Four Fathers is a collection of eight short stories recalling the memories of the authors own fathers, as well as reflecting on their roles as fathers themselves. This honest and touching mix of memoir and fiction offers insight into the all-important father-son relationships of these men, whilst inviting people to think about their own experiences.
 | | One of life's all-important relationships |
The four Dads in question are Ray French, James Nash, Tom Palmer and John Siddique. Ray and James are based in Leeds while Tom from Todmorden is currently this website's World Cup 'Writer in Residence' as well as being a published author and a past organiser of the Bradford Book Festival. I caught up with Hebden Bridge based poet John Siddique to find out more about the new book and how it relates to his other writing and work with children. John explains: "Four Fathers originally started out as an online collection of stories about our fathers." This free, downloadable collection prompted so much interest and discussion about fathers, father-son relationships and the feelings that drive these relationships that it was decided to anthologise the stories into a book. To complement this, a second section was added which concentrated on each author's own experience as a father. The new book has already prompted some readers to share their own sometimes difficult and moving experiences about their fathers. The tour is taking the four authors around libraries up and down the country where they will be working with reading groups.
 | | Not only fathers but sons! |
John has spent an award-winning three years as Writer In Residence for Wetherby Prison where he came up with the Men Behaving Dadly scheme. This project encouraged fathers at the prison to read and record tapes of bedtime stories for their children back home which had the double-effect of improving their own literacy and nurturing the relationship with their children. Aside from his work on Four Fathers, John is actively involved in encouraging young people to discover poetry and improve their literacy. He visits primary and secondary schools, holding poetry workshops to complement their school work – something which he thoroughly enjoys. He says: "I'm not simply interested in turning children into poets – it's more about showing them how control over language leads to a better quality of life. I'm trying to help them gain that control." John's first book of poetry, The Prize, has recently been published and forthcoming projects include the launch of a new anthology, Poems from a Northern Soul, celebrating Northern life. Four Fathers is being launched at Waterstones in Leeds on Thursday June 22nd, 2006. John, Tom, James and Ray will also be at Halifax Central Library on Thursday June 29th, 2006 and at Bradford Book Festival on Thursday July 4th. | 
