Among Communists by Sinéad Morrissey with Scott McKendry

Ahead of the Belfast Book Festival 2026, The Crescent is offering a taste of Festival events in a new series called Bookmarks. Join us to launch the long-awaited memoir from TS Eliot award-winning Belfast poet, Sinéad Morrissey, who will be in conversation with Scott McKendry.

Belfast is on fire. But rather than attending to the conflict raging around her, the young Sinéad Morrissey is obsessed with the Cold War, East Germany and the utopia of the USSR. She is also writing everything down.

Set against the backdrop of a vanished culture of Belfast Communism – its endless meetings thick with cigarette smoke, its protests, marches, sports days, holidays, discos and jumble sales – Among Communists (Carcanet Press, 2026) tells a history of the Northern Irish conflict unlike any other while simultaneously charting a young writer’s journey into writing poetry.

The event will be followed by a book signing. 

On the evening, a special edition hardback, from No Alibis Bookshop, will be available to purchase. Or you can pre-order the special edition here. 

Save the Date: Book lovers are invited to save the date for The Crescent's Belfast Book Festival which will run from 4–11 June 2026. The full programme and tickets will be announced in April 2026, with all events offered on a pay-what-you-decide basis.