Restoking the Potteries narrative: 100 books in a 100 years
Restoking the Potteries Narrative: 100 Books in a 100 Years is a project to commemorate the centenary of Stoke on Trent receiving its city status!
2025 marks 100 years since Stoke on Trent was granted city status by King George V in recognition of the city’s considerable contributions to the pottery industry, with the city first obtaining the status on 5th June 1925.
The project, supported by Arts Council England and assisted by various partners including Stoke on Trent libraries and Stoke Archives, is the brainchild of Dr Lisa Blower, a lecturer in Creative Writing at Keele University, and aims to celebrate the city’s creative heritage by creating a literary catalogue of local authorship, with the hope that this catalogue will become a shared public databank of local publications that will act as a tribute to the city’s literary legacy.
This first canon of literature for the city is looking to uncover 100 separate literary works (including novels, short fiction, poetry, memoirs, plays or history books) by Potteries-born authors (those born in postcodes ST1-ST12) who published their works between 1925 to 2025. If you know of any books or authors for inclusion in the project, please contact Lisa at 100potteriesbooks@gmail.com.
There’s also events running throughout the year including micro-residencies in the summer with six Potteries-born authors offering free workshops, career talks, portfolio clinics and books readings, with the 100 Book Club and 6 Book Reading Challenge launching in January 2026 once the literary catalogue is in place.
So, celebrate 100 years of Stoke on Trent and support our home-grown project of local authorship!
