MA Professional Writing lecturer signs deal with Picador to publish new book set in Cornwall
28 January 2026
Just a few months after his short story was published in the 2025 edition of Best British Short Stories, Booker Prize longlisted and MA Professional Writing lecturer Wyl Menmuir has now signed a deal with Picador to publish his latest non-fiction book, Seaworthy.
The Roger Deakin Award-winning author is preparing to see his work published in hardback in early 2028, with the title set to be the first of Wyl’s books to be published with Picador, an imprint of Pan Macmillan.
Seaworthy will share the true tale of what happens when we make an adventure of improving our mental health, while also acting as a reminder of the value of creativity as a tool for self-discovery. Seaworthy follows Wyl as he, in his attempt to feel less adrift in the world, buys and restores a neglected sixty-year-old boat with a plan to sail it from his home to the Isles of Scilly, an archipelago 28 miles off the coast of Cornwall. His journey becomes a quest where he hopes to make both himself and his vessel seaworthy.
Seaworthy is in part a book about what we will do when we are mentally unmoored, and part about the value of using our hands and creativity as a way to realise our place in the world.
Andrea Henry, Publishing Director at Picador, shared: “This is a gorgeous book about fragility and resilience. While it speaks very clearly to this particular moment in time, it is in fact timeless. Wyl’s a wonderful writer and we’re delighted to be working with him.”
Reflecting on his book, Wyl said: “The idea to restore a boat and take it to sea, and to explore ways we might navigate uncertain waters, both literal and in our own lives, is one I hope will resonate with those living through anxious times. The challenge is a very real one: I struggle to navigate life’s choppy waters myself, added to which I’m not the most practically minded person, so who knows where the story will go?”
He added: “I’m thrilled to be working with Andrea and thrilled too that the book has found a home with the seaworthy crew at Picador.”
Before the book’s publication, Wyl will be restoring the wooden Wayfarer in a workshop space at Falmouth’s National Maritime Museum Cornwall. Over the course of the next few months, his restorative process will fuel the writing of his book, as he explores what being ‘seaworthy’ means, in all its forms. At the museum, Wyl will bring his boat back to life while discovering the mental health benefits of craftmanship and creativity amidst the challenge of restoring a craft capable of sailing across the Atlantic. By June, he will host his grand launch ahead of his summer crossing to the Isles of Scilly.
External links
Visitors can follow the boat’s progress in the museum on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays until May.
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