‘Perhaps have something that the poems don’t. Or perhaps they don’t have something that the poems do’. Where do song lyrics and poetry converge? Poet Laureate Simon Armitage has always been inspired as much by music as he is the written or spoken word. His latest book Never Good With Horses collects Simon’s musical outpourings, from the […]
Karl Ove Knausgaard, author of My Struggle, ‘the greatest literary invention of the 21st century’, makes his MLF debut to discuss his dazzling new novel The Wolves of Eternity (translated by Martin Aitkin). In Southern Norway in 1986, Syvert Løyning returns home from military service and discovers letters to his late father which lead him to the Soviet Union. In […]
We’re channelling our ancestors, crediting our ancestors, claiming we are our ancestors “wildest dreams”, and cautioning against our ancestors’ deepest nightmares.’ As she turned forty, broadcaster and journalist Afua Hirsch set out to reconnect with her heritage and apply what she learned to her body. Through puberty rituals to body hair to waist beads to […]
THIS EVENT IS NOW SOLD OUT ‘I am determined that we seize this moment and rise to meet the challenge of our age: to build a country in which everyone has a stake and a contribution to make.’ In her first book, All In: How we build a country that works, Lisa Nandy sets out a way in which we can […]
Two of fiction’s rising stars discuss their brilliant debut novels, strong women characters, narrative voice, the perils of modern love and relationships, and how we present ourselves in the physical and digital worlds. Monica Heisey is a writer and comedian from Toronto. She has written for television shows including Schitt’s Creek and Workin’ Moms. Her astute and wildly funny debut […]
‘This is history—scuffed, slightly bent, plenty noisy, and indispensable.’ – Colson Whitehead One of the founding members of alternative rock band Sonic Youth, Thurston Moore’s memoir Sonic Life is fuelled by his passion for music and art. It takes us from Thurston’s teen years as a music obsessive in small-town Connecticut, to New York’s East Village in […]
British actor, comedian and writer Doon Mackichan joins us to launch her memoir, My Lady Parts: A Life Fighting Stereotypes. Through the roles she’s played on TV, in the theatre and in life, Doon examines the stories we are telling in a culture that profoundly diminishes our power as women. Reflecting on 40 years in showbusiness, […]
The future is coming. The Future is here. When Martha Einkorn fled her father’s isolated compound in Oregon, she never expected to find herself working for a powerful social media mogul hell-bent on controlling everything. Across the world, in a mall in Singapore, Lai Zhen, an internet-famous survivalist, flees from an assassin. Martha and Zhen’s worlds are […]
Blackwell's Bookshop and Manchester Libraries are excited to host the Manchester launch of award-winning poet Andrew McMillan's PITY - his stunning debut novel which explores community, masculinity and post-industrialisation in Northern England. Doors: 6.00, starts: 6.30 Tickets are £5.00 or free when ordering a copy of the book. PITY will also be available to purchase on the night […]
THIS EVENT IS NOW SOLD OUT. Waterstones Manchester Arndale and Manchester Libraries are thrilled to present an evening with bestselling author Tessa Bailey as we celebrate the publication of Fangirl Down. The romcom queen and author of Secretly Yours and It Happened One Summer hits a hole-in-one with this sizzling story of a grumpy golfer and his devoted fangirl […]
Crime Central returns on Wednesday 13th March! Our host Rob Parker has been curating some wonderful events over the next few months and he's relaunching Crime Central with a corking line up! Rob Parker will be in conversation with Chris McGeorge, Guy Hale and Marnie Riches! Bringing the best from all over! Featuring the best and […]
We're thrilled to be welcoming author and jounalist Grace Blakeley to Manchester for the launch of her explosive new book VULTURE CAPITALISM - a fresh look at the problems of our late stage capitalism crisis and what we can do to stop it. Doors: 6.00, starts: 6.30 Tickets are £5.00 or free when ordering a […]
From dedicated performance spaces to stairwells, screens, nooks and domes, Central Library might directly inspire your next event or intervention. Contact us to arrange a tour.
