• Empire Windrush: In Conversation Event

    Performance Space

    Join editor, Onyekachi Wambu, ‘In Conversation’ on the topic of his recently-published, ground-breaking anthology,  ‘Empire Windrush’, presenting some of the best and most significant writing - poetry, fiction, journalism, essays and memoir - of the Black experience in Britain. Onyekachi Wambu is a Nigerian-British journalist and writer. He has directed television documentaries for the BBC, […]

  • Reimagined City Workshops

    Henry Watson Music Library

    Join us for percussion and singing workshops. Part of a weekend of International Migrant Day activities, showcasing migrant culture through art and music. Suitable for all ages. Free - drop in

  • Snowflakes and Symmetry Workshop

    Archives+ Ground Floor

    Mathematician Katie Steckles and illustrator Hana Ayoob will help you design your own mathematically accurate snowflake artwork, incorporating design ideas from traditional shapes and patterns. All materials and equipment will be provided. Free - book tickets here

  • 10 Years – David Gleave Photography

    First Floor Exhibition Hall

    David Gleave is a Manchester-based image-maker who took up photography through his passion for social history. He chronicles his life and the people and events he has encountered. David sees the present as the past, rescuing moments in time for ever. This exhibition covers the first ten years of his record. Free – just drop […]

  • Book launch: Selected Plays by Cathy Crabb

    Performance Space

    Selected Plays by Cathy Crabb Monday 22nd January  6pm at Manchester Central Library No need to book tickets. FREE entry. Everyone welcome.  Doors open 5.40pm. Celebrating twenty years of productions, award-winning playwright Cathy Crabb has selected eleven of her works for staging. Filled with humour and emotional resonance, these texts explore themes of family, trauma, neurodivergence, […]

  • Ros Atkins – The Art of Explanation

    Performance Space

    We are delighted to welcome Ros to Manchester Central Library, where he will be discussing his book in conversation. Explanation - conveying meaning - is an art. And the BBC presenter and journalist Ros Atkins, creator of the viral 'Ros Atkins on...' explainer videos, is something of a master of the form. In this book, Ros […]

  • Word Central

    Performance Space

    Word Central open mic poetry and spoken word. Presented by Flapjack Press & Manchester Libraries and hosted by Tony Curry. With special guest Lisa O'Hare. Lisa O'Hare was a 2023 BBC Words First finalist and is co-host of Verbose. Her work has been featured on BBC Radio Manchester and in the UN Women UK's virtual Safe […]

  • Out in the World – Exhibition & Closing Event Invite

    First Floor

    The Consulate General of Ireland, Manchester, is delighted to present Out In The World, an exhibition highlighting 12 stories from the vast yet largely untold history of Ireland’s LGBTQ+ diaspora. Across the generations, Irish LGBTQ+ people have emigrated and found opportunities to live and love abroad. EPIC The Irish Emigration Museum, in partnership with the Irish Department […]

  • Probably the Hardest Music Quiz in the World!

    Chief Librarian's Office

    40 horribly hard music questions. Get them all right and win the Super-Duper Mega Mystery Prize! Play on your own or as part of a team (max 4 members per team). No need to book, everyone welcome. FREE ENTRY. For more info please message your quiz host: alan.lynch@manchester.gov.uk

  • Sunday Funday – Chinese New Year

    Join us for a spectacular Chinese New Year celebration of the Year of the Dragon. We will have amazing crafts, performances, workshops amongst other exciting activities. Suitable for families. This event is free, but please consider making a donation to support our Library Live programme if you can, online, or at one of our cash […]

  • So the Chinese do do Sci-Fi!

    Performance Space

    Join us for a Confucius Institute talk about Chinese Sci-fi showing the breadth and depth of the genre. Presented by Xueting C. Ni. Free - booking required

  • Book Launch: PITY by Andrew McMillan

    Performance Space

    Blackwell's Bookshop and Manchester Libraries are excited to host the Manchester launch of award-winning poet Andrew McMillan's PITY - his stunning debut novel which explores community, masculinity and post-industrialisation in Northern England. Doors: 6.00, starts: 6.30 Tickets are £5.00 or free when ordering a copy of the book. PITY will also be available to purchase on the night […]