Caldew Press

14/01/2026

Join Juliet Fossey for readings and insight into her collection 'In Search of the Missing' (published by Caldew Press) on Saturday 24th January 2026 2-3.30pm at Shap Old Courthouse.

09/01/2026

Sad to hear of the passing of Gwenda Matthews, driving force behind Bookends Carlisle, Bookcase, Borderlines and Words by the Water festivals. Deepest condolences to Lucy, Steve and all the family.

Gwenda Matthews, 8.5.51 to 4.1.26

It is with deep sadness I share the news that my Mum Gwenda Matthews, the founder and owner of Bookcase and Bookends in Carlisle and Keswick died in
hospital on Sunday 4th January.

I was immensely proud of my Mum; she started selling second-hand books at Whitehaven market nearly 50 years ago when my brothers Alun and Kevin were very little. She went on to open Bookcase in 1979 and Bookends in Carlisle (1988) and Keswick (1991) with my Dad Steve and the two of them created and expanded a successful business whilst raising a family.

Mum was a hard-working, strong and enterprising businesswoman who did so much to support reading in Cumbria. As well as the shops she was an early adopter of e-commerce and founded www.bookscumbria.com in 1998. She was instrumental in the development of Borderlines book festival from 2014 onwards and she was responsible for the Bookends stall at the Words by the Water Festival from its inception and was a key partner in the festival's relaunch from 2024 onwards. 

Mum was always direct and honest. She had a wonderful sense of humour, a warm heart and a kind and caring spirit. She will be dearly missed by husband Steve, sons Alun and Kevin, her 4 grandchildren Alex, Amelia, James and Rosa, and myself.

Lucy xx

Gwenda's family invite all her friends to join them to celebrate a good life well-lived at Carlisle Crematorium on Monday, 26th January at 11am followed by lunch at the Tithe Barn.

Donations may be made to the BookTrust or Free Schools India via Hills Funeral Parlour, Wigton.

20/12/2025

Fantastic to hear John Hegley on BBC Radio 4's 'The Verb' on 19/12/2025, and giving 'A Scarcity of Biscuit' (published by Caldew Press) a mention and performing two pieces from the collection! Loved the Christmas poems too...

Testament's festive guests are Jackie Kay, Brian Bilston, John Hegley and Sam Lee.

17/12/2025

If you are looking for last minute Christmas ideas, there are several Caldew Press titles available from Bookends Carlisle!

15/12/2025

A huge thank you to everyone who came along to the book launch yesterday, and to everyone who bought books! Thank you to the poets; Juliet Fossey, Liz Haynes, David Simmons and to Levi & The Source Collective for hosting us! It was fantastic afternoon with wonderful poetry and creativity on show. We'll do it again sometime.

10/12/2025

New Release: 'In Search of the Missing' by Juliet Fossey

Poet and artist Juliet Fossey presents poems and artwork inspired by the members of the Franklin Expedition of 1845, lost on their mission to find the Northwest Passage. The collection focuses on the Franklin Relics - the everyday objects left behind by the crew in the frozen landscape.

The 72-page book is beautifully illustrated and is ethically produced and printed in the UK with environmental consideration.

Published by Caldew Press in 2025, RRP £15.00
ISBN: 9781917365055

01/12/2025

Book Launch: Sunday 14th December 2025 1-4pm at The Source Collective, Carlisle.

Join us for an afternoon of readings by not one but FOUR local poets and authors.

These collections, published by Caldew Press, cover various themes; poems and artwork inspired by the doomed Franklin Expedition of 1845 and the Franklin Relics, life on a hill farm (warts and all), a new book of old poems, a journal of the Carlisle in Haiku Project - including a year of services held at Carlisle Cathedral during the pandemic distilled into 17 syllables.
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In Search of the Missing
by Juliet Fossey
ISBN: 9781917365055 RRP £15.00
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A Pease Myers Pastoral by Liz Haynes
ISBN: 9781739667443 RRP £10.00
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They Say I Am A Poet by Philip Hewitson
ISBN: 9781917365048 RRP £5.00
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A Year in the Cathedral by David Simmons
ISBN: 9781739667467 RRP £15.00

Hope to see you there!

25/11/2025

New Release: ‘SpeakEasy Magazine Issue no.5’

After final tweaks and amendments the new anthology of work from poets, writers, artists who share work at the SpeakEasy open mic nights in Carlisle has arrived back from the printers!

The collection covers the 2019 return of the evenings to The Source, socially distanced gatherings online during the Covid-19 pandemic, and the 20th anniversary celebrations of 2024. Over 60 contributors present poems, stories, flash fiction, artwork, songs, video links, and tributes to much missed friends and talented poets.

The book is 194 pages, includes dozens of colour images, is a celebration of all things SpeakEasy in 'the bumper-est edition so far' and includes a foreword by John Hegley.

Published by Caldew Press (2025), RRP £12.00.
ISBN: 9781739667498

21/11/2025

New Release: 'They Say I Am A Poet' by Philip Hewitson.

The poems in this collection come from the imagination, sometimes they are funny, sometimes poignant, often with tongue in cheek or an attempt to paint with words. These pieces were written between 2016-2018, and seemed to provoke a response, often positive, when read aloud at open mic events including SpeakEasy and Poets Out Loud. I am reminded of when they were written, sometimes where they were read, wonder what I was trying to say in that moment, and think there might be something in those words after all.

Published by Caldew Press (2025), RRP £5.00.
ISBN: 9781917365048

14/11/2025

Thank you to Carlisle Cathedral, Benjamin, Craig and all the team who hosted David Simmons' book launch for 'A Year in the Cathedral' last night. Despite the wet weather people came along for an interesting and insightful evening, with several readings and discussion about the book. Thank you to everyone who came along to support the event, and for buying the book! It's on sale at the gift shop RRP £15.00.

11/11/2025

Here's a reminder for the book launch for David Simmons' 'A Year in the Cathedral' at Carlisle Cathedral, Thursday 13th November 2025, Evensong 5:45pm, book launch 6:30pm.