50 Years of Rock Photography
2023-04-15 08:00 - 2023-06-30 17:00 UTC | First Floor Exhibition Hall
Jill Furmanovsky : Photographing the Invisible
For the last 50 years, Jill Furmanovsky has been photographing music’s greatest icons. Now for the first time, Jill has created a fascinating retrospective featuring some of her most famous works as well as hidden gems from her extensive archive.
Guest curated by Noel Gallagher and photo-historian Gail Buckland, the exhibition which is presented by Rockarchive.com features over 100 images including subjects such as Pink Floyd, Led Zeppelin, Miles Davis, The Police, Bob Marley, Chic, The Rolling Stones, The Clash, The Cure, Amy Winehouse, Stevie Wonder, The Pretenders and Beyonce, to name just a few.
Highlights include ‘meditations from the pit’ that capture the sheer joy and exuberance of live photography, intimate on-the-road shoots carried out for the music press of the 70’s, 80’s and 90’s and fashion-inspired portraiture from The Face era. Through the exhibition, visitors will be witness to Jill’s unique relationship with her subjects including more reclusive subjects such as Jeff Buckley, Eric Clapton and Bob Dylan, as well as open-armed collaborations with Chrissie Hynde, Madness, and her greatest muse, Oasis, for whom Jill has included a section of previously unseen images. Contemporary content includes photographs taken in her year as Abbey Road’s artist-in-residence in 2017 and shots from the Glastonbury Festival featuring Stormzy and Billie Eilish.
Bringing the stories behind some of the imagery closer, an audio tour narrated by Jill and some special guests will be available for visitors to access through their own headphones.
Free – please consider making a donation to support our Library Live programme if you can, either online, or at one of our cash or contactless donation boxes in Central Library

Gerry Potter Book Launch
2023-04-18 18:00 - 19:45 | Performance Space
Flapjack Press presents Gerry Potter’s Li’l Book o’ small Poems (or is it?)
“You’ll never live more life than wha’ I’m livin’ through right now…”
Join Gerry Potter on a voyage into social relativism and the domestic/fantastic in a punchy ‘n’ pithy yet generously discursive collection.
Contemplating both the ingrained and fleeting fears of a life enlightened through c-PTSD diagnosis, these are li’l poems addressing big issues.
From the author of Planet Young, Bafta-winner Sophie Willan’s book of choice on BBC TV’s Between the Covers.
Gerry Potter is a poet, playwright, actor, director, and both creator and destroyer of the infamous gingham diva Chloe Poems. National Museums Liverpool lists him amongst their city’s leading LGBTQIA+ icons, and he was profiled in the documentary film My Name is Gerry Potter, which premiered at Homotopia.
Author performance and book signing. With special guests Caleb Everett and David Viney.
Adult themes / LGBTQIA+.
Free Entry
Praise for the author:
“Everything poetry should be and all too often isn’t.” Time Out
“Gerry is about intelligence and argument and politics and protest. So must we all be.” Roger Hill
“Enormous talent.” Gay Times
“Intelligent, humane and searching poetry.” Dr Jo Bell
“Will amuse, move, inspire and provoke.” Polari Literary Salon
“One of the most radical forces in performance poetry.” Designer Magazine
“Educational.” The Times
“One of the shining lights of the North West performance poetry scene.” Dr Andrew Moor

An Evening with Douglas Stuart
2023-04-21 19:00 - 20:00 | Performance Space
Manchester Libraries and Manchester Literature Festival present an Evening with Booker Prize winning author Douglas Stuart.
Following on from his debut event in Manchester last Spring, Manchester Literature Festival is excited to welcome back best-selling author Douglas Stuart for an intimate evening at Central Library. Join us to hear Douglas discuss his literary and cultural influences from his favourite working class and Scottish writers to the LGBTQ+ artists that have inspired and influenced him. He’ll also share the challenges of adapting his Booker Prize-winning novel Shuggie Bain into an 8-part television drama for the BBC.
One of the boldest writers of his generation, Douglas Stuart was born and raised in working class Glasgow. After graduating from the Royal College of Art, he moved to New York, where he began a career in textiles and fashion design. He spent a decade writing his debut novel while balancing the demands of his day job. Shuggie Bain was finally published in 2020 and went on to win both Debut of the Year and Book of the Year at the British Book Awards alongside the Booker Prize. In 2021 a mural inspired by Shuggie Bain was unveiled on the wall of the Barrowland Ballroom in Glasgow. Created by the city’s Cobolt Collective, it features Shuggie dancing in the street, together with a quote from his mother Agnes: “You’ll not remember the city, you were too wee, but there’s dancing. All kinds of dancing.”
Douglas’s second novel, Young Mungo, was published in April 2022 to critical acclaim. Set in 1990s Glasgow, it explores two teenage boys’ quest for love and safety in a world of tension, violence and toxic masculinity. Douglas’s short stories have appeared in The New Yorker and he is currently working on his third novel. He will be in conversation with award-winning Northern poet, novelist and mentor Helen Mort. Helen’s latest books are The Illustrated Woman and A Line Above the Sky.
“There are Agnes Bains, Shuggies & Young Mungos – broken, closeted, bursting to break free – hidden in the fabric of Scotland still. Douglas Stuart’s work reminds us of their beauty, and the value of their existence.” The Face
Doors open at 6.30pm.

Stephen Lawrence Day - 30 Years On
2023-04-22 14:00 - 16:00
“Stephen Lawrence’s legacy is one of promoting tolerance, understanding and peace between all”
We will celebrate Stephen’s life by focusing on friendship, kindness and positivity. Children and families are invited to join us to create a beautiful collage of “Friendship” in honour of Stephen’s life. Resources from The Ahmed Iqbal Ullah RACE Centre and Education Trust will be on display which tell the story of Stephen’s life and the injustice faced by the Lawrence family.
Free – drop-in – please make a donation to support our Library Live cultural programme at one of our cash or contactless donation boxes in the venue, or online

The Amazing Watkins; Manchester's Forgotten Stars
2023-04-24 18:00 - 19:30 | Performance Space
Join us for this illustrated public lecture, by Geoff Scargill of The Watkin Society.
Absalom and Edward Watkin – father and son – were key figures in the development of Manchester in the 19th century.
Absalom helped draw up the petition that brought the horror of the Peterloo Massacre to public attention. Although he was basically a shy person and prone to depression he spent most of his adult life fighting for the rights of the poorest people. A close friend of the great Richard Cobden, he campaigned for voting reform and for the repeal of the infamous Corn Laws that kept the price of bread so high that in bad harvest years thousands starved to death.
Absalom’s son, Edward, was one of the best-known and exciting characters of the Victorian Era. He assisted his father in the fight to repeal the Corn Laws and persuaded Manchester businessmen to close their companies at 2pm on Saturdays in what became known as the Saturday Half-day Holiday. (It was 10 years before the rest of the country caught up.) He led the campaign to create the first Parks for the People in the hellholes of industrial Manchester and Salford. Nationally and internationally famous as The Railway King, he built the last mainline into London, the Great Central Railway, from Manchester. A great visionary, he started a Channel Tunnel and an Eiffel Tower in London and helped create Canada! Knighted in 1869, he was an MP for 35 years. When he died over 100 obituaries appeared throughout the world.
Free – booking required – please make a donation to support our Library Live cultural programme at one of our cash or contactless donation boxes in the venue, or online

Word Central with special guest Louise Fazackerley
2023-04-25 18:00 - 19:30 | Performance Space
Word Central Open Mic Poetry and Spoken Word hosted by Tony Curry
Presented by Manchester Libraries and Flapjack Press
With special guest Louise Fazackerley
Book your open mic slot from noon on Tues 11th April via mail@flapjackpress.co.uk
With work rooted in word-witchery and the working class, April’s guest Louise Fazackerley explores the synergy between poetry and movement in a way that makes the ugly beautiful and the mundane fantastical. Her published collections include The Lolitas and The Uniform Factory (Verve Poetry Press), Bird St. (The Secret Writers Club), and The Pleasure Dome (Burning Eye).
NB Open mic slots are 3 minutes per performer and allocated on a ‘first come first served’ basis from the stated booking time. If they are already filled you will be offered a place on the reserve list.
FREE ENTRY EVERYONE WELCOME

Big Fat Music Library Quiz; Eurovision Special!
2023-04-27 17:45 - 19:30 | Henry Watson Music Library
Geopolitical alliances at the ready!
This year’s Eurovision Song Contest will be held just a stone’s throw from Manchester in lovely Liverpool. To celebrate this once is a lifetime (well 25 years anyway) event, we’re hosting a special edition of our Big Fat Music Library quiz on Thursday 27th April.
So if you think you know your Bucks Fizz from your Bardo or your Loreen from your Lorde, then please join us in the Henry Watson Music Library from 5.45pm for the Big Fat Eurovision Quiz

Teams of up to four people – Great prizes to be won!

Free entry. Just email alan.lynch@manchester.gov.uk to book a table.

Crime Central April 2023
2023-04-27 18:00 - 19:30 | Performance Space
PLEASE NOTE: Tickets for this event are on a “pay what you can” basis.They range from £2 – £8 plus the Eventbrite booking fee.
All tickets allow the same access to the event. This is a just a pricing system to accommodate for individual financial circumstances.
Signed books will be available to purchase after the event.

The Year of Polish-British Cooperation on Breaking the Enigma Code
2023-05-02 08:00 - 2023-05-30 20:00 | Lower Ground Floor Link
This exhibition celebrates the Polish-British cooperation in breaking the Enigma code, marking the 80th anniversary of Polish codebreakers coming to the UK. The Enigma code was a nightmare for secret services all over the world. It was an unbreakable code granting Germany a tremendous military advantage. ‘Enigma’ means puzzle or secret in Greek. This is how German engineer Arthur Scherbius named the portable electromechanical encrypting machine he constructed. But one Polish mathematician broke the unbreakable code and a new era in the history of cryptology had begun.

If you would like to attend the launch of this exhibition, with Special Guest Sir Dermot Turing, on Thursday 18 May, 5.30 – 7.45pm, please email wilnomanchester@gmail.com
Free – please drop in

Photographing the Invisible with Jill Furmanovsky & Jon Savage
2023-05-09 18:00 - 19:00 | Performance Space
Join Jill in this special talk with Professor Jon Savage from the British Pop Archive, talking archives, curating Photographing the Invisible and the difficulty of choosing what to leave out.
Professor of Popular Culture at the University of Manchester, Jon Savage is is an award winning author and film writer. His books include England’s Dreaming: Sex Pistols and Punk Rock and This Searing Light: The Oral History of Joy Division. Films include the BAFTA winning The Brian Epstein Story, Teenage and Joy Division.
For the last 50 years, Jill Furmanovsky has been photographing music’s greatest icons. Covering live performance to location and studio her subjects have ranged from a pre-teen Michael Jackson to Billie Eilish on the Glastonbury stage. Jill’s retrospective Photographing the Invisible’, here at Central Library until 24 June, displays some of her most famous works and hidden gems from her extensive archive.
Attendees will be invited to look around the exhibition, on the first floor, following the talk before the library closes at 8pm.
Free – booking required – please make a donation to support our Library Live cultural programme at one of our cash or contactless donation boxes in the venue, or online

Angel Delight's Eurovision Drag Party
2023-05-10 20:00 - 22:00 | Performance Space
The perfect party to make your Eurovision week go with a boom bang a bang!
Join the dream diva, Angel Delight, for an evening of singalongs, card games, bongo bingo, music quizzes and lots of surprises, all with an added Eurovision sparkle!

Doors open at 7.30pm. Bar will be open all evening.

Over 18’s only.

A Lifetime in Music with producer Mark Cooper & Jill Furmanovsky
2023-05-11 18:00 - 19:00 | Performance Space
In celebration of her first retrospective at Manchester Central Library, music photographer Jill Furmanovsky is joined by long-term friend and former head of music at the BBC Mark Cooper comparing stories of their life in the music industry.
Mark Cooper began his career as a music journalist in the pages of Record Mirror, Q and Mojo and was BBC Studios’ Head of Music from 1999 to 2019. As the founding producer and presiding spirit of Later.. with Jools Holland, Mark booked and shaped the programme for 26 years without missing a single recording. From Stormzy to Björk, from Smokey Robinson to Norah Jones, from Sir Paul McCartney to Mary J. Blige, from Britpop to trip hop, the programme welcomed musical legends alongside the next generation of superstars including Adele, Ed Sheeran and Amy Winehouse. He also led the BBC’s TV coverage of Glastonbury from 1997 until 2020 and executive produced over 250 BBC music documentaries. His book, Later…with Jools Holland: 30 Years of Music, Magic and Mayhem, is published by HarperCollins.
‘It was Mark who had to explain to Jay-Z why he couldn’t just do his numbers and split, who told Seasick Steve why he had to play ‘Dog House Boogie’ on the Hootenanny and persuaded Johnny Cash that he simply had to come in, even when The Man in Black wasn’t feeling well.’ Words by Richard Williams.
For the last 50 years, Jill Furmanovsky has been photographing music’s greatest icons. Covering live performance to location and studio her subjects have ranged from a pre-teen Michael Jackson to Billie Eilish on the Glastonbury stage. Jill’s retrospective ‘Photographing the Invisible’ at Manchester Central Library until June 24th, displays some of her most famous works and hidden gems from her extensive archive.
Attendees will be able to view the exhibition following the talk before the library closes at 8pm.
Booking Required

Silk Painting Workshop with Aysha Yilmaz
2023-05-13 13:00 - 15:00
MAFCFEST presents a creative session with Aysha on silk painting!
In this workshop, motifs and designs from The Silk Road ( Iran, Uzbekistan, Turkey etc) will be used to produce a Silk Painting.
Aysha will demonstrate how to apply the design to the Silk fabric from a drawing, followed by techniques of filling in with Silk paints.
A briefing will be given by Aysha on how Silk is produced and its origins. She will also touch upon the origins of the motifs used.
The workshop will be in the Performance Space in Central Library.

Local Community History Month-Archives+ Workshop
2023-05-16 11:00 - 13:00 | Ground Floor
Learn how to use local maps, street directories, censuses and various other archives to identify a local person – Free – please drop in
Other Local Community History Month events include:
1921 Census talk by Leslie Turner (free) – Friday 26 May, 11am – Book your place here
Handling session – Rates and Electoral Registers – Friday 26 May, 12 noon – Free – drop in
1939 Register Talk by Manchester and Lancashire Family History Society – Saturday 27 May, 10.30am – Book your place here

Word Central with special guest Leon the Pig Farmer
2023-05-23 18:00 - 19:30 | Performance Space
Leon the Pig Farmer [AKA Jack Horner] is a Manchester-based Yorkshire beat poet. An ex-serviceman who began writing verse to help him deal with a PTSD diagnosis, he has an assertive take on spoken word with fast firing rhythmic verse and a sharp outlook on both his mental health recovery, social observation and political imbalance. Leon has two collections available, Don’t Believe the Hype and Talking Myself Out of Trouble.
Book your open mic slot from noon on Tues 9th May via mail@flapjackpress.co.uk
NB Open mic slots are 3 minutes per performer – it is essential that you stay within this timeframe
Performance slots are allocated on a ‘first come first served’ basis from the stated booking time
If they are already filled you will be offered a place on the reserve list
You can catch up with our lockdown live streams and special guests’ sets on Word Central’s Facebook page
Word Central Facebook Group | Twitter: @WordCentralMcr | Manc Libraries Blog | Library Live

Crime Central
2023-05-25 18:00 - 19:30 | Performance Space

Conserving Manchester Town Hall's heritage: Restoring the Town Hall Clock. Afternoon Session.
2023-05-30 13:00 - 14:15 | Performance Space
Manchester Town Hall has been closed since January 2018 for an extensive restoration programme that will repair and upgrade the building to modern standards. The work will include the conservation of many heritage features.
Our series of Heritage Lectures aims to shine a light on some of the fascinating work that’s been going on behind the scenes. We’ve already heard about the work on our paintings and mosaic flooring; now it’s time to turn our attention to the magnificent clock that has kept time above the city since New Year’s Day in 1879.
Having maintained our timepiece for over 25 years, the Cumbria Clock Co have gathered a wealth of history about it. They’ll describe the work they’ve done to date and how they removed the mechanics to their workshops for repair, conservation, and precision monitoring. The repair of the carillon is already underway, and they’ll include some detail about that too.
Join us in Central Library for a chance to hear direct from the Cumbria Clocks team and find out just what it’s like to bring 21st century conservation skills to the Our Town Hall Project. The lecture is free to attend but please book your place.
AFTERNOON SESSION AT 1PM

Conserving Manchester Town Hall’s heritage: Restoring the Town Hall Clock. Evening Session
2023-05-30 17:30 - 18:45 | Performance Space
Manchester Town Hall has been closed since January 2018 for an extensive restoration programme that will repair and upgrade the building to modern standards. The work will include the conservation of many heritage features.
Our series of Heritage Lectures aims to shine a light on some of the fascinating work that’s been going on behind the scenes. We’ve already heard about the work on our paintings and mosaic flooring; now it’s time to turn our attention to the magnificent clock that has kept time above the city since New Year’s Day in 1879.
Having maintained our timepiece for over 25 years, the Cumbria Clock Co have gathered a wealth of history about it. They’ll describe the work they’ve done to date and how they removed the mechanics to their workshops for repair, conservation, and precision monitoring. The repair of the carillon is already underway, and they’ll include some detail about that too.
Join us in Central Library for a chance to hear direct from the Cumbria Clocks team and find out just what it’s like to bring 21st century conservation skills to the Our Town Hall Project. The lecture is free to attend but please book your place.
EVENING SESSION AT 5.30PM

An Evening with bestselling author TJ Klune
2023-05-31 18:30 - 19:30 | Performance Space
Manchester Libraries and Queer Lit Bookshop present An Evening with TJ Klune.
Meet bestselling author TJ Klune for a captivating discussion about his writing process and latest works, followed by a Q&A and book signing.
Join us for a book author event featuring the talented TJ Klune, bestselling author of “The House in the Cerulean Sea,” “Wolfsong,” and many more beloved novels.
During this event, TJ Klune will discuss his writing process, share insights into his creative inspiration, and provide a behind-the-scenes look at his latest works. Whether you’re a longtime fan of Klune’s work or just discovering his writing for the first time, this is a unique opportunity to connect with the author and gain a deeper appreciation for his craft.
In addition to the author talk, attendees will have the chance to participate in a Q&A session with TJ Klune, where they can ask questions about his books, characters, and writing style. The event will also include a book signing, giving fans the opportunity to get their favorite TJ Klune novels signed by the author himself. Books with be available to buy on the night also.
Don’t miss out on this exciting opportunity to meet TJ Klune and celebrate his incredible literary achievements. Register today to reserve your spot at this can’t-miss author event!
Doors open at 6pm with the event starting at 6:30pm.

"You can see me, but I don't exist"
2023-06-03 08:00 - 2023-06-30 17:00 | Wolfson Reading Room
While photographing refugees in France, Belgium, Austria, and Sweden in 2018, Alan Gignoux noticed that a recurring theme among them was the gradual erosion of self, resulting from prolonged periods of living at the fringes of society. Similarly, he heard many of them talk of being invisible both to the immigration bureaucracies and to the wider societies in the countries in which they were seeking asylum.
He was particularly struck by the words of a young Afghan man in his final year at school who was seeking asylum in Sweden: “You can see me, but I don’t exist.” The young man was awaiting a response to his third and final appeal for permission to remain in the country and was expressing frustration at the way in which the asylum process had suspended him for years in a no man’s land of enforced separation from Swedish society. Borrowing its title from the young man’s words, this UK-based project aims to explore the dehumanisation experienced by people seeking refuge. Working with a camera obscura, Gignoux used a long exposure to blur the identity of the refugees whom he photographed while leaving the background in focus. This intentional blurring has a practical purpose as many people seeking refuge live in fear of the authorities and prefer to remain unidentifiable. However, it is simultaneously intended to be a visual metaphor for the corrosive impact of the asylum-seeking process on people.
Gignoux wanted to include the refugees’ voices in the project and so he invited the people whom he photographed, as well as other refugees who wanted to participate, to write a creative response to the blurred portraits.
Their creative writing was developed in workshops led by experienced poets. Working together as a group, or individually, the people addressed the themes that the portraits explore.
Alan Gignoux worked with Everything Human Rights, a community group offering a variety of services with the aim of promoting the wellbeing and integration of migrant ethnic minorities living in Wigan borough. The writing workshop leader was poet Ambrose Musiyiwa.
The free to enter exhibition is a collaboration between Alan Gignoux and Manchester Central Library. Image Copyright: Alan Gignoux.
To mark the launch of this free exhibition, you are invited to attend the opening event in Central Library’s Reading Room on Friday 2 June at 6:30pm. Reserve a place for this here on eventbrite
Free exhibition – just drop in – please consider making a donation to support our Library Live cultural programme either online or at one of our cash or contactless donation boxes in Central Library. Thank you.
“You can see me, but I don’t exist” was made possible by a National Lottery Grant awarded by Arts Council England

Michael Burns
2023-06-03 12:00 - 13:00 | Henry Watson Music Library
Join us for this live performance by an experienced folk musician who draws inspiration from local and family history. Michael Burns’ repertoire incorporates music from a wide timespan and he is interested in music pertaining to social commentary and how it relates to the present day.
Click on the links to hear some of Michael’s music:
‘Mulespinners Cottrells We‘, tells the story of the Stalybridge Town Band and its involvement in Peterloo.
‘Tameside Lads’ tells of a sea rescue back in the 1800s.
‘James Keogh’ is about the role of people from Manchester in the Spanish Civil War.
‘Oh Marie’ is an impressionistic account of an Irish Traveller funeral in Gorton.
‘The Little Count’ is a waltz celebrating the music of a diminutive Polish musician who toured Europe in Georgian times before settling in Durham.
Free – just drop in – please consider making a donation to support our Library Live cultural programme if you can, either online or at one of our cash or contactless donation boxes in Central Library

New Drum Kit!
2023-06-07 10:00 - 20:00 | Henry Watson Music Library
We have a new electronic drum kit, which will be available from this day! Our old kits have been popular features of the department and we’ve had lots of enquiries about when to expect a new one. It’s finally here, and bookings can be made at the Henry Watson Music Library desk or over the phone by calling 0161 234 1976, from 7 June. Please note that there are designated hour-long timeslots for this and events might affect availability.

Writing Workshop with Anjum Malik
2023-06-07 17:00 - 19:00 | Performance Space
Join Manchester UNESCO City of Literature Multilingual City Poet Anjum Malik for a celebration of South Asian culture. Combining rich conversation, classical Indian dance and poetry (plus samosas), the award-winning Anjum Malik shines a spotlight on the vibrant legacy of South Asian communities in Manchester and beyond in an interactive workshop for participants of all ages and backgrounds.
Free – booking required – please also consider making a donation to support our Library Live programme at one of our cash or contactless donation devices in the venue or online

Down Memory Lane with Archives+
2023-06-09 13:00 - 16:00
Spend an hour or two looking through some of our memory boxes – or create your own box. Memory boxes cover the areas around Manchester and may bring back memories of where you used to live or play. Have a chat and cuppa with us, share some of your memories of the area you lived, or still live in, and see images from our collections. Suitable for all.
Free – drop in – please make a donation to support our Library Live cultural programme at one of our cash or contactless donation boxes in the venue or online

Inspired by Libraries: Linda Brogan
2023-06-10 18:00 - 19:00 | Performance Space
Join us for this in conversation event with award winning playwright and artist, Linda Brogan. Linda will be discussing how her pursuit of memories led to the excavation of the Reno Club, renowned in the 1970s for being the best soul and funk club in Manchester and a space for young mixed-race Mancunians who often weren’t welcome elsewhere; an exhibition at The Whitworth; and now a book, 12 Words, published by Bluemoose Books. Authors Carmen, Tia and Catherine were part of the 2016 Reno excavation that took place 30 years after the club was demolished and have written 12 Words alongside Linda, in the process unlocking truths, secrets and confessions.
Please note that these tickets are available on a Pay What You Can basis, either £2/6/10 ticket options are available

Sunday Funday - Festival of Libraries Celebration
2023-06-11 12:00 - 16:00 | Performance Space
Join us for an afternoon of fun with the family as we celebrate the Festival of Libraries, showcasing what Central Library has to offer and including our amazing crafts and face painting offers, amongst many other treats.
Free – drop in – please make a donation to support our Library Live cultural programme at one of our cash or contactless donation boxes in the venue or online

MIRO - Performance
2023-06-11 14:30 - 15:30 | Henry Watson Music Library
Manchester International Roots Orchestra return, to perform on our Sunday Funday as part of the Festival of Libraries, bringing together musicians, instruments and musical traditions from all parts of the globe, to perform both original and traditional pieces, MIRO is always brilliant and offers a chance to experience something unique.
There will also be a brief talk on the Global Folk Instruments Heritage Project, a collaboration between MIRO, the Henry Watson Music Library and the Royal Northern College Of Music. This project explores and examines musical cultures and instruments from different times and locations and will yield documentaries, performances, educational sessions, written pieces and more over the coming years.
Free – just drop in – please consider making a donation to support our Library Live cultural programme if you can, either online or at one of our cash or contactless donation boxes in Central Library

Windrush 75: A Celebration
2023-06-19 17:30 - 19:00 | Performance Space
In collaboration with The Jamaica Society and UNISON Manchester Inspire Black Members Forum, Manchester Libraries invite you to join us for a special book reading followed by speakers about their Windrush experiences. Deniz ‘Skip’ Önaç will be reading from his book, The Colour of My Heart: A True Story of Hope, Perseverance and Love.
This is a true story about the profound transformational effect the island and culture of Jamaica had on Deniz, a young, impulsive, white, Englishman, born in the late 1940s in rural Derbyshire. In his own words, Deniz tells the story of how his plans to live, love and learn in London in the early 1970s are suddenly and irrevocably changed.
“An inspirational read. You won’t stop turning the pages!”
“A very heartwarming story that leaves the reader wanting more.”
Q&As with Deniz will follow his reading where audience members can find out more about his time in Jamaica. Deniz will be available for book signing at the end of the evening.
Following the Q&A session, invited speakers Jennifer Rouse-Burgundy, Chair, Leeward Islands Peoples Association and Leslie Bell will talk about their experiences of Windrush.
Light refreshments will be served. Don’t miss out!
Free – no booking required

Make Music Day
2023-06-21 10:00 - 19:30 | Henry Watson Music Library
The Henry Watson Music Library will again host a small festival as part of this international annual celebration of music. A variety of artists of many different styles will perform short sets (around 20 minutes) throughout the day, leading to a final full performance and presentation by Manchester International Roots Orchestra. It’s always a really good day of enjoying the joys of music!
Free – just drop in – please consider making a donation to support our Library Live cultural programme if you can, either online or at one of our cash or contactless donation boxes in Central Library

Discovering Manchester: Wildlife & Nature
2023-07-07 08:00 - 2023-10-06 17:00 | First Floor Display Cases
Wildlife is always just a walk away wherever you are in Manchester and the beautiful countryside that surrounds it. This exhibition showcases the creative talents and passions of our Central Library staff members. We hope to inspire you to explore and enjoy the many areas of Manchester’s natural beauty, and to discover and appreciate hidden gems in and around Manchester, whilst considering the impact of conservation and rewilding efforts in the local area.
Free – drop in
Please make a donation to support our Library Live cultural programme at one of our cash or contactless donation boxes or online
