Alan’s
Blogs

Wes Streeting
Coming straight to Cheltenham from Labour’s conference in Liverpool, Wes Streeting joined me at Cheltenham Town Hall on Thursday afternoon to discuss his ‘memoir of growing up and getting on’. Wes...

Polly Toynbee
At Cheltenham interviewing Polly Toynbee about her fascinating new book, ‘An Uneasy Inheritance’. In part a biography of her distinguished antecedents, part memoir, part social history with a...

Henley Literary Festival
As you can see, they like big sofas at Henley. I was here last year with my latest book and hope to be back next year when ‘Death on the Thames’ will be published, (particularly as Henley is one of...

Interviewed by Ken Powell
I had the good fortune to be interviewed by Ken Powell at the Northern Arts Review. You can read the Ken's articles here: https://northernartsreview.co.uk/interviews/interview-with-alan-johnson/

Hull’s memorial to lost Trawlermen
After more than twenty years, Hull’s memorial to lost trawlermen has finally been opened on St Andrew’s Quay. I was honoured to be asked to speak at the opening ceremony on Sunday, September 24th....

Summer Newsletter
I’m writing this in Crete, drinking a toast to you the reader from a taverna on the shores of the Libyan sea. We’re in Agia Gallini, where ‘One of Our Ministers is Missing’ is partially set. Indeed,...

Chancellor of the University of Hull
On Monday I had the honour of being installed as Chancellor of the University of Hull. Over the following four days I presented 2418 degrees to students in a range of departments including the Hull...

Probus Club
It’s a very rare occasion when I have to wear a tie these days. In Parliament it was a requirement. A gentleman (the loose description for male MPs) could not enter the chamber of the House of...

Books By The Beach – Scarborough
On a glorious summer Saturday we drive from our part of East Yorkshire to Scarborough in North Yorkshire for one of our very favourite book festivals. Books By The Beach is always such fun because...

Newsletter: Spring 2023
The next Mangan novel (the third in the series) is to be published in Spring 2024. I’ve written 70,000 words with another 10,000 to go, so it could have just about been ready for a September 2023...