Library Live

creative:connection
2019-10-18 13:00 - 14:00 UTC | Performance Space
Manchester Literature Festival presents…
In partnership with Create, disabled and non-disabled students from Chatsworth High School & Community College, Grange School, Loreto High School and New Park Academy will come together to take part in an award-winning music project designed to build confidence and break down barriers. Working with professional musicians, the young people will work together to write and perform original songs at this special celebratory event.
Tickets FREE – booking advised
For tickets call the MLF box office on 0843 208 0500 or use the link below

Down and Out in Scotland
2019-10-19 02:00 - 16:00 | Meeting Room 1
Dr Chris Paton explores some of the areas of ancestral hardship, to allow us to truly understand the situations that our forebears had to endure and overcome. An Anglo-Scottish Family History Society event.

Family Reading Day
2019-10-19 10:00 - 15:00 | Performance Space
Manchester Literature Festival presents…
Join us for a day of fictional fun! Enjoy FREE arts and crafts in our marketplace, and let your imagination run wild in our special story den…
Ready Steady Lift Off!: 10.30 – 11.30am
Navigate, sing, paint and play your way through astronaut training in this immersive theatre show for families, with live performance, music and storytelling. Once you’ve decorated your rocket, orbited space, encountered strange creatures and overcome cosmic catastrophes, you can fly your rocket home. Warning: Don’t wear your best party clothes!
Suitable for ages 3 to 8. Tickets £5

The Very Hungry Caterpillar Story Time: 11.45am – 12.15pm & 1.30 – 2pm
It’s The Very Hungry Caterpillar’s 50th birthday! Eric Carle’s world-famous story is the most read children’s book in Britain. Celebrate this well-loved book with a range of crafts, games and story reading by our expert storyteller.
Suitable for ages 2 to 5. FREE – booking advised

Chris Haughton: 12.30 – 1.15pm
Join Chris Haughton for a fun-packed afternoon of stories, funny trailers, clever props, dancing and drawing games. An exciting new voice in children’s literature, Chris is the acclaimed picture book creator of A Bit Lost, Oh No George!, Shh! We Have a Plan and Goodnight Everyone. Children and adults alike will delight in his cast of quirky characters.
Suitable for ages 3 to 5. Tickets £5

Giraffes Can’t Dance 20th Anniversary Dance Party: 2 – 2.45pm
Would you bet on a long-legged, wobbly-kneed giraffe to win a dance contest? We know we wouldn’t! Come and join us at the Jungle Dance as we celebrate 20 years of Giles Andraea’s bestselling book, Giraffes Can’t Dance. Unleash your inner animal and dance like your favourite jungle character with Annabel Newfield.
Suitable for ages 2 to 5. Tickets £5

For tickets call the MLF box office on 0843 208 0500 or use the link below

Roving Robots Coding Workshop
2019-10-19 14:00 - 16:00 | Media Lounge
Do you want to learn how to code? Come along to our new series of coding workshops for all. Families, adults, grandparents, in fact anyone aged 8 years and above is welcome to join us in learning how to code these cute and friendly robots.
Free – please drop-in

Heather Morris: Cilka’s Journey
2019-10-20 14:00 - 15:30 | Performance Space
Manchester Literature Festival presents…
‘She was the bravest person I ever met’ – Lale Sokolov. Heather Morris’s debut novel, The Tattooist of Auschwitz, became an international bestseller as it moved and uplifted readers across the world. New Zealand author, Heather joins Manchester Literature Festival to discuss the heart-breaking sequel, Cilka’s Journey.
After the liberation of Auschwitz-Birkenau, Cilka is charged as a collaborator and sent to a Siberian prison camp. Helping to tend to the ill, Cilka falls in love, finding hope in the darkest of situations. Cilka’s Journey considers the resilience of humans when confronted with death and terror. Chaired by Sherry Ashworth.
For tickets call the MLF box office on 0843 208 0500 or use the link below

It’s Not About the Burqa
2019-10-20 16:30 - 18:00 | Performance Space
Manchester Literature Festival presents…
Raifa Rafiq, Salma El-Wardany, Yassmin Midhat Abdel-Magied & Afshan D’souza Lodhi
In 2016, former Prime Minster, David Cameron, said he considered Muslim women to be traditionally submissive. Frustrated by constantly being told what Muslim women were like, It’s Not About the Burqa anthology editor Mariam Khan wanted Muslim women to voice their own narratives and identities. Salma El-Wardany asks, ‘where’s the conversation about sex and women’s pleasure in Muslim communities?’, Yassmin Midhat Abdel-Magied recounts her epiphany on realising that being a woman in engineering could be a good thing and Afshan D’souza-Lodhi claims her identity as a queer Muslim woman. Join them as they discuss these issues, showing It’s Not About the Burqa. Hosted by Raifa Rafiq, co-host of the Mostly Lit podcast.
For tickets call the MLF box office on 0843 208 0500 or use the link below

Jackie Kay Presents
2019-10-20 19:00 - 20:30 | Performance Space
Manchester Literature Festival presents…
Exceptional times call for exceptional writers. Scottish Makar, poet, and novelist Jackie Kay introduces her selection of ten of the most exciting BAME (black, Asian and minority ethnic people) writers working in the UK today.
Experience incredible writing, and find out why Jackie feels these are the writers who are influencing and shaping the UK’s poetry and literature scenes. Jackie will be joined in conversation with three of her chosen writers as she explores what makes their work so vital. Presented by the National Centre for Writing and British Council as part of the International Literature Showcase, a nationwide project to showcase the diversity of writers working in the UK today.
For tickets call the MLF box office on 0843 208 0500 or use the link below

She Kreativ
2019-10-24 17:30 - 19:30 | Performance Space
European expat women share their experience of being a woman, an immigrant, and a business leader in creative industries.
We will welcome 4 European expat women who run a creative business in Manchester to share their experience of being a woman, an immigrant, and a leader in creative industries.
Our speakers will present a range of art disciplines as well as stages in career. The event will start with short presentations about their creative projects followed by a panel discussion with audience questions moderated by Ruta Skudraite, co-founder of Europia Art Collective.
Speakers:
Baiba Auria, digital portrait artists and owner of Egoiste Gallery
Ina Colizza, contemporary dancer and director of Matrafisc Dance Company
Sara Riccardi, art historian and founder of Art Across
Marija Girdzijauskaite, founder of techno music label Marge Powerhouse
Sponsors: Fred Aldous. Polish Village Bakery

A morning with Jacqueline Wilson
2019-10-26 11:00 - 12:00 | Performance Space
SORRY, THIS EVENT IS NOW SOLD OUT.
Join us for this very special event with best-selling author Jacqueline Wilson. Celebrating publication of her new book, We Are The Beaker Girls, Jacqueline will discuss creating the world of Tracy Beaker and why the little girl from a children’s home has proved so popular. There will be the opportunity to ask questions and buy books. Please note there will be no book signing after this event but printed bookplates with Jacqueline’s signature on will be available with every purchase from the book stall. Customers purchasing the Book + Ticket option will receive a signed copy of We Are The Beaker Girls.
Description
The new title, We Are the Beaker Girls, sees Tracy and Jess having found happiness living above The Dumping Ground – not the care home where Tracy Beaker spent her childhood, but a seaside antique shop! As well as a bit of match-making for her mum, Jess is keen to make new friends in her new town. But it’s not plain sailing as she is being picked on by a local kid who’s got it in for her. When Jess uncovers the truth about her new enemy, Jordan, whose life has been a lot like Tracy’s, things are set to change for the Beaker Girls.
Jacqueline Wilson
Since writing The Story of Tracy Beaker in 1991, Jacqueline has been heavily involved with charities who work with children and young people in care, and recent care leavers. She has met countless young people and their foster carers from a wide variety of backgrounds, and through her books, is keen to dispel the common myths around the achievement and parenting abilities of those brought up in the care system. The Tracy Beaker books (The Story of Tracy Beaker, The Dare Game and Starring Tracy Beaker) have together sold over 3.5 million copies. The Story of Tracy Beaker was adapted into the long-running and award-winning series by CBBC and became their most successful ever show. The success resulted in two spin-off series, Tracy Beaker Returns and The Dumping Ground, which continues to run on CBBC. As well as the TV series there has also been an adaptation for the stage by the Nottingham Playhouse and a successful part-work magazine.

Living Library
2019-10-26 13:00 - 16:00 | Media Lounge
A campaign that aims to change the record on ageing – Talking About My Generation – hosts people aged 50 and over, from different walks of life, who will share their personal stories that challenge age-related prejudice and stereotypes. Visitors can browse the bookcase of titles and choose the book they want to read. However, in the Living Library, books are people, and reading consists of a conversation.
Free – please drop in

Vaster than Empires - Poems about Vegetables
2019-10-26 14:30 - 16:00 | Performance Space
Grey Hen Press invites you to the book launch of ‘Vaster then Empires’ their latest poetry anthology.
Love them, sometimes loathe them, vegetables are such a part of our daily lives it can be hard to take a fresh look. Within the covers of this book you will find a market stall of beauty and desirability which will change the way you look at your 5- a- day.
‘A feast of an anthology! Funny, educative, sexy and thought-provoking, a group celebration of the humble vegetable quickly turns to pure deliciousness. From aubergine to artichoke, salsify to turnip — there’s something here for every poetry palate.’ Helena Nelson
The event will feature poets Alison Chisholm, Kerry Darbishire, Rosemary Doman and Joy Howard who will be reading from the anthology and discussing their work.
Free event. Everyone welcome.

Sunday Spooktacular
2019-10-27 16:00 - 20:00
As part of Manchester’s Halloween in the City weekend, we are celebrating with a totally Spooky Sunday at Manchester Central Library.
We have many tricks and treats planned for those children brave enough to enter the haunted library!
Marvel at the magical drag queen storytellers
Discover the demonic disco
Create some creepy crafts
Watch a fearsome film
Take the trick or treat trail
Suitable for (very brave) children aged 7-12.
All children must be accompanied adults and all adults must be accompanied by a child. We don’t want anyone getting scared on their own!
To find out what else is happening at Halloween in the City visit www.visitmanchester.com/Halloween

Black Then, Black Now: Black History Month 2019
2019-10-28 11:00 - 20:00, 2019-10-30 11:00 - 20:00 | Performance Space
The Ahmed Iqbal Ullah Education Trust and Big People Music present 3 days of history, 3 days of futurity on the 1st, 28th and 30th October.
Come and experience black culture, what it means, and why unifying a social movement forward is crucial to how we define a legacy.
We encourage you to be open about the experiences that shape your concept of blackness, as the movement continues to expose narratives that reshape the social stereotype of what black history was, to what it is.
Over the three days, events will include a series of art performances and workshops curated from real life stories of the diaspora surrounding food, creativity, art, health and wellbeing. Keep an eye on the Eventbrite, website calendar and social media platforms (@aiucentre) for individual events.
All BHM events are FREE, but please head over to the Eventbrite page as some events have limited places and require booking

First Person – Theatre Performance
2019-10-28 14:00 - 16:30
Two players enter a virtual world and compete for the ultimate prize: happiness. Made especially for public spaces and influenced by video games; First Person is a quirky fusion of fast paced promenade theatre and physical performance. Grab your headphones, predict your winner and cheer them on. Part of the Big Imaginations Festival. 30 min performance at 2pm, 3pm and 4pm.
Suitable for 4+
Free drop in, but places are limited
(Wear comfortable shoes)

The Escape Act: A Holocaust Memoir
2019-10-28 18:00 - 19:30 | Jewish Museum Pop-up Space
Join us for this hybrid talk / performance, led by academic and artist Stav Meishar. Stav will discuss the lives of Jewish circus artists during Nazi regime, their legacies and their fates, as well as the process of transforming real stories into her stage work. The talk will be woven with excerpts from Stav’s theater-circus show, The Escape Act – A Holocaust Memoir’.
For queries, contact Laura at: laura@mancesterjewishmuseum.com
Free (collection after talk – pay what you wish)

Get Ready for Halloween!
2019-10-29 14:00 - 16:00 | Media Lounge
Looking for inspiration for a Halloween outfit? Why not drop in to our Media Lounge and have a go a creating those important witches hats, wands and more? We will assist by using sewing machines for the finishing touches.
Free – family drop in

Brilliant Balance Workshop
2019-10-31 13:00 - 16:00 | Performance Space
Come and balance objects, yourself and other people with the Circus House group. Skills covered include spinning plates, tight-wire and acro-balance. 2 sessions at 1.30-2.30 and 3-4 pm, plus free craft activities.
Suitable for 4-12 year olds
Free drop in but places are limited

Safe Homes and Better Futures for LGBTQ & Young People: 30 years of akt
2019-11-01 09:00 - 2019-12-31 17:00 | Lower Ground Floor Link
Founded in Manchester by former foster carer and straight ally Cath Hall in 1989, akt (formerly The Albert Kennedy Trust) now works to support LGBTQ+ young people facing homelessness across the UK. This portrait exhibition celebrates faces from throughout its lifetime, including patrons, ex-service users, mentors, carers and Cath herself.
Free – please drop-in

Dia de Muertos (Day of the Dead) Celebration
2019-11-02 13:00 - 16:00 | Performance Space
Come and join us in a unique and special ancient Mexican celebration Dia de Muertos (Day of the Dead). In Mexican culture it is believed that during this time of the year your lost loved ones come back to visit. Family and friends gather together to honour their relatives and friends by cooking their favourite dishes, dancing, playing music, and telling their favourite stories. Visiting their graves and create elaborate beautiful decorated altars in their homes to welcome them. This is all a part of celebrating the cycle of life.
This exciting event will feature traditional dances performed by Colibri Mexican Folkdance UK, followed by a craft workshop for children where they can have lots of fun participating in Day of the Dead themed activities. During the workshop there will also be a free screening of a children’s film on this theme.
An authentic example of a typical Mexican altar (ofrenda) that is present in every Mexican households at this time of the year will also be on display in the Archives+ area on the ground floor of the library for 3 weeks.
Free drop-in, suitable for all ages

How Children Think
2019-11-06 10:00 - 16:00 | Performance Space
Join us for our family fun day all about how children think about the social world. There will be fun activities to discover how children reason and co-operate with their friends and family! Take part in FREE story time sessions with puppets. music and crafts. Suitable for children aged 0-8 and their adults

Word Central - Open Mic Night
2019-11-06 18:00 - 20:00 | Performance Space
Open Mic Poetry and Spoken Word hosted by Tony Curry.
Wednesday 6th November at Manchester Central Library, St. Peter’s Square, Manchester M2 5PD.
6pm – 8pm [doors open 5.30pm] – Free Entry.
We have two special guest poets in November, Emma Purshouse and Steve Pottinger, members of
the Poets, Prattlers and Pandemonialists collective in Wolverhampton.
Emma’s debut collection Close was published last autumn and follows on from her volume of
children’s poems, I Once Knew A Poem Who Wore A Hat, which won the Rubery Prize in 2017.
In the past twelve months she has won both the Making Waves poetry competition and the Shambala
Festival poetry slam. She will also be included in the Common People anthology for emerging
working-class writers and is currently responsible for an ongoing, multi-artist project by Multistory in
Sandwell, West Midlands.
Steve is a born story-teller. His latest collection a fine fine place was published in autumn 2017, and
followed on from the acclaimed more bees, bigger bonnets. This year he was one of the winners of
the Bread & Roses poetry competition and has worked closely with the CWU on delivering spoken word and poetry for their members. Steve has entertained audiences throughout the UK and you can expect poems on subjects from the personal right through to the global, with a wild detour via
outrageous dreaming.
Open mic spots for November are available to book from Wednesday 16th October via
mail@flapjackpress.co.uk.
N.B. Open mic slots are 3 minutes maximum and allocated on a ‘first come first served’ basis.
If the open mic slots are already filled you will be offered a space on the reserve list.
In association with Manchester Libraries and Flapjack Press.
www.facebook.com/WordCentral
www.twitter.com/@WordCentralMcr
www.flapjackpress.co.uk

Our Town Hall
2019-11-07 08:00 - 2020-01-31 17:00 | Lower Ground Floor Exhibition Space
This exhibition showcases the Our Town Hall project on the major refurbishment to Manchester Town Hall, taking place until 2024. During this time, a series of creative projects that connect the people of the city with the Town Hall will run – engaging new networks of artists, organisations, communities and international partners to work together.
Free – please drop-in

EY3 Media: A Manchester Phenomenon
2019-11-07 19:00 - 21:00 | Performance Space
Founded by Nik Nagarkar of the internationally critically acclaimed grime and dubstep collective Virus Syndicate. EY3 Media was birthed as a record company to go on to become one of the leading 360 creative and digital agencies in the UK.Nik will talk us through the unusual journey from the underground music industry into the blue chip corporate boardroom.

Retro Silent Disco
2019-11-08 20:00 - 23:59
Hurrah. The next Retro Silent Disco is on Friday 8th November. The day the Christmas Markets open in Manchester! Spend the early evening soaking up the festive atmosphere in Albert Square, then dance the night away in the fabulous Central Library.
Don’t worry, we won’t be overdoing the Christmas songs that early in November. We’re planning to party with the best retro hits from the 60’s to the 90s!
8pm till midnight. Over 18’s only. Bar open all evening.

Reading faces and hands: The science of speechreading and sign language
2019-11-09 11:00 - 14:30 | Archives+ Ground Floor
Join us for a free event exploring how language is more than just what we hear. Seeing the face of someone talking helps us understand what they are saying. Signed languages, such as British Sign Language (BSL), use hand and body movements to ‘say’ anything that can be expressed in spoken language. Take part in fun activities to discover how seeing the person is important in communication.
Free – register here

M123 meet-up
2019-11-11 10:00 - 12:00 | Media Lounge
Are you a resident in the city centre? If you have a M1, M2 or M3 postcode, come along to our new monthly meet-up in the Media Lounge. Be the envy of your friends by creating bags using mixed media. Pop along and meet your neighbours, chatting is encouraged and little ones can come along too!
Free-please drop-in

Made In Manchester: In Conversation with Malcolm Garrett
2019-11-11 17:30 - 18:30 | Seminar Suite, Floor Two
As a graphic designer, Malcolm Garrett’s work for bands such as Buzzcocks and Duran Duran established him as one of the most influential figures of the 80s. He was one of the first graphic designers to recognise the potential of digital media and he has been at the forefront of exploring its frontiers ever since. In 2000, he was the first Royal Designer for Industry (RDI) in the field of interactive media.

Janine Booth Book Launch: The Big J vs The Big C
2019-11-12 18:30 - 20:00 | Meeting Room 1
The Big J vs The Big C: Issues, Experiences and Poems in the Battle Against Breast Cancer
With special guest poet Laura Taylor.
Poet, author and activist Janine Booth was part of the ranting poetry movement of the ‘80s,
performing as ‘The Big J’. In late 2016, she discovered a strange indentation in her right breast and
was subsequently diagnosed with breast cancer. In this collection of candid journal extracts, poetry,
meticulous research and substantive politics, Janine details her journey from detection and
diagnosis, through surgery, to ‘getting over it’.
“This book is a must for all health care workers – doctors, nurses, students, caterers, cleaners, porters
– the team needed by patients facing The Big C.” – Dr Coral Jones, GP & Chair Hackney South and Shoreditch Labour Party
“I picked up this book expecting to be educated, entertained and amused. I put it down having ticked
all of those boxes. The NHS is quite literally the best thing there is in the entire world. We must never
stop fighting for it.” – Kate Smurthwaite, comedian & activist
“Full of clarity, worry, humour, explanations about how capitalism hampers medical practice and
love, praise and commitment to the NHS. It demystifies and humanises the cancer experience and
inspires and entertains the reader.” – Morning Star
Janine Booth is a Marxist, trade unionist, Labour Party member, socialist-feminist, supporter of
Workers’ Liberty, autistic, bi, author, poet, disaffected middle-aged woman. She works on London
Underground and is active in the RMT trade union, having previously represented its London
Transport members on the union’s National Executive. Janine is Chair of the union’s Disabled
Members’ Advisory Committee and a member of the TUC Disabled Workers’ Committee. She writes
and delivers trade union training, particularly on equalities issues, and speaks widely on socialist
politics, history, disabled people’s rights, autism and neurodiversity.
Published by Flapjack Press
www.flapjackpress.co.uk
Shortlisted Best Northern Publisher, Northern Soul Awards
“Publishes the most cutting-edge poetic performers.” – Writing Manchester

Best of Manchester Animation Festival
2019-11-13 10:00 - 12:30 | Performance Space
Celebrate 5 years of UK’s biggest animation festival as they showcase the winners of past years editions in two specially curated screenings. Introduced by the festival team, these two shows give you the chance to see something different!
10-11am – Programme 1 (cert. 18);
11.30am-12.30pm – Programme 2 (cert. 15)
Free – please drop in
