Later Life Letter

‘Luke wright and this time it’s personal. But seriously, a highly original idea, expertly carried out’ JOHN COOPER CLARKE

‘I was bawling from the first page and gulped it down in one swift swallow’ HOLLIE MCNISH

‘When it comes to poetry, performing and family Luke Wright is a lifer. Read this book’ LEMN SISSAY

‘A beautiful, brilliant collection. I defy you not to be moved’ BRIAN BILSTON

What is a later life letter? Written by a child’s social worker to be opened at an appropriate age, it details their journey from birth to adoption. When Luke Wright received his as a teenager, he didn’t think much of it. But now, married to a social worker and seeing the care she takes with these letters, he re-examines his own past – and the life he might have had.

Should he feel close to the biological brothers he knows only through social media? Do his beginnings in a notorious tower-block estate counteract the privilege of a sheltered suburban upbringing? How grateful should he be to adopted parents who are – in the end – simply parents?

In this memoir in poetry, no emotion is simple or expected. Wright writes with pinpoint honesty, teasing out the nuances of family, memory and belonging, and illuminating the gaps in the familiar beats of an adoption story.

‘A really remarkable, deeply moving book . . . full of pain and puzzlement and love and reconciliation’ RICHARD CURTIS

‘Made me laugh, cry, think and shudder’ PETE DOHERTY

‘Intimate and universal, epic and singular. Beautifully written’ JOELLE TAYLOR

‘A genius poet – funny, profound, life-changing’ JOHANN HARI

Author Biography

Luke Wright is a poet and performer who has been touring for nearly 20 years. He’s the regular tour support for John Cooper Clarke and often MCs shows for The Libertines. Luke is a regular on Radio 4 and has won a Fringe First for writing, a Stage Award for performance, and four Saboteur Awards. Later Life Letter will be his fifth poetry collection