The Spirit of Stone with Wyl Menmuir

Join us for an evening in conversation with Wyl Menmuir to celebrate the publication of The Spirit of Stone , a rich and deeply layered exploration of our relationship with the landscapes beneath our feet.This event marks a special occasion - Wyls third non-fiction book, and the third time hes joined us in the North to celebrate his work.From the lonely heights of mountains to the womblike depths of caves, stone has always drawn us in.

In The Spirit of Stone , Wyl Menmuir explores the many ways rock and earth shape our identities, histories, and futures.Travelling across Britain and Ireland - from Mull to the Isles of Scilly - Menmuir weaves together travel writing, social history, memoir, and folklore.

Through encounters with landscapes and the people who inhabit them, he uncovers how stone underpins not only our environments, but the ways we live and imagine.From sacred monuments to modern sculpture, ancient pathways to working quarries, The Spirit of Stone reveals how stone grounds us, challenges us, and inspires us.

It completes Menmuirs acclaimed trilogy - following The Draw of the Sea and The Heart of the Woods - a series of meditations on our connection to place.Resonant with writers such as Robert Macfarlane, Kathleen Jamie, and Peter Ross, this is a profound and timely reflection on belonging, endurance, and the stories written into the land itself.Wyl Menmuiris a novelist, editor, and literary consultant based in Cornwall.

He is the author of the Man Booker Prize-longlisted novel The Many , as well as Fox Fires .

His short fiction has appeared in Best British Short Stories, and his work has been published by Nightjar Press, Kneehigh Theatre, and the National Trust.

Wyl is co-creator of the Cornish writing centre The Writers Block, works on national literacy programmes with organisations including the Arvon Foundation and National Literacy Trust, and lectures in creative writing at Falmouth University.

Wyl lives in Cornwall with his family, and when hes not writing or teaching, he enjoys messing around in boats.Aurum is Quartos narrative non-fiction list, publishing compelling, beautifully written books across a wide range of subjects - from memoir and nature writing to history, science, and culture.

Their award-winning titles are made to be shared, discussed, and returned to.Join us at The Common Room - Newcastle's historic Mining Institute - the perfect spot for an in-conversation event exploring geology, monuments, sculpture, and our evolving relationship with stone and place.