Author Yomi Adegoke visits Wolverhampton to reveal research on her bestseller

The University of Wolverhampton  welcomes bestselling author, Yomi Adegoke, to a public event on Wednesday 28 May, 2025, from 7pm-8.15pm at Harrison Library, City Campus.

The event will unveil the initial findings from the Wolverhampton Bookshare project, which focused on Adegoke’s acclaimed novel The List. The evening will also mark the official launch of the Digital Futures Lab, a new initiative from the Centre for Transnational and Transcultural Research.

Earlier in 2025, an interdisciplinary team at the University of Wolverhampton launched The Wolverhampton Bookshare, an ongoing project that seeks to encourage reading cultures in the West Midlands. Students and staff at the University, as well as members of the general public, were invited to read Yomi Adegoki's novel The List - for free.

After three months, readers were invited to complete a questionnaire about their memory of, and thoughts and feelings about, the novel.  

Yomi will join the event on 28 May where some early results of this research will be revealed. She will do a Q&A, offer a reading from The List and engage the public in a conversation about the perils of digital living.

This pioneering research is led by staff and students from the University of Wolverhampton English Literature and Psychology departments, including Professor Sebastian Groes (English Literature), Sara Edwards (English Literature), Dr Tom Mercer (Psychology), Beth Young (Psychology), and Samantha Phiri (English Literature).

Sebastian Groes, Professor of English Literature, said: “Our interdisciplinary team consisting of English Literature and Psychology colleagues and PhD students are delighted to be welcoming a new literary superstar to Wolverhampton.

“Our psychological survey is not only designed to understand how reading on different platforms has different effects on memory, but also how this feeds into digital inequality.  Beyond that, we will gather together with University staff and students as well as members of the public to discuss one of the most wonderful and important novel of our time: The List. The novel is about the dangers of digital living. On Wednesday we will celebrate the power of storytelling – and the joy of reading.”

Tom Mercer, Reader in Cognitive Psychology, said: “During the event, we will be presenting the initial findings from our psychological survey. This will reveal how effectively people remembered the novel, and the emotions they felt when reading it. Given concerns that the digital technology we use can affect our memories, we will also be looking at whether reading a physical book or an eBook affects our ability to remember the story. We look forward to sharing the results!”

This event is open to all staff, students, and the general public —and celebrates the power of storytelling and the role of fiction in promoting wellbeing.

Tickets are freely available, but must be booked in advance via Eventbrite.