Library Live

Debate Club
2020-02-17 17:00 - 19:00 UTC | Seminar Suite, Floor Two
Join young people who want to discuss and debate a range of subjects in this informal setting. This month’s debate club coincides with Refugee Week, and young people will be discussing issues faced by children torn from their home. If you are a young person who has relocated to the UK, come and join us and share your experiences.
Free – please drop in

World Book Day Costume Workshop with Clore Art Studio Costume Factory
2020-02-17 13:00 - 2020-02-18 15:00 | Media Lounge
Get costume ready for World Book Day on Thursday 5th March!
Let us help you get your character ideas flowing and costumes started! Come along for inspiration and assistance in designing, cutting and stitching felt masks, head-dresses and logos to bring your Gruffalos and Gangsta Grannies to life!
Free – please drop in

LGBTQ+ Family Saturday Spectacular
2020-02-15 13:00 - 16:00
Celebrate LGBTQ+ History Month with Manchester Libraries!
We’ve lots of events for all families, including a –

Drag Queen Storytime with Angel Delight
Family craft sessions
Green screen photography
Celebration disco

Free – please drop in

Angel Delight's Valentine Party
2020-02-14 19:00 - 22:00
Once, twice, three times a lady!
The gorgeous Angel Delight is back by popular demand for her 3rd party night at Central Library!
This time we’re celebrating LGBTQ History Month with lots of games and fun, including a queer version of Mr and Mrs!
Over 18’s only.
Doors open at 6.30pm
Bar open all evening

Behind The Scenes at Manchester Central Library
2020-02-13 18:00 - 19:30
What do George V, Gypsy Rose Lee and Bernard Bresslaw have in common?
Which musician was once thrown out of the Language and Literature Library?
What would you find now in the space where Patrick Stewart and Helen Mirren – amongst many others – played their first roles?
All these questions – and many more – are answered on a tour of Manchester Central Library which will take you to all the areas not normally accessible to the general public and tell the story of this iconic building. Tours last around 90 minutes and include the chance to see some of our rarest treasures and archives.
Places are strictly limited so please book early.
Please meet in the main entrance (Shakespeare Hall) of Central Library from 5.30pm. The tour starts at 6pm.

Queering the Archive with the LGBT Foundation
2020-02-13 12:00 - 13:00 | Performance Space
Join us for an exploration of Manchester’s LGBTQ+ history specially curated by the LGBT Foundation Archive team. There will be a chance to find out more about the LGBT Foundation archive and the work of the volunteers who manage it and to share memories and information. There will be a chance to view some of the archives from the collections held in Archives+ at Manchester Central Library on the theme of Poetry, Prose and Plays.
Free – booking advised

Always Something Moves
2020-02-08 14:00 - 16:00
Mark Devereux Projects presents a new performance by artist Sophie Lee with SHE Choir, Manchester. Taking place in various spaces within the venue, the artist has written and produced a new song combining words and phrases from forgotten books as part of her touring project, Always Something Moves.
Free-please drop in

Celebrate Harry Potter Day
2020-02-08 12:00 - 16:00 | Media Lounge
Join us for lots of enchanting arts and magical crafts as we celebrate all things Harry Potter!
Suitable for families. Under 8’s must be accompanied by an adult
Free – please drop in

An Evening with Rosie Garland and Friends
2020-02-07 19:00 - 21:00
Celebrate LGBTQ History Month with the wonderful Rosie Garland and her favourite Manchester based LGBTQ performers, poets and authors!
Novelist, poet and singer with post-punk band The March Violets, Rosie Garland has a passion for language nurtured by public libraries. Her work has appeared in Under the Radar, The North, Spelk, Rialto, Butcher’s Dog, Ellipsis, Mslexia & elsewhere. Debut novel, The Palace of Curiosities, was nominated for both The Desmond Elliott and Polari First Book Prize and Vixen was a Green Carnation Prize nominee. Latest novel The Night Brother is described by The Times as “a delight: playful and exuberant… with shades of Angela Carter.”
She is inaugural writer in residence at The John Rylands Library, Manchester, and in 2019 Val McDermid named her as one of the Top 10 LGBTQ writers in the UK today.
Joining Rosie will be…
Okey Nzelu.
Okey Nzelu’s prose and poetry has been published in various magazines. He was the recipient of a 2015 Northern Writers’ Award for his debut novel, The Private Joys of Nnenna Maloney, a comedy about family and making mistakes.
Roma Havers
Roma Havers is a Manchester-based queer poet and performer, whose current work explores, failing bodies outness and how poetry can shorthand memory into something new. While working with Young Identity she has been commissioned by HOME, Manchester Histories and Manchester International Festival
Afshan D’souza-Lodhi
Afshan D’souza-Lodhi was born in Dubai and is of Indian/Pakistani descent. Afshan writes plays, prose, performance pieces and occasionally passive aggressive tweets. She has worked with Manchester Lit Festival, The Royal Exchange Theatre Manchester, Edinburgh Fringe Festival, Eclipse Theatre, Paul Burston’s Polari and one day hopes to take over the world.
Helen Darby
Helen Darby is a poet from Manchester who has been appearing at spoken word nights around the North West since 2018. Her red-pill poems will wet your eyes, offer Kleenex, then slice your fingertips off with Stanley knives, so you can touch pain in ways you’ve never imagined.
She has performed invited guest slots at Edinburgh Fringe Festival, Lancaster Spotlight, That’s What She Said Manchester, Superbia for Manchester Pride, Manchester Museum, New Mills Festival, Stirred and the Fight Like a Girl cancer charity night at the Kings Arms in Salford.

Common Salt
2020-02-07 11:30 - 15:30
Common Salt
Sheila Ghelani and Sue Palmer
Common Salt is a performance around a table – a ‘show and tell’. It explores the colonial, geographical history of England and India taking an expansive and emotional time-travel, from the first Enclosure Act and the start of the East India Company in the 1600s, to 21st century narratives of trade, race and culture.
Sue and Sheila activate insights into our shared past, laying out a ‘home museum’ of objects and stories; of the Great Hedge of India, of borders, and collections – all accompanied by original Shruti box laments.
Common Salt is a reckoning; the interconnectedness between history, empire, nature and memory is hidden in plain sight.
“Common Salt … was exquisite … A miniature with epic undertones.”
“Intruiging and mesmerising”
“Like reading a book in 3D real life”
Audience Feedback
Supported using public funds by the National Lottery through Arts Council England.
Tickets:
We seat up to 25 people around the table for each performance.
13 x full price tickets @ £5
12 x concession tickets @ £2.50 (students, over 60s and those in receipt of benefits)
Performances are at 11.30 – 12.30 and 2.30 – 3.30.
Please contact us if you have any problem booking tickets through ‘Contact the organiser’ and we will help sort it out.
Common Salt lasts for 65 minutes. You are welcome to stay to talk with us after the show.

Word Central Open Mic Night
2020-02-06 18:00 - 20:00
WORD CENTRAL open mic poetry and spoken word hosted by Tony Curry
February’s special guest poet is Ben Mellor
Ben is writer, performer and facilitator who has worked in theatres, festivals, schools, colleges and prisons nationally and internationally. He has created seven touring theatre shows incorporating spoken word, storytelling, theatre, music, beatbox and vocal looping. As a facilitator and director, Ben has worked with hundreds of people of all ages and backgrounds in schools, colleges, universities, theatres, community centres and prisons. He has worked in partnership with venues and organisations such as Apples & Snakes, Contact, The Lowry, The Royal Exchange, Manchester Literature Festival and Shakespeare Schools Festival and has featured on BBC Radio 4, 4 Extra, the World Service and a variety of poetry podcasts. He is a former BBC Radio 4 Slam Champion and winner of the Dike Omeje Slam Poetry Award, and is currently Youth Theatre Director with Collective Encounters. He has two collections published by Flapjack Press, Anthropoetry and Light Made Solid.
You can book your open mic slots from 22nd January via mail@flapjackpress.co.uk
NB Open mic slots are 3 minutes maximum
Performance slots are allocated on a ‘first come first served’ basis from the stated booking day – if the open mic slots are already filled you will be offered a space on the reserve list
In association with Flapjack Press and Manchester Libraries
www.flapjackpress.co.uk/page40.htm | Facebook: Word Central | Twitter: @WordCentralMcr

Holocaust Brunch: a performance by Tamara Micner
2020-01-27 19:30 - 21:30 | Performance Space
As part of Holocaust Memorial Day, Holocaust Brunch explores what it’s like living in the shadow of genocide and displacement. Darkly funny, moving and provocative, this show asks how we can honour the histories we inherit whilst breaking free from them, and whether the weight of inheritance can be turned into a gift.
Admission fees act as a contribution to the Jewish Museum’s Holocaust Education Programme

Songs of Arrival
2020-01-27 16:00 - 17:00 | Henry Watson Music Library
As part of Holocaust Memorial Day, Manchester Jewish Museum’s song-writing group will present an initial performance of songs inspired by the moving stories of Jewish Refugees arriving in Cheetham in the 1930s and 1940s. We have been working with baritone singer Peter Brathwaite (originally from Cheetham) Israeli opera composer Na’ama Zisser and community composer and saxophonist Joe Steele for the past 6 months to bring to life the real life stories within our oral history collection, highlighting the experience of those arriving in Cheetham having fled their home countries.
Free – please drop in

Sunday Funday: Chinese New Year
2020-01-26 12:00 - 16:00
Join us for a celebration of Chinese arts, crafts and culture on one of our exclusive Sunday openings. We are celebrating the Year of the Rat with musicians, artists and activities for all the family. Soak up the atmosphere with traditional Chinese music, art and dance. Take part in an afternoon packed full of Chinese traditions with the Confucius Institute of Manchester University. Join free drop-in workshops, where you can learn about the Chinese tea ceremony. Be sure to arrive early to see the fantastic lion dance performances from Manchester Chi Mo Martial Art Centre outside the library just before we open at 12pm.
Free drop in event – please donate what you can afford on the day or make an online donation here
Donations received will help to support future cultural events like Sunday Fundays!

Remembering Biafra: Public History for Community Empowerment
2020-01-25 10:00 - 18:30 | Performance Space
January 2020 marks the 50th anniversary of the end of the Nigeria-Biafra war (1967-1970). The Nigerian civil war invites profound questions on issues like the legacies of British colonialism, the challenges of peaceful ethnic coexistence, mass starvation and humanitarianism, and the influence of foreign powers on African politics. This event brings together academics, film-makers and local communities to explore the contested history and legacies of this controversial and poorly understood page in 20th century history.
Free- please drop in

Manchester Muslim Poets Bonanza
2020-01-21 18:30 - 20:00
An evening like no other – with Elmo Ali, Hafsah Aneela Bashir, Kamal Kaan, Mahboobeh Rajabi, celebrating poetry and showcasing the works of local poets of Pakistani, Bengali, Iranian and Somali backgrounds.
Introduced by Danny Middleton and moderated by Francesca Bradley.

Cabinet of Wonders
2020-01-18 13:00 - 15:00 | Performance Space
Discover wondrous objects from the depth of the library. Be the first to find hidden clues from our new trail and help us complete our new weird and wonderful Cabinet of Wonders. You can also join us for a film screening.
Suitable for families
Free – please drop in

An Evening with Tom Kerridge
2020-01-10 19:00 - 21:00
Start the new year in great shape and join us for an evening with Michelin-starred chef, bestselling author and BBC presenter Tom Kerridge as we celebrate the launch of his latest cookbook LOSE WEIGHT AND GET FIT. Tom will be chatting to Emily Heward (Food, drink and events editor at Manchester Evening News and City Life Manchester) about his life and career and how he managed to get fit and loose weight without compromising in the kitchen. Tom will also be talking about the recent opening of his new restaurant THE BULL AND BEAR in the Stock Exchange Hotel.
Doors 18.30 for a 19.00 start. Tom and Emily will be talking for approx 50 minutes before an audience Q&A and book signing.
About the book:
Following on from the No.1 bestseller Lose Weight for Good, top chef Tom Kerridge shows you how to shed the pounds and kick-start a more active lifestyle with ALL of the maximum-taste, lower-calorie recipes from his upcoming BBC2 TV series.
Having lost more than 12 stone in the last five years, Tom knows from experience how important it is to motivate yourself to start dieting and exercising – and to stay on track.
‘When I first set out to lose weight, I concentrated mainly on what I was eating,’ he says. ‘But now I know that it’s to do with fitness as well: the two working together is the winning formula for getting maximum results and maintaining those results long term. And the number one rule when it comes to eating well on a diet is to keep food interesting! Every recipe in this book not only sustains you through the day, but provides fantastic tastes and textures with each mouthful.’
With light bites and veggie feasts, meal-prep to see you through the week and tasty sweet treats, Tom has got it covered. The focus is on BOLD FLAVOURS and BIG PORTION SIZES, so you’ll never go hungry and you’ll always feel satisfied. Recipes include Quick black dhal; Steak tacos with burnt corn salsa; Charred mackerel and potato salad; Lamb bhuna; blueberry meringue sundaes and many more.
At the back of the book, you’ll find a fantastic bonus chapter with a workout that will help you get started with a healthier lifestyle, no matter where you’re at now. It’s all about taking control of your life in a positive way, so get ready to EAT better, DO more and LOSE WEIGHT with Tom Kerridge!
About the author:
Tom Kerridge worked as a chef in restaurants across Britain before deciding to set out on his own and take over a rundown pub in the quiet Buckinghamshire town of Marlow. He opened The Hand & Flowers with his wife Beth in 2005, and it went on to become the first (and only) pub in the world to acquire two Michelin stars. In 2014 he opened a second pub in Marlow, The Coach, which was followed by The Butcher’s Tap. Most recently, he and his core team launched Kerridge’s Bar & Grill, which is housed in Corinthia London. His previous books include the bestselling Proper Pub Food, Tom Kerridge’s Best Ever Dishes, Tom’s Table, Tom Kerridge’s Dopamine Diet, Lose Weight for Good and Tom Kerridge’s Fresh Start.

Manchester's Lost District
2020-01-06 08:00 - 2020-02-29 17:00 | Archives+ Ground Floor
A exhibition of many previously unseen photographs of the area now covered by the Manchester Arndale. They include the pubs, clubs, chapels and many shops and businesses swept away to build the shopping centre. From the book ‘Manchester’s Lost District’ by Keith Warrender.
Free – please drop in

Greek Gods: Animate it
2020-01-03 14:00 - 16:00 | Media Lounge
Join us for animated fun! Discover stories, myths and characters inspired by the Ancient Greeks. Make an animated scene to tell the stories to your friends, in your own distinct way!
Suitable for families
Free – please drop in

Christmas Games Night with Angel Delight!
2019-12-19 20:00 - 22:30 | Performance Space
The tinseltastic drag queen Angel Delight returns to Central Library for a fabulously festive party!
Including…

Family Fortunes
Play Your Cards Right
Name that Tune Bingo
Christmas cabaret and singalong

…and many more Christmas party games!
Tickets are limited. Bar open all evening. 18+

Some of the quizzes will be through your smartphone. Just one member from each team needs to download the speedquizzing app to their phone.
It only takes a couple of minutes, so can be done on the night of the quiz.

Addison Act 100: Exhibition Launch
2019-12-19 14:00 - 15:00 | Archives+ Ground Floor
In 1919 the ‘Addison Act’ was passed by Parliament. This Housing Act helped local authorities to build social housing after World War One and guided policy for the country’s housing sector for most of the 20th century. Join us for the launch of this exhibition exploring its impact on Manchester.
Free – please drop in

Scrooged – Christmas Film
2019-12-17 18:00 - 20:00 | Performance Space
Join us for the Grimmfest annual Christmas movie gathering. This year’s choice is an eighties classic, which pays off-kilter homage to tradition – Richard Donner’s cult classic, Scrooged. It sees Dickens’ tale of miserliness and redemption relocated to 80s New York, and Ebeneezer Scrooge magnificently re-imagined in the form of Bill Murray’s hard-nosed TV executive, Frank Cross.
With a suitably scabrous and cynical screenplay by notorious Saturday Night Live and National Lampoon scribe, Michael Donoghue and Dickens buff, Mitch Glazer, who would later go on to adapt Great Expectations for Alfonso Cuaron, and boasting an all-star cast of cult luminaries, including Robert Mitchum, Carol Kane, Karen Allen, Bobcat Goldthwaite, Michael J. Pollard, John Glover, and New York Dolls frontman David Johansen, it’s a brash and black-hearted take on a heart-warming tale.
Pick up a free mince pie on arrival, and make sure you check out the Grimmfest stall, for discounted stocking fillers including DVDs, movie posters and t-shirts – fantastic gifts for the horror movie fan in your life!
Doors open: 5.30pm
Certificate PG

Christmas Extravaganza
2019-12-14 10:00 - 16:30
Get your festive season underway with our annual family extravaganza. Listen to a fantastic line-up of local choirs and bands and enjoy a mince pie with us. Create your own Christmas crafts. Enjoy a special festive ‘Story-time with Dad’. There will be performances and activities galore and Father Christmas will be here!
Free – please drop in

Instrumental Change
2019-12-11 10:00 - 16:00 | Performance Space
This pop-up exhibition reflects on the materials used in the development and transformation of medical practice. Featuring objects from the Museum of Medicine and Health’s fascinating collection, it raises important questions about material functions, sustainability and innovation in contemporary medical practices.
Free – please drop in

Sensory Story Time
2019-12-07 10:00 - 10:30 | Performance Space
A new monthly sensory storytime, suitable for children with sensory or autistic spectrum needs. The sessions will consist of a story and 3-4 songs, and will aim to be as visual as possible. Age group 4-7 years (flexible depending upon the individual needs of the child).
All bookings can be made by phone on 234 1990. Places are free but must be booked as restricted to ten places. A social story will be emailed to the child when the booking is confirmed.

UK Disability History Month
2019-12-03 11:00 - 13:30 | Performance Space
Join us for musical performances from disabled Manchester artists as we celebrate UK Disability History Month and International Day of Disabled People 2019. Confirmed artists: the fantastic Spotlighters band, brilliant singer/songwriter Dennis Queen, and the very talented Bee Vocal Manchester Mental Health Choir, plus a disability history talk “Disabled people against apartheid” by disability history expert Bernard Leach. Refreshments and crafts too.
This event is designed in partnership with GM Coalition of Disabled People.
Free drop-in, all welcome.

Val McDermid & Denise Mina
2019-11-30 19:00 - 20:30 | Performance Space
Manchester Literature Festival presents…
Queens of Tartan Noir, Val McDermid and Denise Mina, join us to discuss their brilliant new novels. In How the Dead Speak, Val brings Dr Tony Hill and DCI Carol Jordan together again when the remains of a killer, who’s supposedly alive and in prison, are found on a construction site. In Conviction, Denise weaves together the break-up of Anna McDonald’s marriage and a true crime podcast, to force Anna to confront her hidden past.
Val is the highly acclaimed writer of over 40 books including The Wire in the Blood and Denise won the Gordon Burn Prize for The Long Drop. Presented in partnership with the Centre for New Writing and Creative Manchester.
For tickets call the MLF box office on 0843 208 0500 or use the link below

Junior Jam: Noisy Toys
2019-11-30 10:00 - 12:00 | Children’s Library
Junior Jam – our jam-packed music sessions for 4-8 year olds!
With an exciting theme each month – from Space Travel to Loop the Loop – help your little ones develop their musical skills in a fun, friendly and accessible way.
Sessions are free and take place at the Children’s Library at Manchester Central Library. Places are limited (20 children per session) so sign up in advance to secure your spot.
Two 50-minute sessions will take place at 10am and 11am.
All instruments are provided.

Prostheses in Antiquity: Everything You Never Knew You Wanted to Know
2019-11-27 18:00 - 19:00 | Performance Space
A variety of different types of prostheses were used by the Greeks and Romans to replace various missing body parts. In this talk, we shall consider the following questions: How common – or uncommon – were prostheses in classical antiquity? Who made them? How and why did they make them? Who used them? How and why did they use them? And how were they – and their prostheses – viewed by other members of ancient society as a result?
The Manchester Classical Association presents Dr Jane Draycott (University of Glasgow), expert on disease, disabilties and prosthetics in the ancient world. Dr Draycott will give an illustrated presentation followed by discussion with the Manchester Classical Association Chair, Dr April Pudsey of Manchester Metropolitan University.
All talks in this series are free and open to the public. Please join us for light refreshments from 5.30pm, and take the opportunity to speak with members of the Manchester Classical Association, and find out more about our work promoting Classics and Ancient History around the region. https://www.manchesterca.org.uk/
This talk will be jointly hosted with the Society for the Promotion of Roman Studies.
Refreshments from 5.30pm. Dr Draycott’s talk begins at 6pm and will be followed by discussion, and an informal Q&A with the audience
