📅 Date: Tuesday 21st October 2025
🕥 Time: 10:15am
📍 Location: Blackburn Central Library
🎟️ FREE tickets available now from the Library desk
Planning a night out? See the live What’s On in Blackburn calendar.
Iqbal Hussain’s writing journey has taken him from the pages of national newspapers to the heart of the literary world. A former journalist with bylines in The Guardian and The Young Telegraph, Hussain has since turned his talents to fiction—drawing inspiration from his Pakistani heritage and formative years in Blackburn.
His work includes a number of short stories such as The Long Journey Home, featured in the acclaimed Lancashire Stories anthology. But it was his debut novel, Northern Boy, published in 2024, that put Hussain firmly on the literary map.
Described by novelist Jennie Godfrey as “Billy Elliot meets Bollywood”, Northern Boy introduces us to Rafi Aziz—a flamboyant, ABBA-loving 10-year-old growing up in 1980s Blackburn. The story explores Rafi’s journey from misunderstood child to confident adult, navigating themes of identity, family, and belonging across decades and continents.
Now based in Australia, Hussain is also set to release his first children’s novel, The Night I Borrowed Time, through Puffin in 2026.
The upcoming library event offers a rare chance to hear from Hussain in person, as he reflects on his writing, growing up in Blackburn, and his path from newsroom to novelist.
This is a must-attend morning for book lovers, aspiring writers, and anyone curious about how Blackburn continues to inspire modern storytelling.
🎟️ Entry is FREE, but ticketed. Tickets are available now from Blackburn Library.
