Young Radicals / New Worlds (RBF2024)

Please check ticket info for this event below, incl. information about access.

As part of Book Week Scotland, we’re delighted to welcome novelists Faridah Abike-Iyimide and Margaret McDonald to this special event about young radical writing. They will explore what radical writing for young people can look like, what it means for each of them, and how their writing responds to and grows from stories that have come before.

Faridah Abike-Iyimide is the thriller writer behind the award winning Ace of Spades and newly published Where Sleeping Girls Lie, and Margaret MacDonald has published a brilliant and devastating coming-of-age debut called Glasgow Boys. (More about them and their books below)

What’s involved? We’ve put a twist on a traditional book talk, there's the expected chat with writers, as well as a teen-only hang-out space before the event with free food, free books, merch and goodies, and entrance into a raffle to win a copy of one of the author’s books!

This event is part of Book Week Scotland and is made possible by the support of the Scottish Book Trust.

Our Speakers:

Margaret McDonald is a Scottish YA author from Glasgow. She is published in the disability-focused magazine Breath and Shadow as well as the prose and poetry magazines Bandit Fiction, Bubble Lit, In Parentheses and The Manifest Station. Margaret worked for the NHS after shielding for a year, during which time she finished her Masters in English Literature from Glasgow University with Distinction. She also has a First Class BA (Hons) from Strathclyde University, where she studied writing. Her debut novel, Glasgow Boys, was published by Faber in May 2024.

Faridah Àbíké-Íyímídé is the instant New York Times, international bestselling, and award-winning author of Ace of Spades and Where Sleeping Girls Lie. She is an avid tea drinker, a collector of strange mugs and an English Literature graduate from a Scottish university. She recently completed an MA in Shakespeare Studies from King’s College, London. In 2024 Faridah was an official World Book Day author with The Doomsday Date and in June, she co-authors a romcom Four Eids and a Funeral with YA Book Prize-winning author Adiba Jaigirdar. She also has a Marvel Spider-Verse story coming out this year featuring a new character, Spider-UK! When she isn't spinning dark tales, Faridah can be found examining the deeper meanings in Disney Channel original movies.

Our chair:

Nadine Aisha Jassat is the author of poetry collection Let Me Tell You This (‘beautifully written, immense, and full of passion’ – Nikita Gill) and the verse novels The Stories Grandma Forgot (And How I Found Them) (‘one of those books that truly makes the world a better place’ – Sophie Anderson) and The Hidden Story of Estie Noor (‘a warm hug of a book’ – Maisie Chan). Her work has drawn significant acclaim, and she has appeared internationally and across media. Find out more at nadineaishaj.com.

*Please note that masks will be required at this event (as with all Lighthouse events).

*Accessibility: All events will be professionally filmed & livestreamed. The Roxy is wheelchair accessible (including toilets) and we'll have provisions for neurodivergent guests including stims, quiet space and colour-coded lanyards.

*Events are £6 or free -we completely understand paying for one or two events and then getting free spots for others. The Radical Book Fair is entirely bookshop run and ticket sales are vital to keeping the fair sustainable and paying all our speakers so all support is heartily welcome!

*Featured books: The book & ticket option will select the most recently published book at any given event, if you’re not sure which book you want or don’t want that featured book, then buy a £6 voucher ticket that can be used for any of the books below.

*If you'd like to help make the book fair accessible to more folks, please consider adding to our pay-it-forward fund HERE.