Joe Stretch (born 7 January 1982) is an English writer and singer.
His first novel, Friction, was published by Vintage Books at Random House in 2008. His second novel, Wildlife, was published in 2009. His visceral, savage writing style has led to comparisons with French novelist Michel Houellebecq. [1] His third book, The Adult, was released in August 2012. It won the Somerset Maugham Award and was shortlisted for the Portico Prize.
In his review of Wildlife in The Independent , Lee Rourke describes the book as "a serious meditation on technology and individualism." [2]
In 2010 Stretch wrote the first ever Choose Your Own Adventure audio novel to appear on Spotify. [3] It was read by the actress Anna Friel and marked the release of the debut album by the band Hurts. [4]
Stretch grew up in Burton-in-Kendal. [5] He studied politics at Manchester University and sings in the band (we are) Performance. [6] The other members of the band are Laura Marsden on guitar, Joe Cross on drums. Hilary Marsden (Laura's sister) was also a member of the band prior to the release of their self-titled debut album in 2007. The group met whilst they were at university in Manchester.
He has lectured in Creative Writing at Keele University, [7] and Manchester Metropolitan University. [8] [9]
Marsden is a large village in the Colne Valley, in the metropolitan borough of Kirklees, West Yorkshire, England. It is in the South Pennines close to the Peak District which lies to the south. The village is 7 miles (11 km) west of Huddersfield at the confluence of the River Colne and Wessenden Brook. It was an important centre for the production of woollen cloth. In 2020, the village had an estimated population of 3,768.
Keele University is a public research university in Keele, approximately three miles from Newcastle-under-Lyme, Staffordshire, England. Founded in 1949 as the University College of North Staffordshire, it was granted university status by Royal Charter as the University of Keele in 1962.
Crumpsall is an outer suburb and electoral ward of Manchester, England, 3 miles (5 km) north of Manchester city centre, bordered by Cheetham Hill, Blackley, Harpurhey, Broughton, and Prestwich. The population at the 2011 census was 15,959. Historically part of Lancashire, Crumpsall was a township within the parish of Manchester, Salford Hundred. North Manchester General Hospital is in Crumpsall.
Burton-in-Kendal is a village and civil parish on the extreme southern edge of Cumbria, England. The parish contains around 660 houses and in the 2001 census had a population of 1,411, increasing at the 2011 census to 1,497. Historically within the county of Westmorland, the village straddles the A6070 road between Crooklands and Carnforth, at a point around midway between Lancaster and Kendal, and is in the shadow of the nearby limestone outcrop known as Farleton Knott.
Alan James Hollinghurst is an English novelist, poet, short story writer and translator. He won the 1989 Somerset Maugham Award and the 1994 James Tait Black Memorial Prize. In 2004, he won the Booker Prize for his novel The Line of Beauty. Hollinghurst is credited with having helped gay-themed fiction to break into the literary mainstream through his seven novels since 1988.
Colin Gerald Dryden Thubron is a British travel writer and novelist. In 2008, The Times ranked him among the 50 greatest postwar British writers. He is a contributor to The New York Review of Books, The Times, The Times Literary Supplement and The New York Times. His books have been translated into more than twenty languages. Thubron was appointed a CBE in the 2007 New Year Honours. He is a Fellow and, between 2009 and 2017, was President of the Royal Society of Literature.
Henry Winter is an English sports journalist. He currently writes for World Soccer, having previously been the Chief Football Writer for The Times and a Football Correspondent for The Daily Telegraph.
Katie Fforde, née Catherine Rose Gordon-Cumming, is a British romance novelist. Published since 1995, her romance novels are set in modern-day England.
Olatunde Olateju Olaolorun "O-T" Fagbenle is an English actor, writer, and director. He has appeared in several films, stage, and television productions. He is best known for his role as Lucas Bankole in The Handmaid’s Tale (2017–2025), for which he received an Emmy nomination, and his portrayal of Barack Obama in The First Lady (2022).
Sophie Hannah is a British poet and novelist.
Carol Birch is an English novelist, lecturer and book critic. She also teaches creative writing.
Courteeners are an English band formed in Middleton, Greater Manchester, in 2006 by Liam Fray, Michael Campbell, Daniel "Conan" Moores and Mark Cuppello (bass); the last was replaced by the band's producer Joe Cross in 2015. They previously toured with pianist Adam Payne, who has been featured on every album, but in 2019 was replaced with Elina Lin. In December 2012, the band dropped "The" from their name, continuing simply as "Courteeners". In 2024, Cross and Lin became official members of the band.
Hurts are an English musical duo formed in Manchester in 2009, consisting of singer Theo Hutchcraft and multi-instrumentalist Adam Anderson. They have released five studio albums: Happiness (2010), Exile (2013), Surrender (2015), Desire (2017) and Faith (2020). Their first two albums both reached the top 10 in several countries.
Richard Asplin is an English novelist working in the crime and comic novel genres.
Theo David Hutchcraft is an English singer and songwriter. He is best known as the lead singer of the synthpop duo Hurts.
Karim Alrawi is a writer born in Alexandria, Egypt. He has taught at universities in the UK, Egypt, US and Canada. He was an International Writing Fellow at the University of Iowa and taught creative writing at the university's International Writing Program.
Blossoms are an English indie rock band from Stockport, Greater Manchester, England. Formed in 2013, the band consists of Tom Ogden, Charlie Salt, Josh Dewhurst, Joe Donovan (drums) and Myles Kellock.
Joseph Omo Ebhodaghe,, popularly known as Joe Praize, is a Nigerian gospel singer, praise and worship leader, songwriter and music director who rose to popularity following the release of his hit song "Mighty God" off his debut album My Praise.
This article's use of external links may not follow Wikipedia's policies or guidelines.(July 2015) |