Award-winning British-Irish author Kit de Waal will mark the publication of her latest book, Best of Everything, with a special event at Artum, Hockley Social Club, on Monday 14 April.

The acclaimed Birmingham writer, whose 2016 work My Name is Leon won her the Irish Novel of the Year Award, will return to the city for a one-off evening of conversation with host and interviewer Lyle Bignon, in partnership with The Heath Bookshop.

Revisiting the influences of her working class Irish roots, and exploring societal issues which defined and framed her upbringing in Birmingham during the 1970s, Kit de Waal will use the event to discuss her life and work.

From growing up in the South Birmingham suburb Moseley to her education in inner-city district Small Heath, Kit de Waal’s entry point into literature - which coincided with a job working in a criminal defence legal firm in Handsworth - has been heavily influenced by working class authors, narratives, perspectives, and works.

The author will also visit the British Black Book Festival in Manchester, Forthwrite Festival in Crawley, Southbank Centre London, Waterstones Leamington Spa, The Portobello Bookshop Edinburgh, and The Irish Centre London as part of a tour celebrating the arrival of Best of Everything.

Best of Everything by Kit de Waal will be published by Tinder Press on Thursday 10 April 2025.

A novel about what it means to care; to learn to live in the aftermath of loss, and the love that can steal into our lives - in spite of the best laid plans, highlights the Birmingham-born author’s place amongst the best of her generation.

Kit de Waal is the author of the novels My Name Is Leon, which was shortlisted for the Costa First Novel Award and won the Kerry Group Irish Novel of the Year, The Trick to Time, which was longlisted for the Women's Prize for Fiction, a short story collection, Supporting Cast, and a memoir, Without Warning & Only Sometimes, which was a Radio 4 Book of the Week and was shortlisted for Biography of the Year at the Irish Book Awards.

She is also editor of the Common People anthology, and co-founder of the Big Book Weekend festival.

Lyle Bignon is a Birmingham-based storyteller working in culture, media, music, NTE, and PR. He has interviewed hundreds of authors, broadcasters, musicians, and politicians over the past 15 years.

The Heath Bookshop is a friendly independent bookshop located in the South Birmingham suburb of Kings Heath. Since opening in September 2022 the store has boosted the publishing and literary landscape in the city via events, partnerships and community projects, including the Kings Heath Literature and Music Festival.

Tickets for An Evening with Kit de Waal at Artum, Hockley Social Club, priced £11 including booking fee, are on general sale via Skiddle here.

Copies of The Best of Everything will be available to purchase at the Monday 14 April event, with an option to meet the author and have your copy signed.