Manchester Literature Festival presents How to Get Published with Kate Mosse
2025-10-20 08:00 - 17:00 UTC | Performance Space
Have you dreamed of a writing career but don’t have the confidence to give it a go? Or feel that there are too many barriers to the publishing world to getting your work published? Join bestselling novelist and Discoveries Chair of Judges Kate Mosse for an inspiring talk about her journey and the Women’s Prize Discoveries writing programme and prize, designed to address the specific challenges women writers face. Presented by Manchester Literature Festival and supported by Women’s Prize Trust and Library Live.
Free – booking advised. Book tickets here or click ‘Book Now’ below

Manchester Literature Festival presents Feminist History with Kate Mosse
2025-10-20 08:00 - 17:00 | Performance Space
Join us for an inspiring evening with internationally bestselling author and Founder Director of the Women’s Prizes Kate Mosse, as she shares insights from her groundbreaking new non-fiction book, Feminist History for Every Day of the Year.
This richly illustrated collection celebrates 366 remarkable women and girls – one for every day of the year – whose courage, creativity and vision have shaped history. From the trailblazers you know – Mary Wollstonecraft, Malala Yousafzai, Simone Biles and Sophie Scholl – to warrior queens, pioneers, activists and unsung heroes, Kate will share empowering stories from across the globe and throughout history.
Kate Mosse is a bestselling novelist, playwright, and non-fiction writer, including the multimillion-selling Languedoc Trilogy, The Joubert Family Chronicles and The Taxidermist’s Daughter. Her highly-acclaimed non-fiction includes Warrior Queens & Quiet Revolutionaries: How Women (Also) Built the World. A champion of women’s stories, Kate founded the Women’s Prize for Fiction and Non-Fiction, as well as the global #WomanInHistory campaign.
Sponsored by Greater Manchester Chamber of Commerce. Presented by Manchester Literature Festival and supported by Library Live.
Book tickets here or click ‘Book Now’ below

Manchester Literature Festival presents Hannah Ritchie
2025-10-21 08:00 - 17:00 | Performance Space
Join us for an energising and empowering evening with bestselling author and data scientist Hannah Ritchie, one of the most refreshing new voices in the climate conversation.
In her surprisingly hopeful new book, Clearing the Air: A Hopeful Guide to Solving Climate Change in 50 Questions and Answers, she answers big climate questions with clarity and the right dose of optimism. From “Is it too late?” to “Are we too polarised?” Hannah uses clear data and practical information to cut through the noise and misinformation. With her lively, engaging style, she’ll guide us through the facts and show that while the challenges are real, so too are the solutions.
“Let’s get this book into the hands of as many policy makers, politicians and fellow citizens as possible.” – Rutger Bregman
Hannah Ritchie is a Senior Researcher at the Oxford Martin Programme in Global Development at the University of Oxford and Deputy Editor and Lead Researcher at Our World in Data. In 2022, she was named Scotland’s Youth Climate Champion and in 2024 she was selected as one of Prospect magazine’s ‘Top 25 Thinkers’. Her debut book, Not the End of the World, was praised by Rutger Bregman, Bill Gates and Margaret Atwood. Sponsored by Weightmans. Presented by Manchester Literature Festival and supported by Library Live.
Book tickets here or click ‘Book Now’ below

Get Online Week
2025-10-21 13:00 - 16:00
Get Online Week is coming to Central Library!
Join us for an afternoon packed with digital discovery, hands-on help, and exciting tech experiences — all part of Good Things Foundation’s annual campaign to help everyone unlock the benefits of being online. Activities include:
Ground Floor: Digital Marketplace
Explore a buzzing hub of stalls offering free advice, demos, and digital support:

📱 NHS App Help – Chat with NHS staff and learn how to manage your health online
📚 BorrowBox Demo – Discover how to download free eBooks with ease
🏛️ Council Website Tips – Learn how to apply for services or report issues online
📶 Virgin Media O2 – Find out about free data SIMs and social tariffs for low-income residents
🧬 Family History Help – Dive into your ancestry with support from our expert volunteers.

Business and IP Centre, 2nd Floor at 2pm: 3D Printing Workshop
Ever wondered how 3D printing works? Come along to find out! This hands-on workshop is perfect for beginners and tech enthusiasts alike.
🎟️ Reserve your free spot here.

Manchester Literature Festival presents WritersMosaic: Mona Arshi, Karen McCarthy Woolf & Roger Robinson
2025-10-24 08:00 - 17:00 | Performance Space
Nature writing has seen a powerful resurgence in recent years, but we must ask—whose voices are being heard? And who is being welcomed into the landscape?
In this thoughtful reading and conversation, John Siddique of WritersMosaic hosts acclaimed poets and co-editors Mona Arshi and Karen McCarthy Woolf and T.S. Eliot Prize-winner Roger Robinson. Together, they reflect on Nature Matters, the new Faber anthology, and explore the deep connections between earth, spirit, and the human experience—from a perspective too often underrepresented in the genre.
This event offers a chance to listen differently, to hear how nature lives in language beyond the usual frames, and to be in conversation with writers who bring a vital, expansive gaze to the page.
Mona Arshi’s poetry collections include Small Hands, Dear Big Gods and Mouth. She was poet in residence at Cley Marshes, Norfolk in 2020 and is co-editor of Nature Matters: Vital Poems from the Global Majority.
Karen McCarthy Woolf is the author of two poetry collections and editor of numerous anthologies including Mapping the Future and Nature Matters: Vital Poems from the Global Majority. Her verse novel Top Doll was shortlisted for the T S Eliot and Jhalak Prizes and she is the winner of the Jerwood Prize for Poetry 2025.
Roger Robinson is a writer and educator who has taught and performed worldwide. He was chosen by Decibel as one of 50 writers who have influenced the black-British writing canon. He won the T.S. Eliot Prize with A Portable Paradise and collaborated with Johny Pitts on Home Is Not A Place.
Presented by Manchester Literature Festival in partnership with WritersMosaic. Supported by Library Live.
Book tickets here or click ‘Book Now’ below

Manchester Literature Festival presents Creative Connection
2025-10-24 13:00 - 14:00 | Performance Space
A brilliant celebration of creativity and inclusion bringing disabled and non-disabled students from Manchester and Salford together to create, build connection and celebrate the songs they have developed with professional musicians over the week. Come and join us for this joyous day presented in partnership with Create.
Presented by Manchester Literature Festival and supported by Library Live.
Free – booking advised. Email miriam@manchesterliteraturefestival.co.uk to reserve your place

Manchester Literature Festival presents John Murray Proof Party
2025-10-25 08:00 - 17:00 | Performance Space
DUE TO UNFORSEEN CIRCUMSTANCES LIV LITTLE IS NO LONGER ABLE TO PARTICIPATE IN THIS EVENT.
You’re invited to our first proof party with John Murray Press and Dialogue Books!
Be among the first to hear from three exciting new voices as they give us an exclusive sneak peek into their 2026 novels and writing. Then take home a goody bag with two exclusive proofs, a sampler and John Murray fiction zine.
Young Irish writer Djamel White introduces All Them Dogs, a darkly atmospheric queer thriller set in the underworld of West Dublin, where old loyalties and dangerous new attractions collide. Djamel White is the recipient of a Literature Bursary Award and an Agility Award from the Arts Council of Ireland.
Ashani Lewis, acclaimed author of Winter Animals and Everest, presents Suckerfish, a sharp, intimate exploration of a mother-daughter relationship complicated by identity, chaos, and ambition. Ashani Lewis is a novelist, short story writer and remarkably won both the Betty Trask Prize and a Somerset Maugham award in 2025.
Liv Little, founder of gal-dem and author of Rosewater, shares Bitter Melon, a lyrical father-daughter road trip through Jamaica, infused with grief, memory, and unexpected reconnection. Liv Little is an author, creative director, and broadcaster whose work spans television, film, and editorial.
Presented by Manchester Literature Festival and supported by Library Live.
Book tickets here or click ‘Book Now’ below

Make Cress Heads for Green Libraries Week!
2025-10-27 14:00 - 15:00 | Lower Ground Floor
Come and celebrate Green Libraries Week with us at Central Library. Pick up free seeds from our seed library and get creative making your very own cress head to take home. A perfect blend of gardening and crafting! Suitable for families.

Free – just drop in
Please consider making a donation if you can online or at one of our cash or contactless donation boxes in Central Library

October Half Term at Central Library!
2025-10-28 08:00 - 2025-10-31 17:00
Looking for something to do over the half term holidays? Check out our half term activity programme coming soon, including arts and crafts, with plenty to see, make and do! . All materials provided, just bring your imagination! Here’s what to expect:
Make Cress Heads for Green Libraries Week: Monday 27 October, 2-3pm, Lower Ground Floor
Come and celebrate green libraries week with us at Central Library! Pick up free seeds from our seed library and get creative making your very own cress head to take home. A perfect blend of gardening and crafting! Free entry, just drop in.
Stories and songs for Green Libraries Week: Tuesday 28 October, 2-2.45pm, Music Library (1st Floor)
Calling all little groovers! Show us some moves at this fun and interactive music and dance session. We’ll bring the music, so get ready to hit the dancefloor! Suitable for children under 4. Free entry, just turn up.

Lego Club: Wednesday 29 Oct, 2-3pm, Lower Ground Floor
Do you love Lego? So do we! Drop in, pick your favourite bricks and build anything that takes your fancy. From castles to spaceships, the possibilities are endless! No need to book in advance. First come first served. Suitable for ages 4 and above. Free entry, just drop in.
Get planting for Green Libraries Week!: Thursday 30 October, 2-4pm, Lower Ground Floor
Calling all budding gardeners (pun intended)! Join us for this engaging session inspired by Green Libraries Week. You’ll get to plant your very own daffodil and take it home with you! We’ll provide all the materials, just come ready to get potting! Suitable for families. Free entry, just drop in.
Spooky Library: Friday 31 October, 1-4pm, Performance Space
We’re getting ready to welcome little spooks and ghouls to a very creepy Central Library for a fun-filled family Halloween. Are you brave enough to enter the world of creepy crafts, torturous treats and sinister surprises? FREE ENTRY. Suitable for children aged 7-13. Fancy dress encouraged! More info at Spooky Library – Library Live
Dia de Muertos (Day of the Dead); Saturday 1 November, 1-4pm, Performance Space
Come and join us for Dia de Muertos (Day of the Dead), a unique and ancient Mexican celebration. This exciting event will feature traditional dances performed by Colibri Mexican Folkdance UK, themed activities and craft workshops, and a typical Mexican altar. Free drop-in, suitable for all ages!

Stories and songs for Green Libraries Week!
2025-10-28 14:00 - 15:00 | Henry Watson Music Library
Calling all little groovers! Show us some moves at this fun and interactive music and dance session in the music library on the first floor of Central Library. We’ll bring the music, so get ready to hit the dancefloor! Suitable for children under 4.
Free – just drop in
Please consider making a donation if you can online or at one of our cash or contactless donation boxes in Central Library

An Evening with TJ Klune
2025-10-28 19:00 - 20:00 | Performance Space
Queer Lit and Manchester Libraries present a truly special evening as we welcome T.J. Klune – the international bestselling author and legend in queer literature – for an intimate conversation at Manchester Central Library.

Expect:
Thoughtful discussion about his iconic books
Book signing opportunities
Meet & greet and photo ops
A warm, welcoming space to celebrate queer storytelling
Whether you’re a long-time fan of The House in the Cerulean Sea, Under the Whispering Door, or just discovering his work, this is your chance to hear from one of the most celebrated voices in LGBTQ+ fiction.
Don’t miss this unforgettable night of queer joy, community, and literary magic.
New sprayed edged books will be available for purchase on the night!

Festival of Social Science Day
2025-10-29 10:30 - 16:00 | Performance Space
Join us at Central Library for a day of free activities and events celebrating The Festival of Social Science – an annual celebration of research and knowledge about humans and society and celebrated its 20th anniversary in 2022. The festival is an opportunity for anyone to explore topics relating to social science, from health and wellbeing to crime, equality, education and identity, through events run by researchers from UK universities. There’s no cost to attend, and most are open to everyone, though some are aimed at specific groups.
As the world changes, so does the way we work. This year, the festival is hosting a series of events that explore how our jobs, and our working lives, are evolving. Many of today’s roles didn’t exist just a decade or two ago. With rapid advances in technology, the workplace has transformed dramatically over the past 100 years. But one thing remains constant: people want access to good jobs that are safe, healthy and provide a decent standard of living. Join us as we explore what the future of work could look like and how we can shape it together.
See below for activities and booking details:
Anthro4Teens: Design Your City, 10.30 – 12.30, book here
Join researchers from the Social Anthropology Department at the University of Manchester for a fun, hands-on workshop where you design a city from scratch! Decide where to place things such as parks, schools, hospitals, and housing, establish your own rules, and prepare for challenges like fires or floods.
Work in teams, play city-themed games, win prizes and share your ideas with the group.
All materials and refreshments provided, just bring your imagination!
This event is designed specifically for ages 11-17 but is open to all.
Help, I didn’t get paid this month! 13.30 – 15.30, book here
This session gives young people a chance to learn more about part-time working during full-time education. Hosted by academics, the event will give you the opportunity to:

Learn about your rights at work
Discuss your work experiences with your peers.
Hear findings from the L-earning research project.
Connect with organisations and advice services that can support you.

Our goal is to equip young people balancing full-time education with work with the knowledge and tools they need to advocate for their employment rights.
Open to young people aged 14+
Building Brighter Futures with LEGO®: A Family Workshop, 10.00 – 16.00, book here
Come and join us for a playful, hands-on workshop where families use LEGO® to explore learning, life, and the future.
Through simple building challenges, children and parents/carers, teachers and tutors will:

Build models of school, work, and dreams for the future
Explore what helps children to learn and succeed
Talk about barriers and challenges in a safe, creative way
Share hopes for brighter futures together

No experience is needed — just your imagination! Children and adults will work side by side, building stories and ideas with LEGO® bricks. You’ll then be given your own LEGO® pack to create a small model for display.
Suitable for families with children aged 5+
Giant Insect World, 13.00 – 15.00, Free – just drop in!
Giant Insect World invites you to explore the hidden lives of insects. These tiny creatures are all around us, and yet we so often overlook their complexity, beauty, and importance to our world. Through immersive digital storytelling and interactive play, this event magnifies the tiny into the extraordinary, offering a fresh perspective on the unseen world.
Led by anthropologist Dr Jessica Symons of VisioningLab, the workshop blends science, art, and speculative thinking to ask:

What can insects teach us about existence, value, and survival?
How can digital tools help us perceive the world in a new light?
What happens when we shift our focus to the small, the strange, and the unseen?

The event is open to anyone who wants to explore the activities. Children and families are very welcome.
Playful places: designing spaces that reimagine work, rest and play, 13.00 – 15.00, Free – just drop in!
Help us create and imaginary neighbourhood that teaches us how to work rest and play in world where work can seem all encompassing.
We will have craft activities for ages 5 – 15 (and beyond) lasting between 5 – 15 minutes. We will be making models of parks and streets that consider how to inspire healthy working lifestyles. There will be the opportunity to design your ideal house and situate it in an ideal street to create inclusive communities and inject playfulness back into our daily working lives.
This is a drop-in session with a maximum capacity of 30 people. Creative making and drawing activities are aimed at ages between 5 – 15 and last between 5 to 15 minutes. Stop by and make your mark on the playful neighbours and cities of the future!
Work Greener, Live Better: Energy Simulations for a Sustainable Future, 14.00 – 16.00, More details to follow
Open to ages 14+
This event explores how integrating renewable energy sources into homes and workplaces can lead to significant benefits in terms of cost efficiency and environmental impact.
Activities include

Poster exhibition on the benefits of renewable energy integration
Live demo: Calculating emission reductions, break-even time, and cost analysis for homes, small businesses, and industries using HOMER software
Interactive discussions with interested participants

The festival is led and funded by the UKRI Economic and Social Research Council (ESRC), which supports research and training in social science subjects. Part of the research that ESRC funds is focused on improving the experience of work. Since work is a major part of most people’s lives, ESRC is committed to understanding how it can be made better for everyone.

Your Voice, Your Education: Shaping Inclusive Educational Resource
2025-10-29 13:00 - 16:00 | Ground Floor
Are you 12-18 years old and passionate about inclusive, creative learning that centres the voices, histories, experiences and activism of global majority communities across Greater Manchester? Join the Ahmed Iqbal Ullah Education Trust for an interactive creative workshop to discuss what inclusive education should look like and contribute to a youth-led set of recommendations that will inform how these resources are developed and used in classrooms.
Why join?

Free refreshments + food
£25 voucher as a thank you
Acknowledgment for helping shape educational resources and making education more inclusive and locally rooted

Spaces are limited, secure your place today!
Please Note: Some filming will take place. Consent forms required for under 16s

LEGO Club
2025-10-29 14:00 - 15:00, 2025-11-01 14:00 - 15:00 | City Library
Do you love Lego? So do we! Drop in, pick your favourite bricks and build anything that takes your fancy. From castles to spaceships, the possibilities are endless! No need to book in advance. First come first served. Suitable for ages 4 and above.
Free – just drop in.
Please make a donation to support our Library Live cultural programme at one of our cash or contactless donation boxes or online

Hispanic Film Club: La libreria (The Bookshop)
2025-10-29 17:45 - 19:45 | Performance Space
Manchester Central Library and the Instituto Cervantes of Manchester proudly present the Hispanic Film Club. Join us for this month’s film, La libreria (The Bookshop).
‘Based on Penelope Fitzgerald´s novel of the same name; The Bookshop is set in 1959, Florence Green, a free spirited widow, puts grief behind her and risks everything to open up a bookshop – the first such shop in the sleepy seaside town of Hardborough, England. Fighting damp, cold and considerable local apathy she struggles to establish herself but soon her fortunes change for the better. By exposing the narrow minded local townsfolk to the best literature of the day including Nabokov´s scandalising Lolita and Ray Bradbury´s Fahrenheit 451, she opens their eyes thereby causing a cultural awakening in a town which has not changed for centuries.’
Suitable for ages 16+ only.
Free – booking required via Eventbrite or click ‘Book now’ below.
Please consider making a donation if you can here or at one of our cash or contactless donation boxes in Central Library

Get Planting for Green Libraries Week!
2025-10-30 14:00 - 16:00 | Lower Ground Floor
Calling all budding gardeners (pun intended)! Join us for this engaging session inspired by Green Libraries Week. You’ll get to plant your very own daffodil and take it home with you! We’ll provide all the materials, just come ready to get potting! Suitable for families.
Free – just drop in.
Please consider making a donation if you can here or at one of our cash or contactless donation boxes in Central Library

Spooky Library
2025-10-31 13:00 - 16:00 | Ground Floor
We’re getting ready to welcome little spooks and ghouls to a very creepy Central Library for a fun-filled family Halloween. Are you brave enough to enter the world of creepy crafts, torturous treats and sinister surprises? Read on, if you dare!
Face painting
Throughout the afternoon, 1-4pm – just drop in. £2 per person.
Ground Floor, near café
Does your Halloween look need a final touch of spookiness? Transform into your favourite sinister creature with the help of our fabulous face painters! An absolute must for Central Library’s family activities! £2 per face. Please pay at the till in our gift shop before joining the queue.
Ghastly Crafts
Throughout the afternoon, 1-4pm – just drop in
Ground Floor, outside Performance Space
Are you ready for crafts that will send a little shiver down your spine? Learn to make ghost puppets in this hands-on and interactive art session! Want to know the best part? Suitable for families.
Retro Escape Room
Throughout the afternoon, 1-4pm – just drop in (please note, we may start a queueing system during busy times)
Ground Floor, Performance Space 1
We ain’t afraid of no ghost. And you?
A terrible monster from another dimension is threatening our world, and we need your help! Put your brain to the test with spooky riddles, crack some vintage games and solve our escape room puzzle! Suitable for children aged 7-13.
Spooky Disco
Ground Floor, Performance Space 2-3
Throughout the afternoon, 1-4pm – just drop in
Get ready to do the monster mash in our performance space! Turn up in your favourite costume, show us your best dance moves, and we’ll take care of the music! Suitable for children aged 7–13. Fancy dress encouraged!
Spooky Storytime
Children’s Library (Lower Ground Floor)
2-3pm
Join Helen and Zoe for a spooky story time, with spooky, but not too scary stories such as Room on the Broom, Wake up Do Lydia Doo and more.
Is it all a bit too exciting? Why not relax in our children’s library on the Lower Ground Floor? We’ll have a selection of spooky reads available on the shelves for you.
Suitable for families.
FREE ENTRY (face painting: £2 per person). No booking required – just drop in!
Please consider making a donation if you can here or at one of our cash or contactless donation boxes in Central Library

Spooky Storytime
2025-10-31 14:00 - 15:00 | Children’s Library
Join Helen and Zoe for a spooky story time, with spooky, but not too scary stories such as Room on the Broom, Wake up Do Lydia Doo and more.
Please consider making a donation if you can here or at one of our cash or contactless donation boxes in Central Library

Dia de Muertos (Day of the Dead) Celebration
2025-11-01 13:00 - 16:00 | Performance Space
Join us for a vibrant celebration of life, love, and remembrance! 🌟 We’re thrilled to bring you Dia de Muertos (Day of the Dead), a unique and special ancient Mexican tradition that’s all about honouring our loved ones who’ve passed on. 🌿💀🇲🇽
In Mexican culture, it’s believed that during this time of year, our beloved ancestors come back to visit, and families gather to welcome them with open arms. 🎉 We’ll be cooking up their favourite dishes, dancing to lively music, and sharing stories that keep their memories alive. 💃💀🌼
*Experience the Magic:*
– *Traditional Dances:* Colibri Mexican Folkdance UK will mesmerize you with their energetic performances
– *Day of the Dead Activities:* Join in the fun with themed crafts, workshops, and games
– *Mexican Altar Display:* Marvel at the stunning altar, lovingly crafted to welcome our ancestors back home. The display will be on from the Thursday the 23rd Oct until Saturday the 8th of November.
📖1 pm Story time “ MI FAMILIA:
Celebrating the Day of the Dead” in collaboration with Instituto Cervantes of Manchester.
🪅1:30 Piñata ( children from 0 to 7 years old).
🎨1:30 to 2:45 Crafts and traditional face painting.
💃🏻3 pm Performance of Colibrí Mexican Folkdance UK
*All Are Welcome:* This free drop-in event is suitable for all ages, so bring your family and friends along! 🌟 Let’s come together to celebrate the cycle of life and the love that never fades. 🙏🧡💛🧡
Free – drop in
Please consider making a donation if you can either online or at one of our cash or contactless donation boxes in Central Library

Ukrainian Storytime
2025-11-01 13:30 - 14:00 | Children’s Library
Привіт! Join our monthly Ukrainian storytelling sessions! Learn new words, listen to stories in Ukrainian and English and have fun! Suitable for children aged 4 to 7.
Free – just drop in. Please make a donation to support our Library Live cultural programme at one of our cash or contactless donation boxes or online

Remembrance Day Coffee Morning
2025-11-03 10:00 - 13:00 | Chief Librarian’s Office
Join us for a coffee and a relaxed chat as we reflect on Remembrance Day. Expect presentations from the North West Film Archive, Manchester and Lancashire Family History Society, and more!
Programme:
10am: Tea and coffee
10.30am: Film screening and Q&A by the North West Film Archive
12pm: Remembrance Day resources by the Manchester and Lancashire Family History Society
12.15pm: Anna Putek (Manchester Libraries) presents the crochet poppy project

Free – just drop in
Please consider making a donation if you can here or at one of our cash or contactless donation boxes in Central Library

Courage, vision, planning and fearless work: the Congress Lives On.
2025-11-03 17:00 - 19:30 | Performance Space
Join the Ahmed Iqbal Ullah Race Centre and Education Trust for a powerful evening of reflection, resistance, and creative expression.
This event builds on the vital conversation we began last year with journalist and author Gary Younge, who returns to help us reflect on what important Black histories mean today. His address will be followed by a shared discussion on how we honour these histories in a time of rising racism, Islamophobia, and hostility toward migrants and refugees.
We will also commemorate the Fifth Pan-African Congress, held in Manchester in 1945—a landmark moment in Black internationalist history. Attendees will have the opportunity to explore archival records that bring this legacy to life. Our partners Young Identity will perform spoken word pieces responding to the Congress and its enduring relevance. The event will close with a commissioned poem by Shirley May, written to mark the Congress and celebrate the resilience of Black communities.
Together, we’ll reflect on the past, confront the present, and imagine a future shaped by solidarity, creativity, and joy.
Free – book tickets here or click ‘Book Now’ below

Uniting Musical Cultures from Manchester to Hong Kong
2025-11-04 18:00 - 19:00 | Performance Space
Manchester Confucius Institute presents Uniting Musical Cultures from Manchester to Hong Kong. Recently returned from his trip to Hong Kong, acclaimed conductor Robert Guy shares his experience and insights from working across musical and educational cultures in Hong Kong and Manchester.
Free – book tickets here or click ‘Book Now’ below

The People’s Papers, Revisiting 1970s Manchester
2025-11-04 18:00 - 20:00 | Lwr Ground Floor – Manchester Histories Hub
Greater Manchester has an amazing legacy of alternative and community newspapers from the 1970s – offering us a window into the everyday issues, groups, places, events and organising efforts of the time – yet they are often overlooked or rarely known about today. Many have limited or almost no online presence making them hard to access or discover.
Join us to learn more! As part of the People’s Papers research project with the Working-Class Movement Library, this event will provide a space to revisit the 1970s alternative and community newspapers of Greater Manchester and their associated urban histories and activism. PhD researcher Arielle Lawson (@peoplespapers) will share an introduction to and overview of the research and what she’s found in the archives so far. Then there will be a roundtable discussion to hear from those who were directly involved to better contextualize these papers and reflect on their own experiences of this time period.
We also hope to encourage a lively and participatory discussion with the audience, so please bring your own questions and reflections to share!
Free – book tickets here or click ‘Book Now’ below

Our Long Goodbye
2025-11-05 08:00 - 2025-12-19 17:00 | Ground Floor
Our Long Goodbye is an exhibition of photos, films and texts that candidly and sensitively show the everyday love and heartbreak of someone you know living with dementia.
From 5 November until 19 December Central Library hosts this tender exhibition, with the relationship between artist Jenny Harris and her mum at its heart. It is a familiar story; yet one that is rarely spoken about or shown in this way.
Jenny is a drama facilitator and for the last ten years has specialised in creative dementia sessions in care homes, hospitals and community spaces. When Jenny’s own mum started showing signs of dementia, her professional and personal world collided irreversibly, and this exhibition is the outcome of that experience.
As well as the exhibition in the central space on the ground floor, there are two free workshops:
Meet, Chat, Write, Performance Space 1, Friday 14 November, 2.30-4.30pm
This is a gentle writing workshop which offers a chance to respond to creative writing prompts, exploring who and what we love in life. You might have experience of caring for/knowing someone with dementia or you might not. You can expect a range of fun activities and time to yourself to reflect and write in a relaxed setting. Led by Jenny Harris and Lowri Evans.
Creative Ageing Workshop and Artist Talk/ Q & A, Performance Space 1, Wednesday 3 December, 4 -7.30pm (with a break)
This is for anyone interested in older people and the arts. It will be a chance to share ideas about why and how we make this type of work and to find out more about Jenny’s creative process. Followed by a talk and Q and A with the artist and some of the team, as well as a private tour of the exhibition. Led by Jenny Harris and Lowri Evans.
All are welcome to take part in both workshops. To book your place, please email – ourlonggoodbye2025@gmail.com
Presented by Jenny Harris
Visit www.ourlonggoodbye.co.uk for more information
Free – just drop in
Please make a donation to support our Library Live cultural programme at one of our cash or contactless donation boxes or online

Crime Central
2025-11-05 18:00 - 19:30 | Performance Space
Bringing the best from all over!
Featuring the best and brightest crime writing talent both locally and from around the country – the big names are all coming to Manchester!
Go behind the scenes!
Showcasing blockbuster bestsellers, emerging talent and industry insiders, Crime Central will share the real story of what goes on in the crime world.
Meet your favourite authors!
With giveaways, audience interaction, book signings, the chance to ask questions and more – while bringing a crime fiction buzz back to this great northern city.
Tickets are on a pay-what-you-can basis from £2-£6 and can be booked here or click on the ‘book now’ link at the bottom of the page.

Architecture for the People - Exhibition
2025-11-07 - 2026-02-28 | First Floor Exhibition Hall
Architecture for the People
Manchester City Architect’s Department, 1902-2003
For 101 years, the City Architect’s Department in the Town Hall served the citizens and met diverse civic needs by designing hundreds of different municipal buildings. They ranged from grand airport terminals to the small public lavatories, from the high profile like the new Free Trade Hall to the hidden away but essential facilities like mortuaries.
For the first time, this exhibition presents a selection of the works delivered under the direction of the seven official City Architects spanning across the twentieth century. In the early days of the Department, Manchester Corporation controlled gas and electricity undertakings, most public transport, schools, police, fire and ambulance services, waste collection, parks and recreation, housing, libraries, crematoriums and more. Such responsibilities meant a need for new buildings and the upkeep of existing facilities. The City Architect’s Department designed and delivered these, changing the face of the city and its suburbs, providing thousands of new homes, and scores of schools, libraries, public baths, amongst a host of civic buildings. Using archival photographs, drawings and ephemera, the exhibition traces the Department and its buildings, showing how architectural commissions mirrored the constitution of the Corporation and the changing fortunes of the city.
Curated by Martin Dodge (University of Manchester) and Richard Brook (Lancaster University)
Free – just drop in
Please make a donation to support our Library Live cultural programme at one of our cash or contactless donation boxes or online

Sanctuary, now and then: asylum, migrant rights and anti-deportation in Britain since the 1980s
2025-11-07 12:00 - 15:00 | Performance Space
Sanctuary movements have long been a part of the movement for migrant rights in Britain, but the meaning of sanctuary and the forms it has taken have varied dramatically. This event brings together scholars and practitioners of sanctuary, past and present, to discuss its history, trajectories, current forms, and possible futures in this country.
Hosted by the Ahmed Iqbal Ullah RACE Centre and Education Trust, and the Raphael Samuel History Centre, we’ll be joined by:
Stuart Crosthwaite, a migrant-rights campaigner, writer and organiser in Sheffield. He is currently Secretary of the South Yorkshire Migration and Asylum Action Group (SYMAAG).
Amy Grant, a historian of the UK sanctuary and anti-deportation movements, based at the University of East Anglia.
Rachel Humphris, a political sociologist at Queen Mary University of London. She is the author of ‘Making Sanctuary Cities: Migration, Citizenship and Urban Governance’ (2025).
Paul Weller, who has written extensively on the sanctuary movement and was involved in many sanctuary campaigns in the North West in the 1980s and 1990s.
Food will be provided by our friends at ‘The Little Sri Lankan’.
Free – book tickets here or click on ‘Book now’ below.

Keeping Our Stories Alive: A Community Archiving Starter Kit
2025-11-08 13:30 - 16:30 | AIU Race Relations Centre
Join us for two hands-on workshops designed to give you the skills to collect, preserve, and share the stories that matter most.

🗣️ Keeping Our Stories Alive: A Community Archiving Starter Kit
Dates: Saturday 8th & Saturday 15th November 2025
Time: 1:30 pm start
Location: Ahmed Iqbal Ullah RACE Centre & Education Trust, Central Library, Manchester
Tickets: Free — Book one or both workshops
Join us for two hands-on workshops designed to give you the tools to capture, preserve and protect our community’s stories for generations to come. Whether you’re a curious beginner, community organiser, artist, or family historian, these sessions will equip you with essential skills to record oral histories and prepare them for archiving.
Led by the Ahmed Iqbal Ullah RACE Centre & Education Trust, these workshops centre African, Caribbean and migrant narratives in Manchester, recognising the power of community-led archiving.

Workshop 1: Why Our Stories Matter & Oral History Skills
Saturday 8th November | 1:30 pm start
This session introduces the foundations of community archiving and the purpose of collecting oral histories. Learn why preserving our stories is vital, and gain practical skills in:

Oral history theory and ethical interviewing
Recording techniques and gaining consent
Practising interview skills with guided prompts

Optional: 45-minute tour of the library’s digital exhibition space.
You’ll leave with: a deeper understanding of why oral storytelling matters and the confidence to start gathering stories from family, friends and community members.

Workshop 2: Preserving and Preparing Our Stories for the Future
Saturday 15th November | 1:30 pm – 4:30 pm
This session focuses on what happens after you collect a story. Learn practical skills to prepare and preserve material for the future, including:

Writing indexes and summaries from recorded stories
An introduction to Audacity (or alternative) for basic audio editing
Sensitivity reviews and data protection essentials
Guided activities using short practice interviews
Looking at real examples from African and Caribbean archives

📚 Optional: Mini tour of archive collections.
You’ll leave with: the confidence to handle recorded material responsibly and the practical skills to support community archiving efforts.

Why Attend Both?
While each workshop can be attended separately, together they form a complete introduction to community archiving — from collecting powerful oral histories to preserving them for future generations. These are valuable, transferable skills that are rarely taught in one place, making this a brilliant opportunity for anyone passionate about community, culture and legacy.

What to bring: Yourself, a notebook and pen.
Who it’s for: Community members, educators, creatives, students, archivists-in-the-making, or anyone curious about preserving local history.
Cost: Free, limited spaces available, so booking is essential.
