when the time comes!

(184 Gloucester Road BS7 8NU)

The book demystifies the art of memoir, helping readers to find meaning in raw experience and considers compelling questions from why our memories give greater significance to certain events to how we can write honestly without intruding too far into the lives of our loved ones. It also looks at how writers are extending the memoir form to create something hybrid, playful and subversive.

This is a wonderful opportunity to hear from one of the finest exponents and most knowledgeable teachers of memoir writing currently at work.

Here are some rave reviews for Into Being:

‘Lily Dunn is one of our best teachers and theorists of autobiographical writing and Into Being is an inspiring, philosophical and helpful guide. If you are a memoirist feeling discouraged or lost, this book will give you both encouragement and insight into the value of the form, and practical ways forward. I copied many lines into my own journal.’
Amy Liptrot, author of The Outrun

‘As astute as it is generous, Lily Dunn’s Into Beingdraws a capacious doorway for all who seek to write from lived experience, illuminating the contours of the endeavour using copious examples and abundant wisdom.’
Melissa Febos, author of Girlhood

‘A profound examination of the value of memoir for both writer and reader, with practical advice on how to access emotionally meaningful events. Lily Dunn’s Into Being is the essential guide to all things memoir.’
Richard Beard, author of Sad Little Men and The Day That Went Missing

‘A revelatory and vibrant exploration of the transformative power of memoir – an essential read for writers, readers and teachers.’
Jenn Ashworth, author of Notes Made While Falling

Marianne Brooker is based in Bristol, where she works for a climate justice charity. Her first book, Intervals, was published last year. It won the Fitzcarraldo Editions Essay Prize, was longlisted for the Women’s Prize for Non-Fiction and shortlisted for a National Book Critics Circle Award. She teaches Creative Non-Fiction at Faber Academy and is currently working on a novel.

Tickets are available via Headfirst, here: https://hdfst.uk/e137085

(293 Gloucester Road BS7 8PE)

From grassroots clubs battling for survival to the rise and fall of Russian oligarchs; Marcus Rashford’s anti-hunger campaign and the uproar surrounding Gary Lineker’s tweets, Injury Time dives in to football’s central role in public debate and consciousness. The game, Goldblatt contends, is the ultimate societal bellwether, particularly in an age of multiple crises – Brexit, Covid, climate catastrophes, economic and political upheaval.

Tickets will go quickly for this so don’t wait until injury time to book!

It promises to be an indispensable, eye-opening evening but don’t just take our word for it; here are some reviews for Injury Time and David’s other acclaimed work:

‘David Goldblatt is possibly the best football historian there has ever been’. Dominic Sandbrook

‘David Goldblatt is the greatest British sportswriter of the 21st century … Injury Time is an absolute classic.’ James Montague, author of The Billionaires Club and Engulfed

‘Stunningly researched, calmly presented and cumulatively shocking, David Goldblatt’s Injury Time is a work of searching and uncomfortable truths about the world of British football in the age of Brexit. We all knew that the age of relative innocence had long gone; but this extraordinarily knowledgeable, broad-based survey reveals as never before the challenges facing any serious attempt to restore the soul to our game.’ – David Kynaston, author of A Northern Wind

‘David Goldblatt sets to tell the story of modern Britain through football – and, remarkably he succeeds. English football culture would be lost without him. He guides us through the madness.’ – Simon Kuper, bestselling author of Chums
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Tickets are available via Headfirst, here: https://hdfst.uk/e137000

When: Wednesday evenings, 1 October – 19 November 2025, 6:00 – 8:00 pm

Where: Right here at Gloucester Road Books, in the inspiring and creative atmosphere of the shop

Cost: £375 (payment plans available)

Group size: Just 10 participants, so spaces go quickly

Over 8 weeks, you’ll explore forms like:
Memoir and personal essays
Literary journalism
Biography, reviews, and features
Writing for Substack and blogs

With Holly’s expert guidance, you’ll take part in workshops, writing exercises, readings, and feedback sessions – all leading to a polished piece of your own writing and practical tips on how to get it published.

The course is designed to be warm, supportive, and inspiring – whether you’re a complete beginner or already writing. You’ll leave with not only new skills, but also the confidence to share your voice.

Holly Rigby is a Bristol-based writer and lecturer in creative nonfiction at City University. Her work has appeared in The Guardian and The Independent, and she’s been a commentator on BBC, Sky News, and Channel 4.

For more information and to book a place, visit: https://gloucesterroadbooks.com/non-fiction-writing-course-with-holly-rigby/