A Sunderland writer with strong connections to TV’s Coronation Street is to give two talks next week as part of the Sunderland Literature Festival.
Glenda Young, who studied journalism at the University of Sunderland, has been running the Coronation Street Blog since 2007. She has also written seven Coronation Street TV-tie-in books.
A recent acknowledgement of the importance of Glenda’s work came when it was announced that her books will be on sale at Salford Museum during an exhibition about the life of Tony Warren, the creator of Coronation Street.
The exhibition, entitled ‘Four Miles from Manchester’, celebrates Warren’s achievement in developing the first popular drama series to deal with working-class life.
Glenda said, “I’m really honoured that all of my Coronation Street books will be available to buy in the museum shop at Salford Museum during the run of the Tony Warren exhibition.”
Thank you @sunderlanduni https://t.co/MsqosUCOK7 @SLibraries
— Glenda Young (@flaming_nora) October 10, 2017
In addition to all this, Glenda has been commissioned to write the first weekly magazine-based soap opera Riverside. Riverside will appear in The People’s Friend.
Glenda said, “The People’s Friend is the UK’s longest-running short story magazine.”
“In a world where print media is increasingly facing a difficult time and disappearing or going digital, The People’s Friend continues to thrive, proving there will always be a market for fiction.”
Glenda has also recently signed with a London literary agent, who will promote her debut novel, set in Ryhope in 1919.
On Monday 16th October, Glenda Young will be giving a talk at Washington Library from 2.00 to 3.30 pm. On Friday 20th October (also from 2.00 to 3.30 pm), she will give a talk at Houghton Library.
Tickets are priced at £2.00 and are available on the door of both venues. For more information, please visit www.sunderland.gov.uk/literature-festival.
Coronation Street was first broadcast on 9th December 1960. Despite ITV almost turning down Tony Warren’s proposal, within six months of airing Coronation Street was the most watched programme on British television. In 2010, Coronation Street became the world’s longest-running soap opera still in production.
(Featured image courtesy of vagueonthehow, from Flickr Creative Commons)
