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 […]
Spend an evening with one of Britain’s greatest contemporary writers as M. John Harrison discusses his remarkable new novel, The End of Everything, with acclaimed writer Helen Mort. Set in a fractured near-future where Europe has been mislaid, governments barely function and mysterious new life forms emerge from the sea, this unsettling and darkly funny novel follows a scavenger […]
Come along to Talk English Circles at Manchester Central Library to practise speaking English and meet other people. Learn English, build skills and step into ESOL with this programme funded by Economic Activity Trailblazer and Manchester Adult Education. Open to all levels. Free - book your free place here or click 'Book Now' below Please […]
Lady Hale, the first female President of the UK Supreme Court and author of the Women’s Prize longlisted With the Law on Our Side, joins acclaimed writer Lara Feigel, author of Custody: The Secret History of Mothers, for a compelling conversation on law, family and power. Drawing on real cases and lived testimony, Lady Hale opens up the […]
See Pulitzer Prize-winning author Hernan Diaz (Trust) discuss his brilliant new novel Ply. Set centuries from now, Ply follows an orphan in a city on the brink of profound change, drawn into an underground world of art, music and risk - and a discovery that could reshape reality. A novel of ideas built from a story of people, it […]
Dave Haslam, author of the memoir Sonic Youth Slept on My Floor and books including My Second Home: Sylvia Plath in Paris, 1956, leads us through strategies to express a true story or life events in a way that incorporates imagination, subjectivity, novelistic elements, and unconventional structures. The workshop is aimed at aspiring and early career writers and will […]
Take part in a joyful day of stories, theatre, music, dancing, crafts and family fun. 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 […]
Buzz Hawkins joins us at Central Library to tell us more about the family Bradshaw, and his new novel, 'The Bradshaws Right Up Your Street'. “Even after more than 600 episodes people were still asking me ‘have you written any new ones?’” says Manchester born writer Buzz Hawkins, creator and voices of British radio’s long-running comedy […]
Join us for our next public talk with Manchester Confucius Institute to learn about the Chinese story of bamboo with Fang Zong. Bamboo, as a model of sustainability, is deeply rooted in Chinese traditions of material application and cultural representation. This talk explores the dual identity of Chinese bamboo both as a vital ecological resource […]
On Saturday 21st November, rising electronic duo Faint Red Star will perform an intimate matinee show at the Henry Watson Music Library. Faint Red Star are a duo born in Manchester, UK. Blending soaring synths with warm, rumbling beats and stirring vocal melodies, their sound is a heady concoction of brooding synth-pop, dark wave, and […]
This screening is presented to you by Nuansa: Indonesian Film Pop-Up in collaboration with Manchester Central Library and Library Live. Delve into the world of spirit-fuelled trance parties in the island nation of Indonesia with the screening of Levitating, a film directed by Wregas Bhanuteja, which recently competed at the Sundance Film Festival. There will […]
Researchers have captured their work in a single image. Now they're sharing the stories behind them. Join us for an evening of true stories told live by this year’s Images of Research 2026 finalists. Working with Heard Storytelling, a selection of finalists will take to the stage to tell personal stories from their experiences of […]
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.
