Award-winning Black British novelist and poet Ashley Hickson-Lovence appears at Ipswich Book Festival for a special event exploring his fiction, poetry and journey as a writer.
Hickson-Lovence has built an increasingly acclaimed literary career across adult fiction, young adult writing and poetry.
His novels include The 392, Your Show and Wild East, while his most recent novel, About To Fall Apart, was published by Faber in 2026.
Wild East brought his work to a particularly wide audience and won both the East Anglian Book Awards 2024 and the YA Diverse Book Awards 2025.
His poetry collection Why I Am Not a Bus Driver was shortlisted for the Jhalak Poetry Prize, and his poem “Munster Road” received a high commendation in the Forward Prizes.
Across his writing, Hickson-Lovence explores race, identity, masculinity, family, ambition, education and the realities of growing up Black in contemporary Britain.
His work also draws on his experiences in education and football, often placing characters and voices at the centre of British literature that have historically received less attention.
Hickson-Lovence’s own journey into writing is equally compelling. He grew up in a working-class single-parent household and went on to complete a PhD in Creative and Critical Writing before establishing himself as an author, poet and academic.
For Black History Month audiences, his appearance offers an opportunity to hear from a writer whose success demonstrates the changing landscape of British publishing and the importance of ensuring Black voices are represented across fiction, poetry and young adult literature.
The event forms part of Ipswich Book Festival 2026 and will include conversation about Hickson-Lovence’s books, his creative process and the experiences that continue to influence his writing.
Ashley Hickson-Lovence at Ipswich Book Festival takes place at the New Wolsey Theatre on Friday 2nd October 2026 from 4:00pm to 4:45pm.
Tickets are £10.
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Ashley Hickson-Lovence at Ipswich Book Festival
Award-winning Black British novelist and poet Ashley Hickson-Lovence appears at Ipswich Book Festival for a special event exploring…