A BOOK is being launched with short stories inspired by a hyper-realistic whale sculpture placed on a Cumbrian beach.

David Gaffney, who comes from Cleator Moor but now lives in Manchester, was writer in residence for The Whale project in May 2022.

The interactive live theatre installation in Whitehaven gave a strange real-but-imagined encounter with a beached whale.

The Captain Boomer Collective created The Whale sculpture with Zephyr Wildlife to be a hyper-realistic sculpture that sparked a debate about humans’ relationship with the planet. The project was an Eden Arts commission.

During his residency, David produced a series of short stories inspired by the whale and people’s interactions with it and they are all collected in his latest book, Whale, published by Osmosis Press.

 At the event Adrian Lochhead from Eden Arts will talk about the Whitehaven whale event and the other whale events he has delivered, poet Sarah-Clare Conlon will read from her recent work inspired by lighthouses and the sea, and David will read stories from his new book.

There will be time for questions at the end and books will be available to buy and have signed by the author.

The event takes place at The Beacon in Whitehaven on Saturday, April 13, at 4pm.

Tickets are free but should be booked online: www.eventbrite.com/e/the-whale-revisited-tickets-850331352967?aff=oddtdtcreator