Talks

In the centenary year commemorating (some) UK women first gaining the vote, learn how Manchester played a major role in the fight. This entertaining and informative illustrated talk covers the campaign tactics of both peaceful suffragists and militant suffragettes, and the often barbaric backlash they endured. Free talk – please drop in

Manchester Libraries are pleased to welcome Dr Robert Poole for a fascinating talk on the Peterloo Massacre as part of the BBC Civilisations Festival. One of the major interests of Dr Robert Poole is popular protest in the age of reform and industrial revolution 1780s-1850s. He is a leading authority on the subject of Peterloo, […]

Manchester Literature Festival is delighted to welcome Patrisse Khan-Cullors to Manchester to discuss her illuminating memoir, When They Call You a Terrorist: A Black Lives Matter Memoir. She will be in conversation with Manchester Literature Festival Patron, writer and poet Jackie Kay. One of the most prominent activists of her generation, Patrisse is an artist, organizer and […]

SORRY, THIS EVENT HAS NOW SOLD OUT A once in a lifetime opportunity has arisen for UK fans of Bruce Campbell – the owner of the mightiest chin in history is coming to Manchester Central Library! Bruce will be reading from his Best Selling book 'Hail to the Chin', and providing a Q&A experience that's […]

‘Jesmyn Ward digs deep into the not-buried heart of the American nightmare. A must read.’ Margaret Atwood Manchester Literature Festival are thrilled to present a rare UK event with acclaimed American author Jesmyn Ward. Based in Mississippi, Jesmyn is the author of the memoir Men We Reaped and the novels Salvage the Bones, Where the […]

From the no. 1 Sunday Times bestselling author of Reasons to Stay Alive and How to Stop Time, a personal and vital look at how to feel happy, human and whole in the 21st century. The world is messing with our minds. – How can we stay sane on a planet that makes us mad? […]

Ella Mills Woodward’s inspirational, lively writing and delicious recipes have inspired countless people to move towards a plant-based diet.  Her fans will find much to savour in her new book, which highlights some of the most popular dishes served in her own deli. We’re delighted to welcome her to discuss her writing and the personal […]

20 years ago, Precious Ramotswe established The No. 1 Ladies’ Detective Agency in Gabarone, Botswana. The subsequent novels in Alexander McCall Smith’s series became a literary phenomenon, and have since been translated into 46 different languages. A prolific and much-loved writer, Alexander has written and contributed to over 100 books, and his series, 44 Scotland […]

One of Iran’s leading poets, Azita Ghahreman’s work is lyrical and intimate, addressing themes of loss, exile and female desire, as well as the changing face of her country. Her latest collection, Negative of a Group Photograph, brings together three decades of poems brought to life in English by the poet Maura Dooley, working in […]

The tale of Achilles and the Trojan War has been told many times, but what about the stories of the women? In The Silence of the Girls, Pat Barker imagines The Iliad from the perspective of Briseis, the former queen awarded to Achilles as a prize of war. Drawing together the feminist focus of her […]

You have ten minutes. Ten minutes to go anywhere you like, with anyone, in any time - the past, the future, in this world, out of this world - where would you go? Open a book and read yourself there, pick up a pen and write yourself away. Stay close to home, enter a different dimension, go […]

Q: What do an American pilot who’s crashed in the desert, a teenager full of money-making schemes, and a dog suffering through a very bad day have in common? A: They all narrate the new, hilariously funny novel, Red Birds, by acclaimed author Mohammed Hanif (A Case of Exploding Mangoes). Through the inhabitants of the […]