Founded in 2025 by Craig Snelgrove, Cooper Lee Press is an independent publishing house dedicated to works that challenge the boundaries between narrative craft and intellectual inquiry. We believe that the most powerful stories are those that engage with the profound complexities of human existence, and that the most vital theories are those that can be told through a compelling narrative.
"Visceral, lyrical, compelling. Craig Snelgrove is a new authentic northern voice. The stories in this collection are rich and distinctive and explore northern working-class life with a tender insight. Does for Manchester what James Joyce's Dubliners did for Dublin." - Michael Stewart
A lad is taken up Holcombe Hill in the grip of existential angst; a musical duo attend Media City to audition for a TV talent show, and they are not taking no for an answer; a woman roams the city at night, dismayed by her observations; a man goes back to confront painful memories of a cemetery chapel; a mental health support worker becomes disillusioned with the system.
Alienated from the city and themselves, young Mancunians struggle for a meaning in uncertain times. They are looking for something but don’t know what it is. They are seeking answers but unsure of what they are or where to find them. Nothing ever happens but always does. Events unfold at rapid speed throughout the sluggish days. The present merges with the past, the future has already been and gone.
Young Mancunians depicts the city of Manchester in the 21st century, a city re-born from post-industrial decline, re-made in the image of neo-liberalism, haunted by a past that can’t be erased. Behind the façade of the city centre, ever changing and in constant need for economic and territorial growth, issues of poverty, crime, and addiction are more prevalent than ever.
In his collection, Craig Snelgrove confronts the self-mythology of Manchester, offering a unique portrayal of modern life within the city, one at odds from its mainstream perception, challenging the injustices and absurdities people are faced with through original short stories, providing fresh insight into the alienating effects of the modern city.