The Book of Bradford, a collection of stories from Bradford authors dubbed “one of the most unified city anthologies Comma Press has ever published,” goes on sale on 20 September.
A collaboration between Bradford 2025 UK City of Culture (Bradford 2025) and Manchester’s Comma Press, this powerful collection of short stories is “a collage of the city’s vitality, complexity, and beauty.” It is a homage to the district’s literary heritage and celebrates local voices during its UK City of Culture year.
Edited by Saima Mir, The Book of Bradford features stories based in Bradford from a range of writers including: Malachai Whittaker, M.Y. Alam, Abda Khan, Ross Raisin, Sairish Hussain, Lesley McEvoy, David Barnett, Nick Ahad, Marcia Hutchinson, Bill Broady and Becky Cherriman.
Together, they build a portrait of Bradford and weave a rich image of the district both past and present. The anthology explores themes of identity, belonging, migration and connection, showcasing Bradford as a place where unlikely bonds are forged.
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The Book of Bradford will launch on the 20 September at Loading Bay, where audiences will be invited to hear from editor Saima Mir and contributors Ross (pic, top right) Raisin, Sairish Hussain (left) and Nick Ahad on their work, inspiration and relationships to Bradford, and hear an extract from each of their stories.
Exclusive pre-publication copies of The Book of Bradford will be available for sale at the launch, and afterwards, from the 2 October, via local vendors such as Waterstones and Grove Bookshop in Ilkley, as well as direct from the publisher’s website.
Shanaz Gulzar, Creative Director of Bradford 2025, said: “We’re proud to draw on Bradford’s rich literary history and showcase that it is, and always has been, a place of stories. From the Brontës to the brilliant authors featured in this collection, words are woven into the very fabric of our communities.
“The stories in The Book of Bradford form a literary portrait of our eclectic city and district- shaped by the people and places that define us. I’m proud to see this powerful collection launch as part of our UK City of Culture year, shining a light on the voices that make Bradford bold, creative and unique.”
Saima Mir, editor of the collection, added: “Bradford is one of the most beautiful and misunderstood places in the world. Home to artists and entrepreneurs, its faded industrial glamour favoured by filmmakers and nestled amongst rolling green hills, it has made me the woman I am today. Steeped in culture, resilient to its core, and a beacon of what is to come, she belongs to me, and 2025 will be the year the world gets to meet her.”
Reading the City series editor David Sue, from Comma Press said: “When we first commissioned these Bradford stories, Comma Press didn’t give any specific directives to the authors about what type of stories they should write. And yet, remarkably, almost every writer came back with stories on a similar theme: uplifting, powerful stories about ordinary Bradfordians seeking connection, building bridges, looking for reconciliation in the face of rancour. As a result, The Book of Bradford is one of the most unified city anthologies Comma Press has ever published – a real tribute to the resilience and community spirit that informs this proud Yorkshire city.”
Images: Sairish Hussain by Sam Raz, Ross Raisin by Stephen Garnett, book cover courtesy Comma Press
