Author Bio
Adelle Stripe was born in York, UK, in 1976 and lives in Calderdale, West Yorkshire.
Her writing is rooted in the nonfiction novel form and explores working-class culture, untold histories of Northern England, popular music, and smalltown life.
Adelle’s debut novel, Black Teeth and a Brilliant Smile (Fleet, 2017) was a fictionalised biography of the Bradford playwright Andrea Dunbar. The book was shortlisted for the Gordon Burn Prize and Portico Prize for Literature. It was adapted for stage by Lisa Holdsworth and Freedom Studios.
Ten Thousand Apologies: Fat White Family and the Miracle of Failure (White Rabbit, 2022) was shortlisted for the Penderyn Music Book Prize. Co-written with lead singer Lias Saoudi, the biography charts the rise, fall and eventual salvage of one of the UK’s most controversial bands. It was a Rough Trade book of the year and a Sunday Times bestseller.
Three of her poetry chapbooks were published by Blackheath Books from 2007-2012. The Humber Star, a poem based on the experiences of her seafaring ancestors in 19th century Hessle Road, was performed at John Grant's North Atlantic Flux for Hull City of Culture.
Adelle’s spoken word has appeared on recordings by Smagghe & Cross and the Eccentronic Research Council. In 2023 she recorded a New Postscripts audio essay based on J.B. Priestley’s classic wartime broadcasts as part of the BBC's centenary celebrations.
As a journalist, she has contributed to The Quietus, Yorkshire Post, The Journal, Record Collector, The i, New Statesman, British Film Institute, Caught by the River and many more.
Adelle holds a BA, MA and PhD by Research in Modern British History and Creative Writing. As a lecturer, she has tutored at York St. John, Manchester Metropolitan University and Leeds Trinity. She is a Burgess Fellow at the University of Manchester and an editorial board member at British Pop Archive Books.
Her forthcoming memoir, Base Notes: The Scents of a Life, will be published by White Rabbit in February 2025.
