Joshua dies on his birthday.
Joshua dies the day he is born.
Joshua lives for three hours.
Joshua is alive.
Rodge Glass's nephew Joshua died the same day he was born, from a blood condition they both share.
This book charts the five years around Joshua's life and death to tell the story of Rodge's attempts to make sense of this loss. Having spent a lifetime using reading and writing to both hide from and face the world, Joshua in the Sky serves as a kind of reckoning, asking the questions: whose life deserves to be remembered? And how?
A work of great tenderness and originality' - Malachy Tallack
It found me in pieces then gently wove me back together again' - Helen Sedgwick
A truly remarkable piece of writing - Gavin Esler
Rodge Glass is the author of the novels No Fireworks (Faber, 2005), Hope for Newborns (Faber, 2008) and Bring Me the Head of Ryan Giggs (Serpent's Tail, 2012) as well as a graphic novel, Dougie's War (Freight, 2010, written with Dave Turbitt), LoveSexTravelMusik: Stories for the EasyJet Generation (Freight, 2013) and Alasdair Gray: A Secretary's Biography (Bloomsbury, 2008). His latest book is Michel Faber: The Writer & His Work, published by Liverpool University Press, in August 2023. The creative nonfiction memoir Joshua in the Sky is due to be published in Summer 2024 by Taproot Press. He is currently Senior Lecturer in Creative Writing at the University of Strathclyde, where he is Convener of the MLitt in Creative Writing.
Rodge will be in conversation with Esa Aldegheri, a multilingual writer, educator and researcher with a PhD in community education and migration studies. She works at the University of Glasgow. Her non-fiction debut Free to Go (John Murray Press, 2022) moves beyond the parameters of a simple travel narrative to explore different aspects of freedom and borders, both geopolitical and personal. It is a story about travelling from Orkney to New Zealand on a motorbike shared with a willing companion, interwoven with a parallel tale of diminished liberties linked to the author’s experiences of motherhood, Brexit and pandemic restrictions.
Esa’s non-fiction writing has also been published by Granta, Gutter Press, the Dangerous Women Project and others. Her poetry has been read on Radio 4 and Radio Scotland and features in several anthologies. She is from Scotland and Italy, and lives with her husband and children by the sea near Edinburgh.
This is sure to be a great evening, followed by a Q&A and a signing, so if you'd like to join us grab your tickets now!
Where possible we will update our listings to notify of cancelled, postponed and rescheduled events, however we STRONGLY ADVISE that you check with the venue/organiser in the first instance for updates.
All information (whether in text or photographs) is supplied in good faith but should not be relied upon as being a statement of representation or fact.GOT AN EVENT TO SHARE? It's free to post your events on What's On Edinburgh, click here to find out more!
Want to be the first to hear about what's happening in Edinburgh? Just hit 'Like' on our Facebook page, join the What's On Scotland Facebook Group and 'Follow' on our Twitter account and you're all set!Join Noraly Schoenmaker on Tuesday 8th July at Waterstones Edinburgh West End, as she talks about her truly inspiring story, Free Ride!
READ MOREJoin Andrew Raymond at Waterstones Edinburgh West End on Thursday 17th July as he chats about his explosive Scottish crime thriller The Bonnie Dead!
READ MOREJoin Catherine Simpson on Thursday 18th September at Waterstones Edinburgh West End as she shares her unforgettable story, Hold Fast!
READ MOREJoin Sunday Times bestselling author Lucy Jane Wood on Thursday 9th October at The Parish Church of St. Cuthbert as we celebrate her spellbinding new cosy fantasy, Uncharmed!
READ MOREJoin Gareth Brown on Thursday 16th October at Waterstones Edinburgh West End as we celebrate the publication on his A fast-paced flight of magic and mystery, The Society of Unknowable Objects.
READ MOREMany authors have been inspired to pick up their pen to write about the Palace of Holyroodhouse. These sessions will explore these literary works followed by a hearty discussion!
READ MOREThis exclusive event is a unique opportunity for FairyLoot fans to join author Tricia Levenseller in conversation with Emmy Rosam at Ps and Gs Church on Monday 7th July!
READ MOREJoin Noraly Schoenmaker on Tuesday 8th July at Waterstones Edinburgh West End, as she talks about her truly inspiring story, Free Ride!
READ MOREDon't miss this chance to hear William Dalrymple tell the story of how India became the great intellectual and philosophical superpower of ancient Asia.
READ MOREJoin Andrew Raymond at Waterstones Edinburgh West End on Thursday 17th July as he chats about his explosive Scottish crime thriller The Bonnie Dead!
READ MOREFringe by the Sea, a 10-day multi arts festival in North Berwick, is back for 2025 from 1st-10th August.
READ MOREThe 2025 Edinburgh International Book Festival returns from Saturday 9th to Sunday 24th August with the Theme 'Repair'.
READ MOREIn this lively and revealing discussion on 13th August, let us dissect how accurately professions are portrayed in romance and erotica .
READ MOREMeet multi-award-winning French writer Laurent Binet at the Institut francais d'Ecosse on 19th August for a talk on his books!
READ MORE