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SUMMARY:Manchester Literature Festival 2026
DESCRIPTION:Manchester Literature Festival brings another blockbuster programme of events to Library Live at Central Library this October. The Festival will be showcasing over 120 authors\, poets\, and thinkers from across the globe. In this National Year of Reading\, it’s especially timely to be spreading the joy of reading and celebrating storytelling – bringing families\, friends and strangers together to listen\, learn\, reflect\, laugh\, engage and discover new ways to navigate our turbulent times. \nWe’re delighted to be hosting 17 of the 50+ events at Central Library this year. Whether you’re passionate about women’s rights or climate change\, dystopian fiction or epic poetry\, want to change the world or simply entertain the kids\, there’s something for everyone to enjoy. Here’s some of the highlights: \nFICTION: \nEmily St. John Mandel (10 Oct): Canadian author of Station Eleven discusses her electrifying new novel Exit Party – a haunting mystery set across two parallel words. \nLouise Kennedy & Wendy Erskine (15 Oct): Two of Northern Ireland’s most acclaimed contemporary writers discuss their new novels Stations and The Benefactors with BBC 6 Music’s Deb Grant. \nBrutalist Ghost Stories (17 Oct): Northern novelists Jenn Ashworth\, Nicholas Royle\, David Gaffney and Beth Barker read from an anthology turning Britain’s post-war architecture into the uncanny. \nWilly Vlautin (19 Oct): American musician and novelist Willy Vlautin discusses The Left and the Lucky\, his moving new novel of unlikely friendship and working-class life in America. \nM. John Harrison (20 Oct): One of Britain’s most influential writers and Booker Prize 2026 nominee discusses The End of Everything – a darkly funny\, unsettling novel of a fractured near future. \nHernan Diaz (22 Oct): The Pulitzer Prize-winning author of Trust introduces Ply\, a wildly original thriller of technology\, capitalism and shifting identity set centuries from now. \nCULTURE: \nFrank Cottrell-Boyce (13 Oct): Beloved children’s’ author discusses A British Childhood\, his warm\, urgent reflection on books\, imagination and the realities of childhood in Britain today. \nNatasha Walter (18 Oct): The campaigner and author explores Feminism for a World on Fire\, connecting women’s rights\, social justice and climate action. \nLady Hale & Lara Feigel (21 Oct): The UK’s first female Supreme Court President and writer Lara Feigel come together to explore law\, motherhood and power; a rare\, candid look at how justice is experienced by families. \nPOETRY: \nIan McMillan (12 Oct): Host of Radio 4’s The Verb launches Red River Valley\, a funny\, poignant new collection drawn from family life and South Yorkshire. \nCarolyn Forché & Kwame Dawes (16 Oct): US ‘poet of witness’ Carolyn Forché and Jamaica’s Poet Laureate Kwame Dawes share five decades of testimony\, survival and political engagement in verse. \nSimon Armitage (18 Oct): The Poet Laureate returns with an exhilarating new verse translation of Gilgamesh\, the oldest surviving epic in world literature\, brought thrillingly to life for a modern audience. \nFAMILIES: \nLittle Reads Family Day (24 Oct): Families are invited to take part in a joyful day of stories\, theatre\, music\, dancing and crafts. Help create some magical shoes with The Elves and the Shoemaker in an interactive show from Peoplescape Theatre\, packed with music\, puppetry\, clowning and storytelling. Strut your stuff with author and West End musical theatre star Robert Tregoning in a confidence-boosting event inspired by his latest picture book Dylan\, Daisy and the Disco Ball and explore storytelling through movement with dancer Magdalen Bartlett. \nYou can check out the full programme\, download a copy of the Festival brochure and book tickets on the Manchester Literature Festival website.  \nWe advise you to book early as many events sell out in advance!
URL:https://librarylive.co.uk/event/manchester-literature-festival-2026/
CATEGORIES:Talks
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DTSTART;TZID=UTC:20261018T080000
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SUMMARY:Manchester Literature Festival presents Natasha Walter - Feminism for A World on Fire
DESCRIPTION:An inspiring conversation with acclaimed author and campaigner Natasha Walter about building a more connected and hopeful future.   \nDrawing on her powerful and urgent new book Feminism for a World on Fire\, Natasha explores how the challenges facing women today – from inequality and online misogyny to climate change – are deeply interconnected and why our responses can be too. She offers a vision of feminism rooted in solidarity\, community and care for both people and the planet\, imagining how women’s liberation can sit alongside movements for equality\, justice and environmental protection.   \n‘Natasha Walters is a unique voice and a big picture thinker. She’s right: this is a world on fire. This book will help you understand exactly how’ Carole Cadwalladr   \n‘At the heart of Natasha Walter’s book is a proposition that actually filled me with hope’ Mary Portas  \nJoin us for a thought-provoking and inclusive event full of hope\, as Natasha explores feminism\, social change and the power of collective action.  \nA Manchester Literature Festival event supported by Library Live.  \nNatasha Walter is an award-winning author\, journalist and campaigner. Her books include The New Feminism\, Living Dolls and Before the Light Fades. She is the founder of Women for Refugee Women and her work in her academic roles\, at the University of Cambridge and Queen Mary University of London\, focuses on women’s rights\, climate justice and equality.  \nBook tickets here or click ‘Book Now’ below
URL:https://librarylive.co.uk/event/manchester-literature-festival-presents-natasha-walter-feminism-for-a-world-on-fire/
CATEGORIES:Talks
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DTSTART;TZID=UTC:20261018T080000
DTEND;TZID=UTC:20261018T170000
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SUMMARY:Manchester Literature Festival presents Simon Armitage: Gilgamesh
DESCRIPTION:The Poet Laureate Simon Armitage returns to present his exhilarating new verse translation of Gilgamesh\, one of the world’s oldest and most compelling\, surviving works of literature. \nOriginating in ancient Mesopotamia nearly 4\,000 years ago\, this epic tale follows King Gilgamesh through adventures\, battles and profound personal loss. The poem explores themes that remain strikingly relevant today: power\, friendship\, love\, loss and what it means to be human. \nA Festival favourite and outstanding live performer\, Simon brings fresh energy and momentum to this ancient story\, capturing its emotional depth and relevance. See him live in what promises to be\, an uplifting journey into the very origins of storytelling. \nA Manchester Literature Festival event supported by Library Live. \nSimon Armitage was born in West Yorkshire and is Professor of Poetry at the University of Leeds. An award-winning poet\, translator\, broadcaster and musician\, he has published over twenty poetry collections and is the author of acclaimed translations including Sir Gawain and the Green Knight\, Pearl and The Owl and the Nightingale. He is the current Poet Laureate (2019-2029). \nBook tickets here or click ‘Book Now’ below
URL:https://librarylive.co.uk/event/manchester-literature-festival-presents-simon-armitage-gilgamesh/
LOCATION:Performance Space
CATEGORIES:Talks
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BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=UTC:20261019T080000
DTEND;TZID=UTC:20261019T170000
DTSTAMP:20261022T212043
CREATED:20260820T111053Z
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SUMMARY:Manchester Literature Festival presents Willy Vlautin
DESCRIPTION:Join acclaimed musician\, songwriter and novelist Willy Vlautin for a special evening celebrating his powerful new novel\, The Left and the Lucky. Set in Portland\, Oregon\, the novel tells the story of Eddie\, a solitary house painter\, and Russell\, the vulnerable small neighbour who slowly changes his life. Heart wrenching yet uplifting\, The Left and the Lucky is a testament to kindness\, survival and human connection.   \nOne of America’s most distinctive chroniclers of working-class life\, Willy started writing stories and songs at the age of eleven after receiving his first guitar. He joins us to discuss unlikely friendships\, human connection and his commitment to telling working class stories through his work. Don’t miss an evening with one of contemporary fiction’s most charismatic and humane voices.   \n“One of America’s great writers” Roddy Doyle   \n“Willy Vlautin is one of the bravest novelists writing. Murderers\, cheats\, sadists\, showy examples of the banality of evil\, are easy\, but it takes real courage to write a novel about ordinary good people.” Ursula K. Le Guin  \nA Manchester Literature Festival event supported by Library Live.  \nWilly Vlautin is the acclaimed author of seven novels\, including The Horse\, winner of the 2025 Joyce Carol Oates Award. His novels The Motel Life and Lean on Pete became acclaimed films\, while The Night Always Comes was adapted by Netflix in 2025. Born in Reno\, Nevada\, he lives near Portland\, Oregon and teaches at Pacific University’s MFA in Writing programme. He is the founder of the bands Richmond Fontaine and The Delines.  \nBook tickets here or click ‘Book Now’ below
URL:https://librarylive.co.uk/event/manchester-literature-festival-presents-willy-vlautin/
LOCATION:Performance Space
CATEGORIES:Talks
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