On Wednesday 22nd July 2026, from 7.30-9.30pm, Stroud Radical Reading Group will host a discussion of “News from Nowhere” by William Morris. The book presents a utopian, agrarian, society set in the year 2102, taking Morris’ commitment to the socialist struggle to achieve a perfect society on earth into a work of fiction. We will meet at Redz Youth Hub, 6 Threadneedle St, GL5 1AF. Entry is free but please bring some cash if you can afford to donate to cover venue costs.
Originally serialised in the Commonweal journal of the Socialist League in 1890, Morris depicts a society with no big cities, no private property, no monetary system, no marriage or divorce, no courts, no prisons, no class systems, no formal schooling, and no authority. People finding pleasure in nature, and thus in their work, instead forms the basis of societal functioning – and restoration of nature.
Below in our resources section you can find a link to buy the book at a discount from the Yellow Lighted Bookshop, and free text and audio resources. There is also more information about the books and Stroud Radical Reading Group events.
Anyone interested in the books is welcome – we recommend reading one or other of the books but you don’t need to have read either to join us. You do not need to have attended any of our previous sessions. We do our best to make the sessions welcoming to people who have not been to reading groups or similar settings like university seminars before.
Content warnings (submitted by Storygraph users):
- Moderate: Misogyny
- Minor: Slavery, Violence, Police brutality
More information about the book:
“News from Nowhere (1890) is the best-known prose work of William Morris and the only significant English utopia to be written since Thomas More’s. The novel describes the encounter between a visitor from the nineteenth century, William Guest, and a decentralized and humane socialist future. Set over a century after a revolutionary upheaval in 1952, these “Chapters from a Utopian Romance” recount his journey across London and up the Thames to Kelmscott Manor, Morris’s own country house in Oxfordshire. Drawing on the work of John Ruskin and Karl Marx, Morris’s book is not only an evocative statement of his egalitarian convictions but also a distinctive contribution to the utopian tradition. Morris’s rejection of state socialism and his ambition to transform the relationship between humankind and the natural world, give News from Nowhere a particular resonance for modern readers.”About the author:
William Morris (24 March 1834 – 3 October 1896) was an English textile designer, poet, artist, writer, and socialist activist associated with the British Arts and Crafts movement. He was a major contributor to the revival of traditional British textile arts and methods of production. His literary contributions helped to establish the modern fantasy genre, while he campaigned for socialism in Victorian Great Britain. After reading works of Henry George, Alfred Russel Wallace, and Karl Marx in the 1880s Morris became a committed revolutionary socialist activist. He founded the Socialist League in 1884. Best known in his lifetime for his poetry, he posthumously became better known for his designs, but his radical politics is also an inspiration to many (taken from Wikipedia, link below).
Resources
- Buy “News from Nowhere And Other Writings” for £9.34 (RRP £10.99, saving £1.65). To get the discount from The Yellow-Lighted Bookshop: Look at your “basket”, and enter the “couponcode” 26stroudradical. Pick up your book from their Nailsworth, Tetbury or Chalford shops, or get books delivered to your door for £3.50 postage.
- Read News from Nowhere for free as text or a scanned illustrated pdf, thanks to the Internet Archive.
- Listen to News from Nowhere by William Morris read by Elizabeth Klett for free on the LibriVox website (audio files), or on the LibriVox YouTube channel (embedded below)
- William Morris entry on Wikipedia
About our events
Stroud Radical Reading Group events are free to attend, though we will make a collection to cover venue hire costs – please bring some cash if you can afford it (a few pounds would be great).
We try to create a comfortable discussion space for everyone, including people who have not been part of a reading group or been to university. We do not want the sessions to feel like school – the idea is that everyone has something to contribute, even if primarily through finding the discussion texts difficult and having questions with other attendees can attempt to answer.
To ensure marginalised people feel welcome, we encourage care and thoughtful contributions that respect people’s identities and lives. We are an LGBTQ+ inclusive and anti-racist space.
Anyone is welcome to listen to the discussion, though we encourage contributions only from those who have read at least some of the book we are discussing.
About the venue
The venue for this session is Redz Youth Hub, a hub for organising, creativity, and community building. It’s a free space for young people to host their own events, workshops, and meetups. They’ve been hosting sessions by Mutiny: Stroud’s Youth Assembly and The RYSE – the Radical Youth Space for Educations.
Redz is in central Stroud, close to the train station and bus station, with nearby stands to lock bikes, and parking for cars nearby at Fawkes Place or Church St car park. There is step-free access to the ground floor where we will meet. There is a toilet, and some comfortable seating as well as basic folding chairs. Please get in touch if you’d like to get more of an idea of what the sessions are like or if you have any accessibility needs.
There is an opportunity for more informal discussion after the session in the Ale House pub (around the corner) for anyone who wants to continue chatting after 9.30pm.
Stroud Radical Reading Group 