Henry Normal is a writer, poet, TV and film producer, founder of the Manchester Poetry Festival (now the Manchester Literature Festival) and co-founder of the Nottingham Poetry Festival. In June 2017 he was honoured with a special BAFTA for services to television. Raining Upwards is Henry’s first all new poetry collection in over twenty years. […]
WORD CENTRAL is back on Wednesday 1st November at Central Library. 6pm - 8pm , free entry This month's special guest is poet Mark Mace Smith Glastonbury Festival Poetry Slam Winner 2008, BBC MediaCity Poet in Residence 2011-2015, and author of A Fruit Filled with Bitter Ashes. All open mic slots are already filled, but if you want […]
Come and celebrate the launch of Introduction X, The Poetry Business New Poets anthology. Introduction X is a gathering of outstanding poets at an early stage in their writing careers. Apart from this ‘newness’, and talent, and what W S Graham would call ‘the rarer gift of application’, what these writers happen to have in […]
Comedy is big business these days. Hear from our experienced panel as they give a unique insight into the many facets of the world of Comedy; from Performing, Writing, Promoting and breaking into TV and Radio. Find how you can make a living in an often precarious career. Henry Normal Henry is a writer, poet, […]
Prose, poetry and spoken word from an all-female line-up of Outspoken voices. Afshan D’souza-Lodhi hosts, with readings from Seni Seneviratne, Jackie Hagan, Mandla Rae and Louise Wallwein. Plus new work from Superbia’s Manchester Chapbook project.
smith|doorstop Books present the Laureate's Choice poets 2018, four up-and-coming poets chosen by Carol Ann Duffy. The poets in attendance are : Keith Hutson has written for Coronation Street and many well know comedians. His poetry has been widely published in journals, and his debut pamphlet, Routines, was published in 2016 by Poetry Salzburg (where […]
The poems in this brand new book are about Love, War, Anti-Austerity, Mental Health, Domestic Violence, Murder, Child Abuse, Gender Identity, Race, and Climate Change. All Book profits are being donated to the mental health charity 'Mind'. This collection of poetry is based on and around the themes of Order and Chaos. It has been […]
‘The Alan Bennett of poetry’ – The Scotsman ‘Dovetails bittersweet poetry with a sublimely observant wit’ – The Guardian Flapjack Press and Manchester Libraries are proud to host the launch of Henry Normal's new collection of poetry, 'This Phantom Breath'. Written between August 2016 and August 2017, the poems in this collection are concerned with […]
The launch of Shirley May's first book of poetry, 'She Wrote Her Own Eulogy', published by Wrecking Ball Press. Shirley will be sharing some of the poems from her book and discussing it with the audience. Signed copies of the book will be available for purchase. Shirley is the director of Young Identity writing collective, […]
Inscribe / Peepal Tree, publisher of Caribbean and Black British Literature, invited poets to contemplate the ‘unspoken essential’ and ‘intangible tangible’ for their Filigree collection. We’re delighted to have three of the contributors perform at this special MLF event. Victoria Adukwei Bulley is a British-born Ghanian poet and writer, who recently published the pamphlet, Girl […]
Frequently ranked as one of the Twentieth Century’s greatest writers, Yorkshire poet Ted Hughes produced a significant body of work, including original poetry and translations. His early poems were rooted in nature, detailing the beauty and violence of the landscape and its animals (The Hawk in the Rain), while later pieces often used or reworked […]
From Peterloo to World War Two, discover Manchester's pivotal moments in history. Join the History Press, with Michael Billington as MC, for a special evening of readings and book signings with local authors including Graham Phythian, Joanna M. Williams, Michala Hulme, Sheila Brady, Andrew Simpson.
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.
