Comment | 'Look back on 100 years of city's book heritage was a journey of shelf discovery'
It was this time last year that I launched the 100Books in a 100Years project for the city's centenary to find 100 Potteries-born authors who'd published between 1925-2025. It's since been quite the year. From the overwhelming response to the project with suggestions to discovering just how many authors we have in the city writing today. We've hosted poetry busks, author talks, micro-residencies and workshops in schools and libraries. We've found forgotten authors, socialist manifestoes, memoirs and historical works keen to preserve the city's industrial heritage, with many novels and poetry collections using the city as a backdrop.
We know that there were many local publishers in the city - JH Brookes; Webberleys; and Etruscan publications – but that prominent London-based publishers were also publishing us widely (Metheun; Hodder & Stoughton; Heinnman; and Faber & Faber). Novels and poetry collections make up half the canon as expected, though we've found many children's books, plays, non-fiction, and biography alongside. Burslem takes the accolade as the birthplace for most authors, and though male authors make up 60% of the canon, it's likely to begin with the relatively unknown Ida Mary Downing with her poetry collection 'Words, Pictures and Other Poems' (Munns&Allen).
Admittedly, we have drawn blanks in certain years; 1938-1945 is partially empty given WW2. Then there was the matter of the pseudonym: discovering some authors with three pennames. But these gaps are no bad thing. We can now say that we have over 80 writers to celebrate alongside Arnold Bennett with more to come. Because this is a long-view project. The search will continue so please keep looking.
As will our 100Books activities in the 2026 National Year of Reading, beginning with a workshop and talk by Potteries-born author Charlotte Higgins, the Guardian's Chief Cultural Writer and Arnold Bennett Prize winner, on Saturday January 24th at Newcastle library. We will then launch the 100Bookshelf in partnership with Stoke Archives and Keele University in May; a mobile library of the 100books that will be available to visit in the City Archives’ custom designed ‘Book Nook’.
"We have been bowled over to find just how much local writing talent there is to celebrate from the past 100 years, Councillor Sarah Hill said. "We are really looking forward to sharing these discoveries in our new Book Nook at the City Archives when the 100 Bookshelf Project launches in the spring."
The beauty of the 100Bookshelf is that it can be added to in both directions. This public display of our literary heritage will serve as a scholarly resource and inspire future to belong to the city's writerly family tree. Its launch will be supported by a series of workshops and talks by local authors so look out for further details.
100 new voices from the region will then take the canon into the next century. Edited by local authors Alex Foulkes and Lou Cliffe-Minns who hosted a series of workshops in secondary schools with Higher Horizons, 'The Places that Make Us' anthology will publish 100 young writers and be launched at the 100Books Results Show on 25th March at Keele University. Special guest Cllr Lyn Sharpe will present the anthology to all our contributors.
Finally, I'd like to express my sincere personal thanks to everyone who has supported this project in whatever shape or form over the past 12 months. It's been a project grounded in collaboration that promises to continue inspiring creativity in the city throughout the 2026 National Year of Reading.
