On Wednesday 22 April 2026, Laura Devine Immigration hosted a Literary Lounge with Benjamin Wood where he discussed his book Seascraper.

Benjamin grew up in Merseyside. Seascraper is his fifth novel; it won the Nero Book Award for Fiction and was longlisted for the Booker Prize in 2025. His previous works have been shortlisted for the Costa First Novel Award, the Commonwealth Book Prize, the Sunday Times Young Writer of the Year Award, the RSL Encore Award, the CWA Gold Dagger Award and the European Union Prize for Literature. In 2014, he won France’s Prix du Roman Fnac. He is a Senior Lecturer in Creative Writing at King’s College London.

A raffle on the evening benefitted Elsie’s Story.

At the heart of Elsie’s Story is a deep commitment to bringing joy, support, and hope to children facing life’s toughest challenges. Inspired by Elsie’s journey, this charity was founded with a clear mission: to ensure that every child, regardless of their circumstances, has the opportunity to create precious memories with their loved ones.