Steve O'Connor 'Extrano' Book Launch for World Poetry Day
2019-03-21 18:00 - 20:00 UTC
Celebrate World Poetry Day at Central Library!
Flapjack Press and Manchester Libraries are proud to present the brilliant Bradford based poet Steve O’Connor (Freed Up / Write Out Loud / Co Editor of Best of Manchester Poets anthologies) who will be launching his new collection ‘Extrano’ on Thursday 21st March with a special author performance and book signing.
Join Steve and his special guests at the library from 6pm.
FREE EVENT. Doors open 5.30pm.

Both Sides Now International Showcase
2019-03-21 18:30 - 20:30
A bold, experimental and genre-spanning evening of new music created as part of a unique cross-European collaboration.
This free one-off performance will showcase new music and visuals by Laura Campbell (UK) and Mari Sainio (Finland) who have been mentored by multi-instrumentalist and producer LoneLady.
The event will begin with an in-conversation with the three artists where they’ll discuss their creative processes, the inspiration behind their new work and why international collaboration is more important than ever.
Campbell and Sainio were chosen by a panel of Brighter Sound and Manchester City Council’s Library staff following a public call-out across the UK and Europe in December 2018.
A Liverpool-based writer and musician, Laura Campbell creates sound and music compositions for installation and film, and was part of 90’s electronic band Mulu.
A native of Helsinki, composer and producer Mari Sainio combines classical music elements with cinematic melodies and electronic soundscapes and has previously worked with the Baltic Sea Philharmonic and Imogen Heap.
This is the first in a series of international commissions as part of Both Sides Now – a groundbreaking initiative to support gender equality in music. This event is brought to you by Brighter Sound and Library Live – a Manchester City Council & Manchester Central Library Development Trust initiative.
Free – booking required

Word Central - Open Mic Night
2019-04-04 18:00 - 20:00
Word Central returns on Thursday 4th April with the brilliant guest poet Rose Fleeshman!
Actress, writer and poet Rosie Fleeshman writes witty,thought-provoking, brutally honest poetry. A multi poetry slam-winner and Great Northern Slam Champion, she is also the co-runner of SPEAK, a diverse spoken word night in the heart of Manchester. Rosie’s debut play Narcissist in the Mirror won Best Spoken Word Show at the GM Fringe and was nominated for two awards at the Manchester Theatre Awards, winning Best New Play in the process. On the back of a sell-out run at the Edinburgh Fringe, Rosie is currently touring her play across the UK.
You can book your open mic spot for April from 15th March by emailing mail@flapjackpress.co.uk
NB 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

Meet Dani Dyer
2019-04-06 15:00 - 17:00
Come and meet Dani Dyer signing What Would Dani Do? at Manchester Central Library on Saturday 6th April from 3pm.
ABOUT THE BOOK:
Dani Dyer stole the nation’s heart with her genuine warmth and honest personality when she won Love Island this summer. She proves that you don’t need to succumb to peer pressure, be swayed by all too perfect Insta-images or behave in a way that’s not true to who you are. Her first book shows she is wise beyond her years as she shares her experiences around growing up, bullying, relationships, insecurities and being Danny Dyer’s daughter.
Answering questions from ‘why did Danny give you the same name?’ and ‘how do I blow-dry my eyelashes?’ to ‘how can I be more confident?’ and ‘have you ever been to therapy?’, What Would Dani Do? takes real fan questions and plenty of personal insight, to offer Dani’s unique take on the world and her guide to living your best, most authentic life.
Always relatable and at times vulnerable, Dani gives a laugh-out-loud and truly heartfelt account of her journey from Canning Town daughter of Danny Dyer, to runaway Love Island winner and the nation’s sweetheart.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR:
Daughter of Eastenders actor and namesake Danny, Dani won ITV2’s Love Island 2018 with a landslide 80% of the vote and captured the hearts of the nation. Trained as an actor, Dani has appeared in a number of films, including Vendetta (2013), We Still Kill The Old Way (2014) and featured in Nativity! The Musical alongside her dad at the Eventim Apollo i London from 19-31 December. Since leaving Love Island, Canning Town-born Dani has launched a best-selling fashion range with In The Style and has just finished filming her own reality show with partner, and co-Love Island winner, Jack Fincham.
TERMS & CONDITIONS
This is a ticketed event. The cost of the ticket is the retail price of the book, £16.99
Your ticket entitles you to one book and one place in the queue to have your book signed by Dani
You will receive your copy of the book at the event
The exact time at which the event ends will be determined by the promoters on the day.
Due to the anticipated high turnout, please be prepared to queue
To avoid disappointment, we advise you not to arrive any later than the signing start time
Anyone arriving to the venue before 2pm will be asked to return at or after 2pm
Refreshments will not be available at the event but facilities are available at nearby outlets
There will not be an official photographer present at the event
A member of staff will be on hand to take a picture for you. Please ensure that your phone/camera is fully charged on the day and has enough storage. Selfie style pictures may not be possible, depending on scheduling.
Only copies of What Would Dani Do? will be signed. No other merchandise will be signed
Personal dedications within the book may not be possible, depending on scheduling.
Anyone under the age of 14 years must be accompanied by an adult. Accompanying adults will not require a ticket. Due to time and space limitations only one child can be accompanied by one adult
Please note the event may be filmed. As an attendee you consent to footage of you being used for promotional purposes
Tickets cannot be resold or transferred and shall not be purchased or obtained from or through any person, commercial agent, company or otherwise than directly by the applicant from Ticketmaster UK Ltd. Any tickets advertised for sale will be void
Management have the right to refuse entry or remove anyone who does not comply with these rules or who fails to follow reasonable instructions on the day

Voice in Cookery Writing: Nigella Lawson, Ella Risbridger and Bee Wilson
2019-04-08 19:00 - 20:30 | 2nd Floor Seminar Suite
PLEASE NOTE: THIS IS A LIVE SCREENING OF AN EVENT AT THE BRITISH LIBRARY
How do you tell the story of a recipe?
A recipe is so much more than a set of instructions; it is a story, an experience waiting to happen.
We explore the role of voice, narrative and storytelling in cookery books with three fantastic food writers.
This event will have live speech-to-text interpretation.
Nigella Lawson read Medieval and Modern Languages at Lady Margaret Hall, Oxford and went on to become Deputy Literary Editor of The Sunday Times at the age of 26, followed by a successful career as a freelance columnist and journalist, writing for a range of magazines and newspapers. In 1998 she wrote her first cookbook, How To Eat: The Pleasures and Principles of Good Food, and now has 11 bestselling books to her name. These books, and her television series, have made her a household name around the world.
Ella Risbridger is a 26-year-old London based journalist and poet. She has written for the Guardian, Prospect, The Pool, Grazia, Stylist and The i. Midnight Chicken is Ella’s debut and is a cookbook to make you fall in love with the world again: what it means to share a meal, the simple pleasure in cooking for yourself and how, sometimes, food can help you through even the darkest moments in life.
Bee Wilson is a food writer, historian and school food campaigner. She is the author of 6 books on food related subjects including The Way We Eat Now: Strategies for Eating in a World of Change, First Bite: How We Learn to Eat and Consider the Fork. She writes about food and other subjects for a wide range of publications including The Wall Street Journal, The Guardian and The London Review of Books. She was named Fortnum and Mason food writer of the year in 2016, 2017 and 2018. She is the chair of TastEd, a new organisation offering sensory food education for children in U.K. schools as a way to help this generation build a wider palate, especially for fruits and vegetables and a healthier relationship with food.
Food Season supported by KitchenAid
KitchenAid
Images: Nigella Lawson by Debra Hurford Brown and Ella Risbridger by Gavin Day.

10 Things I Hate About You (20th Anniversary Screening)
2019-04-09 18:00 - 20:00 | Performance Space
RAD, Manchester’s home of retro, awesome cult movies, are back with one final cult American comedy to cap their season of shorts at Central Library, celebrating the 20th anniversary of 10 Things I Hate About You.
In an updated version of Shakespeare’s Taming of the Shrew, this film follows new kid, Cameron James (Joseph Gordon-Levitt), who is head over heels for popular sophomore Bianca Stratford (Larisa Oleynik), but Bianca’s over-protective father forbids her to date Cameron unless Bianca’s older ill-tempered, rebellious sister Kat (Julia Stiles) dates. But Joey Donner (Andrew Keegan) wants Bianca, so he uses sullen senior Patrick Verona (Heath Ledger) to attempt to win Kat’s heart. Will Patrick be able to win Kat over and will Cameron be able to have Bianca? This quintessential teen movie paved the way for a barrage of copy cat films that followed it.
Doors: 5.30pm

Marketplace Exhibition
2019-04-11 08:00 - 2019-04-27 17:00 | Lower Ground Floor Exhibition Space
This new, contemporary multi-media exhibition celebrates 100 years of the city’s neighbourhood markets. Supported by the Heritage Lottery Fund, One Manchester, who own and manage more than 12,000 homes in central, south and east Manchester, engaged with local customers to curate an exhibition inspired by the social, trade and civic heritage of Gorton, Moss Side and Longsight markets. The exhibition comprises filmed poems developed by One Manchester customers, oral histories recounted by market users and traders, and photographs exploring markets as cultural and social spaces. Over a 10-month period, One Manchester invited customers to take part in a training and engagement programme and partnered with Manchester Markets, Manchester Central and Manchester Libraries, North West Film Archive, the Race Relations Archive, Science and Industry Museum, and the Museum of Transport – Greater Manchester.
Free – please drop in

Charles Hallé-The Man Behind the Band?
2019-04-11 13:00 - 14:00 | Performance Space
Come and help us celebrate Sir Charles Hallé’s 200th birthday. Robert Beale, Hallé’s biographer, will be talking about the man and the influences that formed him. As part of the birthday celebration we will be hearing one of Hallé’s piano compositions, Scherzo, Op. 4, played by Efstathios Chomatsas, who is currently studying for the Postgraduate Diploma (PGDip) in Performance at the Royal Northern College of Music, and who appears by kind permission of the RNCM.
Free – please drop-in

Saturday Spectacular - Game Changers Project
2019-04-13 12:00 - 16:00 | Performance Space
For our latest Saturday Spectacular family event we welcome the Game Changers project which has taken place in all 10 Greater Manchester local authorities over the past few months. There will be lots to see and lots to do, including crafts with a Women’s Suffrage theme.
Young people across all 10 boroughs of Greater Manchester will come together to recreate the Women’s Bazaar of 1912, as part of a project to empower them to become campaigners of the future.
The Game Changers project, which has been made possible with a grant from the Heritage Lottery Fund, is exploring the Suffragists movement – helping the youngsters learn about the peaceful methods they used to campaign – unlike the more militant and more famous Suffragettes.
The young people have created artwork as a tribute to the suffragists including banners, sashes and posters that will be on display at the library, along with stalls and showcasing their talents in a performance and mock debate – to recreate the historical event.
Frances Nutt, Artistic Director at Tandem Theatre, based in Salford, who is running the Game Changer project, said: “The high-profile role of Emmeline Pankhurst and the more militant activities of the Suffragettes can sometimes overshadow others who campaigned for women’s suffrage.
“We wanted to highlight the lesser known Suffragists, who used law abiding methods to campaign, to be an inspiration to young women today, as campaigning for women’s rights is still as relevant.
“The young people have enjoyed attending art workshops and skills workshops to help them become effective campaigners and leaders of the future by building self-esteem, social skills, confidence and raising aspirations and are looking forward to the taking part the event at Central Library.”
For more information on the project go to https://tandemtheatre.com/game-changers/
Suitable for families
Free – just drop in

What was the Peterloo Massacre?
2019-04-17 13:00 - 15:00
Join us for this interactive role playing family event exploring what happened in the lead up to the protest. Make banners, sing ballads, and choose a side. There will be a role for everyone taking part!
Suitable for all ages
No need to book – just drop in

Charles Hallé Celebration
2019-04-27 13:00 - 16:00 | Performance Space
We celebrate 200 years since the birth of Anglo-German pianist and conductor Charles Hallé, founder of the Hallé Orchestra in Manchester. Join us for a film screening, family crafts, afternoon tea and much more.
Suitable for all ages
No need to book – just drop in

Word Central Open Mic - with John Darwin
2019-05-01 18:00 - 20:00
WORD CENTRAL
a semaphore-exploding mind-flow
open mic poetry & spoken word hosted by Tony Curry
With special guest poet John Darwin.
John Darwin thought he was a poet from birth but was kicked into action by his Dad’s terminal illness and a desire to do something more than shifting papers and supping pints. He was the host of Write Out Loud Sale poetry night for two years, a member of the acclaimed national touring troupe A Firm of Poets for a couple more, and is co-host at Spoken Weird, Halifax. He lives, drinks, loves and laughs in Prestwich, North Manchester.
Open mic spots for May are available to book from 10th April: email mail@flapjackpress.co.uk
NB 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

Polish Heritage Day
2019-05-04 14:00 - 16:30 | Performance Space
Join the Friends of Polish Veterans Association (SPPW) Manchester to celebrate Polish Heritage Day. There will be a special screening of the Polish history film, The Last Witness, plus Q&A with the film director, Piotr Szkopiak. Polish food will be available to sample, plus craft activities, Polish family history research and a selection of books and DVDs about Poland’s WWII history. Join us and celebrate our shared history and culture!
Free event, suitable for all ages 2-4pm (except film – 15 years min age)
Please book free tickets for the film screening below.

Saturday Morning Kids TV
2019-05-11 10:00 - 13:00 | Performance Space
Whilst the array of choice and ways we can watch TV obviously has its benefits, sitting down to watch TV as a family has faded in recent years. Back in Season 2, Pilot Light TV Festival started their throwback Saturday Morning Kids TV events which were a blast! The idea was simply to show up in your PJ’s, tuck into some cereal and watch some great kids TV. This year for Season 4, they are teaming up with CBeebies & CBBC to present a morning of Kids TV for the whole family to enjoy!
During the first half of the event we’ll be hanging out with CBeebies finest in Clangers, Numberblocks, Timmy Time, My Petsaurus, Olobob Top, Pabloand Tinpo! After a quick break we’ll be back with some great episodes from CBBC shows Shaun the Sheep, Scream Street, Dennis & Gnasher and the return of Tracy Beaker in The Dumping Ground!
Set your alarms, get your PJ’s on and join us for a whole morning of the best Kids TV courtesy of CBBC and CBeebies at Central Library!
Admission is free – pre-booking to secure your place is advised!

Mindful Writing Workshop
2019-05-11 13:00 - 16:00 | Chief Librarian’s Office
Mindfulness and creativity are combined in this unique workshop. Taking inspiration from nature, the senses, colour, texture and natural objects (rock, shells, driftwood etc), we will learn to free our inner voice and enter the world of creative play. Writing mindfully, we can go wherever our heart takes us, enjoying the journey as much as the end result. We can explore, experiment and gently stretch ourselves. This workshop is provided by Mindful Arts and facilitated by Tom George, a writer and workshop leader with a special interest in wellbeing and mental health.
Comments from recent workshops:
“I really enjoyed this and found it has re-inspired my passion for writing. Thank you so much Tom”
“Very inspirational workshop, really got me thinking. Would definitely attend other workshops”
“Really enjoyed it. Liked meeting new people and interacting”
Any sharing of work is voluntary and non-judgemental. Please bring your own writing materials. There will a break halfway through with refreshments available in the cafe. The venue is wheelchair accessible.
Any queries, or requests for other payment methods (i.e. BACS/paypal) please contact: tomgeorgearts@hotmail.co.uk

Matt Cain - Book Launch and Disco!
2019-05-17 20:00 - 2019-05-18 00:00 | Performance Space
Strike a pose, let’s get to it!
The brilliant author Matt Cain will be launching the paperback of his bestselling novel ‘The Madonna of Bolton’ at Central Library!
Join us for a celebratory evening as Matt talks to LGBT arts producer (and Madonna fan) Barry Priest about his latest novel and how his own life and obsession with Madonna inspired the work.
Following the talk the celebrations continue with our latest Silent Disco! 3 hours of classic 80’s, 90’s and 00’s with a sprinkling of Madonna’s greatest hits throughout.
Bar open all evening!
More about Matt
Matt Cain was brought up in Bolton. He spent ten years making arts and entertainment programmes for ITV before stepping in front of the camera in 2010 to become Channel 4 News’ first ever culture editor. In Spring 2018 he stepped down as Editor-in-Chief of Attitude, the UK’s biggest-selling magazine for gay men. His first novel, Shot Through the Heart, was published in 2014 and his second, Nothing But Trouble, followed in 2015. His latest release The Madonna of Bolton, was published in 2018 to acclaimed reviews.
`Sharply and beautifully drawn’ — Sunday Times
`An uplifting and nostalgic gem of a novel’ — Heat
`This book made us laugh and cry, and entertains from start to finish’ — Attitude
“It’s a cracker” — Lorraine Kelly
“Glorious and triumphant!” — Juno Dawson
”A trip down memory lane around the glorious streets of Bolton – a novel with a heart as big as Moss Bank Park” — Sara Cox
‘‘A book for anybody who feels at all marginalised, small, bullied or lost’’ — Claudia Winkleman
Photo credit –
Matt Cain beside his heroine, Madonna, pictured in 1984
MONTAGE. ORIGINAL IMAGES: ALICIA CLARKE, REX FEATURE

Saturday Spectacular - Made in Manchester poem celebration
2019-05-18 12:00 - 16:00 | City Library
Come and get creative with artist Emma Martin as we celebrate the Made in Manchester poem by creating an artwork sculpture. The soon-to-be-launched poem is inspired by all things Manchester and has been written in dozens of community languages. Emma has used this to work with over 2700 children from 9 schools to make some fabulous artwork. Today you can come and help transform this into an amazing sculpture which will be displayed in Central Library for all to see.

Saturday Spectacular: When I Was a Child
2019-05-18 13:00 - 16:00 | Performance Space
To celebrate the Get Creative Festival, join us for an afternoon of inter-generational family activities. Why not share some of your skills or have a go at creating vintage inspired crafts. Bring all the family for a chance to create something fantastic together.
Suitable for all ages
Free-please drop in

Made in Manchester Exhibition
2019-05-22 - 2019-06-30 | Children’s Library
Visit our art installation which was commissioned to celebrate the multilingual poem ‘Made in Manchester’. Local artist, Emma Martin worked with nine schools to create this artwork, with around 200 pupils creating colourful portraits of classmates onto the multiple-language verses of the Made in Manchester poem. These portraits were cut and reformed into a finished art piece.
Local poet, Zahid Hussain created his original Made in Manchester poem in English. This was used as inspiration for a community project run by Read Manchester, inviting local residents and school children to write some lines in response in both English and a second language/mother tongue. From the hundreds of entries received, sixty-three languages were selected. These entries were interwoven to create a multilingual Made in Manchester poem which will be revealed to the public on 11 June.
Free – please drop in

Northern Publishers' Fair
2019-05-25 12:00 - 16:00 | Performance Space
Browse and buy books from a range of exciting new poets and authors from over 10 publishers including, Carcanet, Comma Press, and Fly on the Wall Press. Meet friendly independent publishers from the north producing cracking books.
Free – please drop in

An Evening with Simon Armitage
2019-05-29 19:00 - 20:00 | Performance Space
THIS EVENT HAS NOW SOLD OUT
Simon Armitage presents a new collection of poems, Sandettie Light Vessel Automatic.
Book launch followed by book signing.
Celebrated as ‘the most popular and prolific British poet of his generation’ (The Times) and ‘the first poet of serious artistic intent since Philip Larkin to have achieved popularity’ (Sean O’Brien), Simon Armitage has been involved in an astonishing assortment of projects, commissions, collaborations, residencies and events over the course of his writing career. The resulting poems stand outside of his mainstream publications, but now form a substantial body of work in their own right, and are collected here together for the first time.
The contents vary from single set-pieces such as ‘Zodiac T Shirt’, performed at the launch of Beck’s Song Reader, to the suite of ten poems commissioned to mark the bicentenary of Branwell Bronte’s birth. Several are site-specific, such as the Stanza Stones sequence carved into the Pennine landscape, and the world’s first catalytic poem, ‘In Praise of Air’, suspended from a building at the University of Sheffield. Others developed from collaborations with film directors and visual artists, or from large-scale literary projects such as the poet’s troubadour journeys across the UK recounted in his prose books Walking Home and Walking Away. Together they cover an eclectic array of subjects including sculpture, the environment, travel, drama, music and the media, documenting Armitage’s wide range of interests and his unique versatility as a writer.
As well as representing the nature and scale of his output, Sandettie Light Vessel Automatic demonstrates Armitage’s commitment to collaboration, his role as poet of public engagement and his belief in poetry as an act of communication.
‘Boundary-breaking . . . poems of emotional weight and musical grace from the fabric of our everyday lives.’ Carol Ann Duffy, Queen’s Gold Medal for Poetry 2018 statement
‘A poet whose work is ambitious, accomplished and complex as well as popular.’ Sunday Telegraph
‘Armitage is so good with the stiletto and scalpel of the vernacular he has to hand . . . image-ripe and clever, satiric, dystopian, and sometimes laced with sorrow.’ Sydney Morning Herald
‘His verse is immediate, entertaining, engaged with the world.’ Independent on Sunday
‘The poet of his generation.’ Melvyn Bragg

Lindsey Kelk, Paige Toon and Louise Pentland.
2019-05-31 19:00 - 20:00
Join us for a wonderful, unique event showcasing best-selling authors Lindsey Kelk, Paige Toon and Louise Pentland in a discussion of their dazzling new fiction.
Lindsey Kelk is an author, journalist and former UK children’s book editor and columnist for Marie Claire. Her previous books have sold over one million copies worldwide. Famed for her I Heart series, her new book, I heart Hawaii, is the long-awaited finale.
‘Kelk has a hilarious turn of phrase and a sparkling writing style.‘- Daily Express
Paige Toon is the author of seventeen novels, including the popular The One We Fell In Love With. Having studied Philosophy, Paige then worked at Heat magazine as Reviews Editor. Her latest book of fiction, If You Could Go Anywhere, is dubbed as the perfect summer read for 2019.
‘Such a beautiful love story- not just a heady, compelling romance but a really charming, moving story about how a life is made of so many different kinds of love.’- Daisy Buchanan
Louise Pentland is the bestselling author of Wilde Like Me and Wilde About the Girl, which follow single mum Robin Wilde as she navigates life. Wilde Women, the third book, comes out July 2019. Louise is also the number one and award-winning parenting vlogger in the UK.
Robin Wilde is a chatty, winning yet poignant heroine.’- Sophie Kinsella
Tickets for the event include a glass of wine or soft drink on the night.
Doors will open at 6.30PM for a 7PM start.

Manchester College Student Exhibition
2019-06-07 08:00 - 2019-06-28 17:00 | Wolfson Reading Room
Students from The Manchester College’s UAL Diploma in Foundation Studies Art and Design were given random Dewey numbers (the most widely used method for classifying books in libraries) from Central Library’s collection. Their brief was to use the book as a starting point to develop a body of research, work and outcomes in response to a personal connection with the book.
For more information about the course please ring 03333 222444 or visit the Manchester College website
Free – please drop in

Whose Knowledge Matters
2019-06-07 08:00 - 2019-08-19 17:00 | First Floor
Whose knowledge matters when we represent the city? Who decides what land to protect or destroy, whose heritage to celebrate, whose stories to tell and who gets ‘seen’ in the visual and spatial record of the city? This exhibition presents a series of counter-maps to explore different histories and residents’ knowledge from across Greater Manchester. Maps are only one way of seeing the city, just as statues and plaques represent a mere fraction of our history and heritage in our diverse and divergent urban spaces. Counter-maps trouble and disrupt formal representations of the city which map physical locations but blank residents’ memories, hopes and ideas.
This exhibition will present different kinds of maps to show what matters to residents of Greater Manchester, produced as part of a collaborative research process with local groups. We aim to provoke reflection on whose knowledge matters in the context of a vast and rapidly changing urban landscape.
You can take part by interacting with the exhibition to tell us what histories, heritage, protests and people matter to you and how these can be better valued, or coming to one of our events #KnowledgeMattersGM
Free – please drop in

Women of Aktion
2019-06-07 08:00 - 2019-08-19 17:00 | Archives+ Ground Floor
An exhibition sharing the story of the German Revolution 1918 and reclaiming the voices of the female revolutionaries who have, until now, been hidden from the official narrative. In November 1918, Germany erupted with a revolution which led to the establishment of the first democracy on German soil, the end of oppressive censorship, and the end of the war.
All across Germany, people took to the streets demanding peace, bread and a new political system, and among them were many women. This exhibition uncovers the hidden voices of the female revolutionaries and shares their eyewitness accounts. What kind of a world did they want and how did they seek to achieve it? Remembering women’s anti-war protest and revolutionary roles are important for activism today to give women back their radical history and remind us that political gains have never been wrested from the powerful and privileged without vocal, organised pressure and collective action, and that nothing has been won or defended without persistence, often over many decades.
Free- please drop in

The Hidden Tableaux’s Peterloo Massacre 1819
2019-06-07 08:00 - 2019-09-28 17:00 | First Floor Exhibition Hall
Hidden’ is an ongoing series of photographic tableaux by internationally acclaimed Artist and a Founder of ‘Rock Against Racism’, Red Saunders
The Hidden Project shines photographic light on great moments in the long struggle of working people for democracy and social justice. The aim of the project, through reimagining those events, is to reproduce important historic scenes involving the dissenters, revolutionaries, radicals and non-conformists who have so often been hidden from history.
Free – please drop in

In conversation with Billy Bragg
2019-06-07 19:00 - 21:00 | Performance Space
Manchester Histories are delighted to welcome Billy Bragg to open the commemorations of Peterloo 2019.
Songwriter, musician and activist Billy Bragg will be in conversation with writer and broadcaster Dave Haslam, with an introduction from Young Identity, Manchester’s young spoken word collective.
At a time when opinion trumps facts and truth is treated as nothing more than another perspective, free speech has become a battleground. While authoritarians and algorithms threaten democracy, we argue over who has the right to speak. In this short and vital polemic, Billy Bragg argues that to protect ourselves from encroaching tyranny, we must look beyond this one dimensional notion of what it means to be free and, by reconnecting liberty to equality and accountability, restore the individual agency engendered by the three dimensions of freedom.
The event will be followed by an audience Q&A and Billy will be signing copies of his new book The Three Dimensions of Freedom. Copies of the book will also be available to purchase, with support from Blackwell’s University Bookshop.) Bar till 9pm.

The Peterloo Photograph with Michael Wood and Michala Hulme
2019-06-08 14:00 - 16:00 | Performance Space
Clearing out his parents house after his mother’s death two years ago, Michael Wood found a box of memorabilia. There were photos, letters, postcards, and books that had belonged to his father, whose family had lived in Failsworth in Manchester from the 1720s. Among them was a photograph from 1884 showing a group of eleven Peterloo veterans from Failsworth. In 1819, young men and women, they had marched with Sam Bamford’s Middleton contingent to St Peters Fields, carrying a banner which they saved from the troops, and now proudly displayed for the camera 65 years on. This is thought to be the only surviving image of Peterloo veterans. So who were they? What were their stories? Starting with the photo Michael uncovers a fascinating tale of family history, local politics and the national story.
Join Michael as he discusses the search for Peterloo Descendants, drawing on Michala Hulme’s research into a photograph of the Failsworth Veterans of Peterloo, in which 11 men and women are pictured together.
There will be a Q&A following the event, exploring the details behind Michala’s research.
Michael Wood
For thirty years now, historian and broadcaster Michael Wood has made compelling journeys into the past, bringing history alive. He is the author of several highly praised books on English history including In Search of the Dark Ages, Domesday, and In Search of England and he has now made well over one hundred documentary films. Michael is currently The University of Manchester’s Professor in Public History.
Michala Hulme
Michala Hulme is a professional genealogist and social historian at Manchester Metropolitan University. She is based at the Manchester Centre for Public History & Heritage. Michala specialises in the period 1800-1950. She has made over 60 appearances on local radio and has featured on national and regional TV programmes, such as Channel 4’s Great Canal Journeys, BBC’s Heir Hunters, Who Do You Think You Are?, Channel 4’s Genealogy Roadshow, Channel 5 News, BBC News and Granada News.

Peterloo Now: The Roots of Protest in 2019
2019-06-11 17:30 - 19:00 | Performance Space
In partnership with the University of Manchester and The Guardian, we will be hosting a series of discussions to mark the 200th anniversary of the Peterloo massacre. Join our panel of speakers, as they debate whether the root causes of the Peterloo massacre are already playing out in 2019 Britain.
When in 1819 tens of thousands of people gathered to peacefully protest for parliamentary reform, the response from the wealthy yeomanry was violent: 18 people were killed and over 600 injured. The national media worked in the pockets of the government and led to the founding of the Manchester Guardian to report the truth.
Now, we have climate change that needs addressing urgently, and a government failing to deliver or even agree on Brexit. As protests gather with increasing regularity and in swelling numbers, and as government continues to fail to discuss anything other than Brexit are the British people going to act on their feelings of under representation? Could these be the roots of a Peterloo in 2019?
This event is part of a series called Peterloo Now. Other events in this series:

Tuesday 18 June: The gaps in representation
Tuesday 25 June: AI and the fourth industrial revolution
Tuesday 2 July: Is devolution the way to a healthier democracy?

Image: The roots of protest Photograph: Johannes Spahn/EyeEm/Getty Images/EyeEm

Peterloo Film Screening
2019-06-13 13:00 - 16:00 | Performance Space
Join us for relaxed screenings of the Peterloo Film every month from June – August.
The Peterloo Massacre was a defining moment in British democracy which also played a significant role in the founding of The Guardian newspaper. Written and directed by Mike Leigh, Peterloo is an epic portrayal of the events surrounding the 1819 Peterloo Massacre, where a peaceful pro-democracy rally at St Peter’s Field in Manchester turned into one of the bloodiest and most notorious episodes in British history. Each month we’ll be screening Mike Leigh’s Peterloo to mark 200 years since this watershed moment.
Pay what you can – £3 / £5 / £8
