Rozie Kelly: Kingfisher—Publishing a Debut Novel

Writers at York

Join us for a conversation and reading with award-winning writer Rozie Kelly, who will discuss her debut novel Kingfisher, a beautifully crafted, compelling novel about grief, power and desire – and the tangles in between that make up a life. She will also discuss the process of writing, editing, and publishing a debut novel: Kingfisher was published by Saraband books in 2025, after winning New Writing North’s NorthBound Award. Rozie Kelly will be in conversation with Maya Caspari.

Rozie Kelly is a novelist based in West Yorkshire. After reading English Literature and Creative Writing she moved to Hebden Bridge, where she works for the Arvon Foundation, hosting creative writing courses.

She was shortlisted for the PFD Queer Fiction Prize 2023 and was one of the eight participants in the inaugural Prototype Development Programme 2024. She won the 2024 NorthBound Book Award for Kingfisher, her debut novel, which was published in 2025 by Saraband Books.

Eventbrite registration