Matt’ Haig’s book Reasons to Stay Alive had been on the bestseller list now for four weeks running since publication on March 5th and next week he is in Manchester at the Anthony Burgess Foundation.
Reasons to Stay Alive follows Matt Haig’s journey through crisis, showing how he triumphed over an illness that almost destroyed him and learned to live again. It is also a moving, funny and joyous exploration of how to live better, love better and feel more alive.
He is joined on stage by Stuart Semple who became an artist after a traumatic near death experience at the age of 19 whilst studying Fine Art at Breton Hall in the Yorkshire Sculpture Park and M J Hyland, an ex-lawyer and the author of three multi-award-winning novels and a lecturer in Creative Writing in the Centre for New Writing at the University of Manchester.
After being diagnosed with MS in 2008 M J Hyland has written essays on her condition which have been published internationally in both magazines and newspapers and have been read by thousands and stimulated fresh debate about diagnosis, treatment, symptoms and drug-therapies.
Also joining them, Karima Francis, a singer-songwriter from Blackpool who more recently has been based in Manchester. In 2009 she was named by The Observer as the number 1 act to watch and won rave reviews for her debut album The Author and Anneliese Mackintosh’s whose debut short story collection, won The Green Carnation Prize 2014.
With some much coverage of the stigma of depression on the stigma following the German Wings crash, this is an event not to be missed.
THE FEARFUL GIFT: the relationship between mental health and creativity
Date & Time: Thursday 9th April, 6.30pm
Tickets: http://bit.ly/MattHaigManc
Venue: The Anthony Burgess Foundation, 3 Cambridge Street, Manchester M1 5BY
Performers: Matt Haig, MJ Hyland, Anneliese Mackintosh, Stuart Semple, Karima Francis
