12 November 2021
We are delighted and very excited to be hosting our first author visit in over 18 months! Seth Burkett is visiting Kirkham Grammar School on Wednesday 17 November and will be speaking with our First and Second Year pupils and also, a selection of Third and Fourth Year pupils. We actively encourage authors to visit KGS because we know that these events contribute towards a love of reading. We are hoping this visit will inspire our pupils to develop their skills and enthusiasm with regards to reading, writing and books in general.
Seth Burkett
Seth Burkett uses his experiences as a professional footballer in Brazil and MA in English literature to tell engaging football stories. Inspired by his grandmother, herself a writer, his two interests in life have always been football and writing. He has recently diversified into social media, and is currently writing a book for two of the world’s biggest YouTube stars.
The books available on the day will be as follows:
No Final Whistle (£5.99)
Alfie Bennett is going to be a superstar. He is absolutely sure of it. Every second of his life is dedicated to football and when he gets signed up by the famous Borough Academy, it looks as if he is well and truly on the way to achieving his dream….yet life at Borough isn’t all that it seems…
Tekkers (£7.99)
When Zak isn't scoring goals for his local football team, Redwood Rangers, he is endlessly working on his freestyle videos with his dad. When one of those videos goes viral, his whole life changes. As the views come rolling in, everyone wants a piece of him. Barcelona want him to shoot an advert with Messi. Major sports brands want to endorse him. Suddenly his face is on every sports channel. But as his celebrity status grows, Zak begins to realise that online fame isn't all it's cracked up to be.
Tekkers is an amusing and entertaining story about the power of social media with the core message that followers are great, but friends are even better.
Titans of the Teardrop Isle (£8.99)
When Seth Burkett answers a tweet calling for overseas players to join a professional Sri Lankan football team in a new tournament, he has no idea what awaits him. The team is Trinco Titans, owned by Sri Lankan cricketing legends Mahela Jayawardene and Kumar Sangakkara, and he will be spending the summer playing in the North Eastern Premier League. Unfortunately, he is in the dark about the quality of football, the standard of pitches, the delicate local political tensions, even the dates of the fixtures... Before long, he is fully immersed in the Titans family, experiencing everything the country has to offer him: new friendships, picture-postcard beaches, a relaxed approach to organisation and time-keeping, thousands of new Facebook followers, and a crash course in the Teardrop Isle's recent troubled history. There will be results to forget but it will be a summer to remember.
Football’s Coming Out (£7.99)
Neil Beasley tells his poignant and uplifting story of the pains of growing up gay in the sport and fighting for his right to enjoy the game he loves without prejudice.
Should you wish your child to be able to purchase a signed copy of any of the books, they will need to bring money with them. If paying by cheque, please make this payable to ‘Kirkham Grammar School’.
We usually allow pupils to pay for the books immediately after the event because they are often interested once they know more about the book. If you do not want this to happen please ensure your child is aware.
We hope the pupils will hugely enjoy and benefit greatly from this visit.
