Goodbye to Peter

After thirty amazing years Peter Kalu is stepping down from Cultureword

Goodbye to Peter

I first met Peter Kalu around twenty years ago when I was running Primary Colours, a small educational publishing company in Huddersfield. For a while we lost touch. Then I moved to Manchester. In May 2019 I started creative writing again and I asked a friend to recommend a writing group. She suggested Commonword (as it then was). The next day I went along and lo and behold there was my long lost frined Peter. I had found my writing home.

For the next six years almost every Wednesday found me at Commonword reading one of my short stories. I had no idea that these short stories would turn into my debut novel The Mercy Step but Peter kept saying, ‘I’m telling you, you’ve got something! Mercy’s the one,’ I honestly thought he was just a bit mad. But with the benefit of hindsight, he saw quality where I did not. It still took me another four years to finish the book.

I eventually got an agent and a publishing deal and the book came out in July 2025. Fast forward six months and The Mercy Step has been longlisted for the Women’s Prize for Fiction and shortlisted for the Bookseller Discover Award. I wouldn’t go as far as saying none of this would ever have happened without Peter, but he was an essential ingredient in the cake that became my debut novel.

As a writer I absolutely thrive on encouragement and constructive criticism. Peter has provided both to me and countless other writers in spades. He has the patience of a saint, that tenacity of the tiger and the insight of a hawk where writing is concerned.

Cultureword I know will keep going from strength to strength but I for one want to thank Peter for everything he has done for me and other writers for the last three decades. Peter, you will be missed. Gone but never, ever, forgotten.

Peter will be in conversation with Marcia Hutchinson for the launch of the paperback version of the The Mercy Step and his memoir Act Normal:-

30th April, Waterstones - Wool Exchange Bradford

6th May, House of Books & Friends - Manchester

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