Behind Closed Doors
2021-08-09 09:00 - 2021-08-21 20:00 UTC | Lower Ground Floor Exhibition Space
Behind Closed Doors is a photographic exhibition featuring life within an Intensive Care Unit at the height of the pandemic. The photo’s were taken by Petro Bekker who volunteered to go back and work in the ICU at the start of the pandemic. Petro re-joined her colleagues, where she had been a Senior Sister and took her trusty camera with her. A special mention goes to the Wigan, Wrightington and Leigh Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation teams who feature in the photographs. The exhibition is on the lower ground floor of Manchester Central Library and organised by mental wellbeing charity, MancSpirit.
Image credit: Petro Bekker
Free – please drop in

Thank You Manchester Weekender
2021-08-15 12:00 - 16:00
As part of the Thank You Manchester Weekender, Central Library will play host to an interactive musical extravaganza. There will be the opportunity to try your hand at playing one of the many instruments from the library’s collection and listen to the Northern Chamber Orchestra perform. Don’t miss out on the Hip Hop archive exhibition on the first floor which marks over 40 years of Hip Hop lifestyle and culture.
Free – please drop in

Queering the North
2021-08-23 10:00 - 2021-08-28 16:00 | Performance Space
The OUTing the Past International Festival of LGBT+ History (est. Manchester in 2005) has teamed up with the Museum of Free Derry to create the first retrospective showcase of NI Queer Activism. A rare insight into the previously unacknowledged tenacious heroism of queer activism in Northern Ireland before, during and following “The Troubles”. The project was greatly enriched by the support of several archival collections and regional LGBT+ groups and queer veterans.
The Queering the North Exhibition aims to bring to a wider a public an expansive and nuanced reading of the history of the LGBT+ community in the North of Ireland/Northern Ireland. It brings together archives and recollections from a range of key activists within a scaffolding provided by academic research. The exhibition includes an expansive chronology of key events, commencing with the deliberate exclusion of NI from the decriminalising legislation offered by the 1967 Sexual Offences Act through to the introduction of Equal Marriage to NI (January 2020).
Museum of Derry Curator Adrian Kerr described the exhibition as a natural step for his institution: “This is a part of our collective past that has been kept hidden, and this is reflected in the nature of the information available for the exhibition. It is the hope of all involved that this will act as a provocative spur towards the creation of the first comprehensive reading of our LGBT+ history.”
The Mayor of Derry City, Cllr Michaela Boyle: “I had the great pleasure of hosting a reception in the Guildhall for the Exhibition Launch. I believe that this exhibition goes a long way towards creating a better understanding of the sensitivities and changes faced by the LGBT+ community and how we can all work collectively to create a better informed and respectful environment on this important issue.”
Sue Sanders (Founder & Chair of Lesbian Gay Bisexual & Trans + History Month UK | Professor Emeritus of the Harvey Milk Institute): “A thrilling and crucial exhibition that reflects the vital importance of working together to seek human rights for all.”
The Exhibition Tour will commence as part of the large Féile an Phobail (West Belfast Festival) – 5 to 13 August 2021 – before coming to Manchester for Pride – it will then start its re-scheduled Tour of the North (deferred due to the COVID pandemic).
Free – please drop in

Dave Haslam 'All You Need is Dynamite' Book Launch
2021-09-07 19:00 - 20:00 | Performance Space
In ‘All You Need Is Dynamite: Acid, the Angry Brigade, and the End of the Sixties’ – the latest in his Art Decades series of small format books – Dave Haslam explores the fading of Sixties dreams of peace and love, and the emergence of urban terrorist groups, particularly the Angry Brigade who carried out dozens of bomb attacks in Britain. Haslam tracks the political campaigns, the police repression, and Angry Brigade links to Manchester and the city’s underground paper ‘Mole Express’ (a bible for local acid-freaks, and fans of the Weather Underground and the Edgar Broughton Band); he uncovers a heady mix of left-wing politics, psychedelic music, police raids and political violence.
At this launch event Dave Haslam will be discussing this new book, and welcoming special guest Bruce Mitchell; a renowned musician who played regularly at venues including Roger Eagle’s club the Magic Village (1968-1970). Copies of the book will for sale; a book signing will conclude the event.
The event will also mark the launch the Manchester Digital Music Archive online exhibition of back issues of ‘Mole Express’.
Although Covid regulations have been relaxed, we have cut the capacity of the venue by 40% to allow more social distancing, and we would ask attendees to wear a mask at least on arrival at the Library.
Tickets are £6 (£3 concessions for unwaged, low-waged and NHS staff)

Shon Faye: The Transgender Issue
2021-09-24 18:30 - 19:30 | Performance Space
Writer and presenter Shon Faye will be at Manchester Central Library to discuss her new book THE TRANSGENDER ISSUE with Christine Burns MBE.

About this event

Blackwell’s Manchester and Manchester Libraries are delighted to be hosting an evening with writer and presenter Shon Faye to celebrate the launch of her new book THE TRANSGENDER ISSUE: AN ARGUMENT FOR JUSTICE. Shon will be in conversation with civil rights and equality campaigner Christine Burns MBE.
About the book:
Trans people in Britain today have become a culture war ‘issue’. Despite making up less than one per cent of the country’s population, they are the subjects of a toxic and increasingly polarized ‘debate’ which generates reliable controversy for newspapers and talk shows. This media frenzy conceals a simple fact: that we are having the wrong conversation, a conversation in which trans people themselves are reduced to a talking point and denied a meaningful voice.In this powerful new book, Shon Faye reclaims the idea of the ‘transgender issue’ to uncover the reality of what it means to be trans in a transphobic society. In doing so, she provides a compelling, wide-ranging analysis of trans lives from youth to old age, exploring work, family, housing, healthcare, the prison system and trans participation in the LGBTQ+ and feminist communities, in contemporary Britain and beyond.The Transgender Issue is a landmark work that signals the beginning of a new, healthier conversation about trans life. It is a manifesto for change, and a call for justice and solidarity between all marginalized people and minorities. Trans liberation, as Faye sees it, goes to the root of what our society is and what it could be; it offers the possibility of a more just, free and joyful world for all of us.
About the author:
Shon Faye was born in Bristol, and is now based in London. After training as a lawyer, she left the law to pursue writing and campaigning, working in the charity sector with Amnesty International and Stonewall. She was an editor-at-large at Dazed, and her writing has been published by the Guardian, the Independent and Vice, among others. Faye recently launched an acclaimed podcast series, Call Me Mother, interviewing trailblazing LGBTQ elders. This is her first book.
Christine Burns MBE has campaigned for a quarter of a century for the civil rights of transgender people, and has been involved with the trans community for more than forty years. She has worked as an equalities consultant, helped to put together new employment legislation and the Gender Recognition Act, and wrote the first ever official guidance about trans people for the Department of Health. She is the editor of Trans Britain: Our Journey from the Shadows
This event is being held at Manchester Central Library. Doors 18.00 / Start 18.30. The Transgender Issue and Trans Britain will both be available to purchase on the night and Shon Faye and Christine Burns will be happy to sign copies after the event. Although not socially distanced, we will be leaving a little extra space between seats and asking audience members to wear a mask, at least until seated.

Word Central Open Mic Night
2021-09-27 18:00 - 19:45
Word Central Open Mic Poetry and Spoken Word

Hosted by Tony Curry
Presented by Flapjack Press & Manchester Libraries
Monday 27th September, 6.00pm with special guest Gus Jonsson
Gus is a poet and writer who was brought up on the Isle of Wight. Now living in Littleborough, his two autobiographical volumes of poetry and prose, Vectis Voices and Vectis Days [Brandicat, 2020 & 2021], recall growing up on the island and explore family, friendships, loves found and lost, austerity, health, wellbeing and social acceptance within a small community in a post-war, working-class society.
You can book your open mic slot from noon on Tuesday 14th September via mail@flapjackpress.co.uk.
NB Open mic slots are 3 minutes per performer. Performance slots are allocated on a ‘first come first served’ basis from the stated booking day If they are already filled you will be offered a space on the reserve list.
You can catch up with our lockdown live streams on Word Central’s Facebook page
Word Central Facebook Group | Twitter: @WordCentralMcr | Library Live

Were You There? The Story of Manchester Free Trade Hall.
2021-09-29 18:00 - 19:30 | Performance Space
THE FREE TRADE HALL – THE MOST IMPORTANT POPULAR MUSIC VENUE IN GREAT BRITAIN BETWEEN 1951 AND 1996

Richard Lysons, author of ‘Were You There? Popular Music At Manchester’s Free Trade Hall 1951-1996’ will talk to veteran Manchester music writer, Mick Middles about his widely acclaimed book.

Manchester’s Free Trade Hall was arguably the most important popular music venue in Great Britain between 1951 and 1996. After several incarnations, the building was re-constructed and opened in 1951 as the new home of the Halle Orchestra. Yet it was popular music which would secure the venue its fame as it responded to each wave of popular music from jazz and skiffle through rock ‘n’ roll and folk to prog, punk and heavy metal.
From Billie Holiday to Blondie, Duke Ellington to Led Zeppelin, Pink Floyd to Happy Mondays, Rolling Stones to The Beach Boys, David Bowie to Suede, just about everyone who mattered played there. The Free Trade Hall was also the venue for incendiary gigs by Bob Dylan in 1966 and the Sex Pistols a decade later which changed the course of music history.
Richard Lysons’ ‘meticulously researched tome’ will be of interest to anyone who ever attended a concert at the venue or has an interest in the history of popular music in Britain’s most musically important city. Alongside his own expert commentary on every headline act, he gives the reader a sense of what was going on at other venues in Manchester.
Richard’s book was published at the end of last year in the middle of lock-down(s). It has received overwhelmingly positive reaction in the press, from fellow music writers and from musicians.
There will be a Q & A session during the evening. Copies of Were You There? will be on sale at the event and Richard is happy to sign copies of the book that people already own.

Living Library: This is What an Activist
2021-10-01 14:00 - 15:30
We host a living library event to mark the launch of a new campaign that breaks stereotypes on what an activist looks like and showcase how generations are working together to tackle climate change. The ‘This Is What An Activist’ campaign launch coincides with the International Day of Older Persons and the living library event will give people the opportunity to talk to activists from all walks of life to be inspired to make a change in their communities.

All are welcome to the free drop-in event, which is being held at Manchester Central Library between 2pm-3.30pm. The afternoon will also premiere a new campaign video that features eight activists – young and old – uniting in the fight against climate change. A living library event allows visitors to browse the ‘bookcases’ and chose the ‘story’ they wanted to listen to, pull up a pew, and have a conversation with their chosen activist, who will be all set to share their personal stories about their activism to inspire all generations to act.

Among the ‘books’ will be community activist Dorretta Maynard from Trafford, who has spent most of her life volunteering in her community. She said: “I’m a woman who stands up for her rights, who is calm, approachable and always has open arms. I want to help the next generation rise. She said: “I’m a woman who stands up for her rights, who is calm, approachable and always has open arms. I want to help the next generation rise.”
Free – please drop in

Drag Queen Bingo
2021-10-02 14:00 - 16:00 | Performance Space
We’re celebrating Older People’s Day in style, with an afternoon of bingo.
But this is Manchester. We do things differently here!
Join the fabulous Angel Delight for a sparkling afternoon of fun, including stand up bingo, bongo bingo, singalongs and loads more.
Please phone 0161 234 1932 to book your FREE tickets.
Maximum of six people per table.
This event is aimed at over 50’s.
We’ve reduced the numbers of tickets to ensure there is still some social distancing. We are also asking that people wear face masks when they arrive. There will also be hand sanitisers available and track and trace.

Goalkeeper: Memoir of Peter Street Book Launch
2021-10-04 17:30 - 19:30 | Performance Space
Spondylux Press, Manchester Poetry Library and Manchester Libraries are proud to invite you to the book launch of ‘Goalkeeper’ The Memoir of poet Peter Street.
One ‘alone, but not lonely’ boy’s triumph over adversity, motivated by his dream of becoming a professional footballer and a longing for truth and connection.

Street’s childhood memoir is a sensitive and honest portrayal, through a poetic autistic lens, of growing up with undiagnosed autism and epilepsy in an unconventional family during the 1950s and 60s.
A unique and vivid social document of the period, highlighting much of the discrimination still faced by minority and disabled communities today.
“The most astonishing life story of anyone I have ever interviewed” John Harris – Guardian“
“…an often startling memory of things felt in a rather frightening, yet fascinating past” Alan Brownjohn – Poet/novelist
“A beautiful insight into growing up in a challenging world. A sensory delight, I lived every page!” Alan Gardner – The Autistic Gardner
About Peter Street
Peter Street is a British-Irish autistic author and poet, born in Wigan 1948. He has published five poetry collections, performing his work internationally and on television and radio―including BBC Manchester where he was poet in residence.
He won a National Poetry Society commission, and wrote a series of poems in collaboration with fine artist Tony Bevan.
Street was a Royal Literary Fund recipient and has been writer-in-residence in schools, colleges and prisons. He is also a qualified youth worker, and previously worked as a chef, head gardener, gravedigger and exhumer.
Peter was diagnosed epileptic at fifteen, and fifty years later, after returning from war torn Croatia with PTSD, received his formal autism diagnosis at the age of sixty-six. He lives with his wife Sandra, and has two children and six grandchildren.
www.spondyluxpress.com

Jeanette Winterson & Mark O’Connell
2021-10-09 18:00 - 19:00 | Performance Space
MANCHESTER LITERATURE FESTIVAL
‘How did we get here? Where might we go?’ Is the future ‘a screen onto which we project our fantasies and terrors’? What can the past tell us about the future? Are we all doomed? And what’s gender got to do with it? Jeanette Winterson’s latest book 12 Bytes considers our relationship with AI, how it might develop and what we need to know. In Notes from an Apocalypse Mark O’Connell (To Be a Machine) spends time with preppers, rewilders and people who want to colonise Mars. Join us for what’s sure to be a fascinating discussion about what humanity might do next. Jeanette is the author of 10 novels for adults, as well as children’s books, screenplays and non-fiction, including the bestselling memoir Why Be Happy When You Could Be Normal? Mark’s first book To Be a Machine won the Wellcome Book Prize in 2018.

Presented in partnership with Centre for New Writing and Creative Manchester and hosted by writer Kate Feld.
Please note: We have reduced the capacity at this venue to increase space between seats so everyone can enjoy the event safely. If you’d like to sit with friends, please book all seats together in the same transaction. Although masks are no longer mandatory under Government guidance, we strongly encourage everyone to wear one when in close proximity to others, particularly when entering and leaving the event. We also encourage everyone to use the sanitation stations and sign in using track and trace when they arrive.

Monique Roffey & Ingrid Persaud
2021-10-10 14:00 - 15:00 | Performance Space
MANCHESTER LITERATURE FESTIVAL

‘Later I saw that change came as change always comes, from a chain of events with a long history, too long to see from back to front, till it come.’ In The Mermaid of Black Conch, Monique Roffey’s Costa Book of the Year winner, the life of David, one of the island’s fishermen, is disrupted when he saves Aycayia, a mermaid, from her captors. While in Ingrid Persaud’s Love After Love, Betty Ramdin invites Mr Chetan to lodge with her and her son Solo following the death of her husband/Solo’s father. The creation of a new, unconventional, family changes all of their lives.

Two award-winning Caribbean novelists join us to discuss determined women, magical writing, family and place. Monique Roffey is the author of seven books including The White Woman on the Green Bicycle, which was shortlisted for The Women’s Prize. Ingrid has won both the Commonwealth Short Story Prize and the BBC National Short Story Award. Hosted by writer Kate Feld.

Please note: We have reduced the capacity at this venue to increase space between seats so everyone can enjoy the event safely. If you’d like to sit with friends, please book all seats together in the same transaction. Although masks are no longer mandatory under Government guidance, we strongly encourage everyone to wear one when in close proximity to others, particularly when entering and leaving the event. We also encourage everyone to use the sanitation stations and sign in using track and trace when they arrive.

Elif Shafak in Conversation
2021-10-10 16:30 - 17:30 | Performance Space
MANCHESTER LITERATURE FESTIVAL
A fig tree with a tale to tell; a grieving teenage girl who wants to know her family’s story; two sets of lovers hiding from society. In her enchanting new novel, The Island of Missing Trees, Elif Shafak considers how the story of humans and the natural world are entwined. Set in London and the island of Cyprus, Elif explores roots, trauma and how understanding ourselves and our history can be healing. Elif is a British-Turkish novelist, feminist and activist and we’re delighted to welcome her back to MLF. The author of 19 books, translated into 54 languages, Elif’s previous novel 10 Minutes 38 Seconds in this Strange World was shortlisted for the Booker Prize, and The Forty Rules of Love was chosen by the BBC as one of 100 Novels That Shaped Our World. Elif will be in conversation with Ellah P Wakatama.
Please note: We have reduced the capacity at this venue to increase space between seats so everyone can enjoy the event safely. If you’d like to sit with friends, please book all seats together in the same transaction. Although masks are no longer mandatory under Government guidance, we strongly encourage everyone to wear one when in close proximity to others, particularly when entering and leaving the event. We also encourage everyone to use the sanitation stations and sign in using track and trace when they arrive.

An Evening with Alan Johnson
2021-10-10 19:30 - 20:30 | Performance Space
MANCHESTER LITERATURE FESTIVAL
Much-loved former Labour MP Alan Johnson makes a welcome return to MLF. Following his series of successful memoirs – This Boy, In My Life, The Long and Winding Road and Please, Mr Postman, Alan has turned to fiction, joining us to discuss his thrilling debut novel The Late Train to Gypsy Hill. Featuring a Ukranian waitress mixed up in a poisoning plot and an administrator who finds himself on the run from Russian secret agents and the Met, it’s an enthralling, smartly written, page turner. Alan will discuss his passion for plot-twists, politics and writing with Ellah P Wakatama.
Please note: We have reduced the capacity at this venue to increase space between seats so everyone can enjoy the event safely. If you’d like to sit with friends, please book all seats together in the same transaction. Although masks are no longer mandatory under Government guidance, we strongly encourage everyone to wear one when in close proximity to others, particularly when entering and leaving the event. We also encourage everyone to use the sanitation stations and sign in using track and trace when they arrive.

Black Britain Writing Back: Bernardine Evaristo
2021-10-12 19:00 - 20:00 | Performance Space
MANCHESTER LITERATURE FESTIVAL
Celebrating a landmark new series curated by Booker Prize winning writer Bernardine Evaristo, Black Britain Writing Back re-introduces lost or hard-to-find books by Black writers who wrote about Black Britain and the diaspora across the Twentieth Century. Joining Bernardine is Jacqueline Roy whose novel The Fat Lady Sings tells the stories of Gloria and Merle, two women in adjacent beds in the ward of a mental hospital; Judith Bryan whose novel Bernard and the Cloth Monkey is a family psychodrama in which two sisters battle with a shared but suppressed history of secrets, tensions and betrayals that need reckoning; and Nicola Williams’ Without Prejudice, a thriller in which Lee Mitchell, a Black working class barrister, is succeeding against the odds.
Please note: We have reduced the capacity at this venue to increase space between seats so everyone can enjoy the event safely. If you’d like to sit with friends, please book all seats together in the same transaction. Although masks are no longer mandatory under Government guidance, we strongly encourage everyone to wear one when in close proximity to others, particularly when entering and leaving the event. We also encourage everyone to use the sanitation stations and sign in using track and trace when they arrive.

#Like Chopin – Mysterious Story in Manchester
2021-10-13 08:00 - 2021-12-31 17:00 | Henry Watson Music Library
#LikeChopin – The Mysterious Story of Chopin in Manchester
In August 1848 Fryderyk Chopin travelled to Britain.
During the visit he also gave a performance in Manchester.
The concert took place at the Manchester’s Gentleman Concert Hall on Peter Street. The Hall was demolished in 1887 and The Midland Hotel was built on the site. it is reported that his concert in Manchester was attended by the largest audience Chopin ever performed for!
Want to find out more? A brand new exhibition curated by the Polish Consulate is now on display at the Henry Watson Music Library in Manchester Central Library.
There is also an online exhibition celebrating Chopin’s visit to Manchester for you to view here.
“#LikeChopin concept has been devised to bring a closer look into the Fryderyk Chopin journey to The United Kingdom. By combining a plethora of interesting details associated with Chopin’s Manchester concert we have created an attractive visual identity which was applied both in online exhibition and to that which may be seen at Manchester Central Library. We are glad that so many people appreciated the concept and by the same token valued our creative approach. This means that creativity with a modicum of mystery is what binds us together around positive symbols..” Said. Patryk Gowin Vice Consul and Head of Public and Cultural Diplomacy Section at Consulate General of the Republic of Poland in Manchester.

Spanish-Language Stories: Mateo García Elizondo, Valerie Miles & Cristina Morales
2021-10-14 18:00 - 19:00 | Performance Space
MANCHESTER LITERATURE FESTIVAL
Granta’s second selection of Best of Young Spanish Language Novelists showcases the work of 25 of the most exciting writers in the Spanish-speaking world. Valerie Miles, editor, writer, translator, co-founder of Granta’s literary journal in Spanish joins us to discuss the selection, which encompasses thirteen countries and territories. Two of the chosen authors will appear with Valerie; Mateo García Elizondo (Mexico), whose story Capsule (translated by Robin Myers) tells of a prisoner launched into space to see out his sentence, and Cristina Morales (Spain) whose admiration of fierce women and fury at their treatment by men drives her contribution Ode to Cristina Morales (translated by Kevin Gerry Dunn). Mateo García Elizondo was born in Mexico City. He wrote the film Desierto, and his first novel, Una cita con la Lady, won the City of Barcelona Award. Cristina Morales is from Granada, Spain and works with the contemporary dance company Iniciativa Sexual Femenina. She is the author of the novels Los combatientes, Últimas tardes con Teresa de Jesús, Terroristas modernos and Lectura fácil.
Hosted by Mariana Casale and presented in partnership with Instituto Cervantes.
Please note: We have reduced the capacity at this venue to increase space between seats so everyone can enjoy the event safely. If you’d like to sit with friends, please book all seats together in the same transaction. Although masks are no longer mandatory under Government guidance, we strongly encourage everyone to wear one when in close proximity to others, particularly when entering and leaving the event. We also encourage everyone to use the sanitation stations and sign in using track and trace when they arrive.
Tickets are free but advance booking is advised
Book on 0343 208 0500

An Evening with Colm Tóibín
2021-10-14 20:00 | Performance Space
MANCHESTER LITERATURE FESTIVAL

‘I can make no sense of the present. It is all confusion. I know nothing about the future.’ In his extraordinary new novel, The Magician, Colm Tóibín conjures up the past and the life of writer Thomas Mann. Against the backdrop of two world wars, Colm charts Mann’s rise to prominence and the story of his family life as he grapples with deep seated feelings about his homeland of Germany and his desire for young men. Colm is the award-winning Irish author of nine novels including Brooklyn, Nora Webster and The Testament of Mary. He has been shortlisted for the Booker Prize three times and has won both the Costa Novel Award and the International Dublin Literary Award. Colm will be in conversation with poet John McAuliffe.
Presented in partnership with Centre for New Writing and Creative Manchester.
Please note: We have reduced the capacity at this venue to increase space between seats so everyone can enjoy the event safely. If you’d like to sit with friends, please book all seats together in the same transaction. Although masks are no longer mandatory under Government guidance, we strongly encourage everyone to wear one when in close proximity to others, particularly when entering and leaving the event. We also encourage everyone to use the sanitation stations and sign in using track and trace when they arrive.

Book on 0343 208 0500

Little Reads Family Day with Chris Haughton & Daishu Ma
2021-10-16 08:00 - 17:00 | Performance Space
MANCHESTER LITERATURE FESTIVAL
Chris Haughton & Daishu Ma 10.00 – 10.45
Music & Drama Family Workshop 11.15 – 12.15
We are delighted to present a very special in person event with Chris Haughton, the acclaimed picture book creator of titles including Oh No George! and Shh! We Have a Plan for an action-packed family event celebrating his story Maybe… He will be joined by author and illustrator Daishu Ma who will translate the stories into Mandarin Chinese as well as introducing us to some of her own wonderful characters.
Families can then join a drama & music workshop by acclaimed Manchester artists Yemi Bolatiwa & Ged Mulherin as they respond to Chris’s naughty monkey characters and encounters with scary tigers.
Ged Mulherin is a renowned drama workshop leader, actor and co-founder of TripleC. TripleC design their workshops to be welcoming, inclusive and accessible. They encourage participants to create characters within role play and develop storytelling through imaginative play. Yemi Bolatiwa is a versatile contemporary soul and jazz singer and workshop leader. Featured on BBC Radio 1, BBC Introducing and Kiss FM as a professional recording vocalist, she brings her experience to the community and family settings with big smiles and big energy.
Suitable for ages 2 – 6
Please note: We have reduced the capacity at this venue to increase space between seats so everyone can enjoy the event safely. If you’d like to sit with friends, please book all seats together in the same transaction. Although masks are no longer mandatory under Government guidance, we strongly encourage everyone to wear one when in close proximity to others, particularly when entering and leaving the event. We also encourage everyone to use the sanitation stations and sign in using track and trace when they arrive.
Book on 0343 208 0500

Superheroes: Inspiring Stories of Secret Strength
2021-10-16 08:00 - 17:00 | Performance Space
MANCHESTER LITERATURE FESTIVAL
What do you want to be when you grow up? Curated by Stormzy and the #Merky Books team, Superheroes is a new children’s book celebrating modern day heroes from across the worlds of sport, music, food, the arts and more. Join us to celebrate the launch with an interactive workshop run by performance poet Sophia Thakur and illustrator Denzell Dankwah. This will be a lively afternoon of drawing, poetry and writing to encourage and empower children to harness their power and become their own superhero.
This 2 hour workshop will finish at 4pm
Suitable for ages 9 – 12 yrs. A responsible adult must stay in the venue for the duration of the workshop.
Please note: We have reduced the capacity at this venue to increase space between seats so everyone can enjoy the event safely. If you’d like to sit with friends, please book all seats together in the same transaction. Although masks are no longer mandatory under Government guidance, we strongly encourage everyone to wear one when in close proximity to others, particularly when entering and leaving the event. We also encourage everyone to use the sanitation stations and sign in using track and trace when they arrive.
Book on 0343 208 0500

CANCELLED: Malika Booker, Vahni Capildeo & Jason Allen-Paisant
2021-10-17 08:00 - 17:00 | Performance Space
Due to unforeseen circumstances this Manchester Literature Festival event is cancelled
Join us for an afternoon with three fabulous, inventive poets who raise questions about our relationships with language, landscape and identity. Vahni Capildeo’s Like a Tree, Walking explores ecopoetics and silence, with poems originating from nocturnes and lullabies in hilly Port of Spain to ‘stillness exercises’ recording micro-environments around English trees. Jason Allen-Paisant’s Thinking with Trees considers what it means to be Black in natural spaces usually considered the domain of white people. Linking Black history to present day events, he walks through the pandemic considering how the future could be. The founder of Malika’s Poetry Kitchen, Malika Booker is a pioneer of the poetry scene and writes out of a passion for Caribbean culture, community and bearing witness. She will be reading new and recent poems.
Vahni Capildeo is a Trinidadian poet. Their collections include Venus as a Bear, which was the Poetry Book Society Summer Choice 2018 and was shortlisted for the 2018 Forward Prize, and Measures of Expatriation, awarded the Forward Best Collection Prize 2016. Jason Allen-Paisant is from a village called Coffee Grove in Manchester, Jamaica. At present, he’s a lecturer in Caribbean Poetry & Decolonial Thought in the School of English at the University of Leeds. Malika Booker is a British poet and theatre-maker of Guyanese and Grenadian parentage. Her poetry collection Pepper Seed was shortlisted for the OCM Botas prize and her poem The Little Miracles won the 2020 Forward Prize for Best Single Poem.
Hosted by John McAuliffe and presented in partnership with Centre for New Writing and Creative Manchester
Please note: We have reduced the capacity at this venue to increase space between seats so everyone can enjoy the event safely. If you’d like to sit with friends, please book all seats together in the same transaction. Although masks are no longer mandatory under Government guidance, we strongly encourage everyone to wear one when in close proximity to others, particularly when entering and leaving the event. We also encourage everyone to use the sanitation stations and sign in using track and trace when they arrive.

Venture Arts Presents - Completely A Hustling Place
2021-10-21 - 2021-12-31 | First Floor Exhibition Hall
Venture Arts Presents Full Studio Show – Completely A Hustling Place – With Work From 70 Artists
This autumn, one of Manchester’s leading visual art studios, Venture Arts, which supports learning disabled and neurodivergent artists to play an active role in the cultural sector, is presenting a thrilling full studio show where you can experience new work from 70 artists. A truly multimedia show, Completely A Hustling Place includes photography, ceramics, dreamy audio, textiles, real genies, illustration, the best TV channel ever, superheroes, projection mapping and much more, offering an exciting and immersive showcase of creativity and studio output over the past year.
A massive celebration of creative triumph through times of adversity, Completely A Hustling Place takes its name from a description of the vibrant and buzzing city of Manchester aptly described by artist, Justin Lees. Scenes of our city, as seen through the eyes of artist Terry Williams, whose haunting pictures taken on disposable cameras during lockdown are one of many highlights of the show. You will also encounter black superheroes brought to life by Leslie Thompson, bright cartoon characters from Jenny Franklin and embroidered bananas by Louise Hewitt, a radical new TV station presented in the video work of Michael Greave, a school desk installation by Caryn Egerton, glorious sunset pictures by Becky Hislop and projections by Amy Ellison. You can experience a unique, projection mapping collaboration by Malik Jama, Raven Keating and Fred Collins, screenings of film and animated work, an interactive sound and ceramic installation by Adam Crichton and Anthony Whitfield and embroidery cluster collaboration including work by Christine Blackburn.
There will be art to take away from the show, available on a first-come, first-served basis including zines, books and superhero images, plus most of the work presented will also be for sale.
Venture Arts Director, Amanda Sutton, comments: “We are incredibly excited to be able to present physical exhibitions again and to bring the work of our artists out of their homes and out of our studio, into such a prominent and important building in the heart of our city. It’s so wonderful to present the work of all the Venture Arts studio artists in one show right now. For us, and particularly for our artists, the last couple of years have been full of the most immense challenges, and we are so grateful to everyone who has helped us to adapt and continue our crucial work throughout. This show will shine a light on how creative practice has served to overcome so much for so many and most of all, showcase a vast array of wonderful, interesting, exciting, and truly individual new work. I would urge you all to go and see it!”
For further information, press images and interview requests please contact Matt Forbes-Dale on mattforbesdale@outlook.com / M: 07949 039715
Find out more about Venture Arts here.
ABOUT VENTURE ARTS:
Venture Arts is an award-winning charity based in Hulme, Manchester. Their vision is a world in which neurodivergent and learning disabled people are empowered, celebrated, included and valued in the arts, culture and society. Their mission is to shape a new cultural landscape where neurodivergent people with learning disabilities reach their potential.
Free entry – but please consider making a donation if you can either online or at one of our cash or contactless donation boxes in Central Library

creative:connection
2021-10-22 08:00 - 17:00 | Performance Space
MANCHESTER LITERATURE FESTIVAL
We are delighted to welcome national charity, Create, back to MLF. Create believe in the power of creativity to change lives. Their creative:connection project brings together disabled and non-disabled children to create, build connections and break down barriers around disability. This October children from four schools in Manchester and Salford (Chatsworth High School, Grange Academy, Loreto High School and New Park Academy) joined forces with professional musicians to create new pieces of music, which they will perform at this special celebration event.
Create (createarts.org.uk) runs dozens of projects like this across the UK, and are expanding in the North West. If you are an artist or a partner who would like to work with them, email hannah@createarts.org.uk
Please note: We have reduced the capacity at this venue to increase space between seats so everyone can enjoy the event safely. Although masks are no longer mandatory under Government guidance, we strongly encourage everyone to wear one when in close proximity to others, particularly when entering and leaving the event. We also encourage everyone to use the sanitation stations and sign in using track and trace when they arrive.
Tickets FREE – booking advised

ScienceX: A free family fun day 1
2021-10-23 10:00 - 16:00
A free, interactive festival of exploration and experiments and a great chance for kids to discover the fun behind science and engineering. ScienceX is a festival like no other: bursting with fun, exciting activities for children, and open to all. Discover what the world of science and engineering is really about as we focus this year on climate change and the environment around us. ScienceX is back for 2021, but with a new home. On 23 and 25 October, this free weekend-long science and engineering festival will be held at Manchester Central Library. At ScienceX, you can learn about all about climate, sustainability and the environment. There are plenty of opportunities for families to get hands-on with a whole host of experiments – make DNA bracelets, build your own electronic car motors, learn about how we design robots to keep humans safe or become a climate-friendly chef for the day. Come along with your climate questions and through the event, find out how you can make a positive difference in the world. Our friendly scientists and engineers will be there to excite and inspire young environmentalists, campaigners, creative minds and future scientists and engineers. For those wanting to learn at home, there is a whole host of online activities for all ages. Children and families can learn recipes for more sustainable baking, do hands-on experiments from home, or take part in our very own Escape Room. There’s a variety of videos, worksheets and other online resources so you can carry on learning about climate change and sustainability from wherever you are. Come along to ScienceX this October and find out how you and your family can make a difference to the world around us.

Free – please drop in

ScienceX: A free family fun day 2
2021-10-25 10:00 - 16:00

And We Rise; Together. Performance and Protest Poetry
2021-10-28 13:30 - 17:00 | Performance Space
And We Rise; Together. Performance and Protest Poetry
A Young Identity curated event of poetry and readings from material gathered from workshops with community groups based in Moss Side.

1.30 pm-3.30 pm: A Young Identity curated event where material gathered from community workshops are woven together to produce spoken word and poetry performances by the co-facilitators. There will be readings and new works by produced by the artists that will be shared at the event and an interactive element where the audience can join in and create their own protest poetry.
3.30 pm -5.00 pm: ‘I Predict a Riot’ two-part documentary film screening in partnership with Northwest Film Archive at Manchester Metropolitan University. Both films will be shown on a rotation. Throughout the afternoon there will be a book display, archive handling, a documentary screening and space for conversation.
Where: Performance Space
When: 28 Oct 1.30 – 5.00 pm
Cost: Free

Nathan Geering’s Award Winning Film Screening ‘Still a Slave' And Lecture
2021-10-28 17:00 - 20:00 | Performance Space
Nathan Geering’s critically acclaimed and award winning short film screening ‘Still a Slave’, plus a lecture delivered by Nathan and an audience Q&A.
The film is a powerful and artistic response to the social media comments that undermined the Black Lives Matter movement. It illustrates the many ways black people are still bound by society metaphorically and physically.
During his lecture Nathan will explore his reasons for producing the film and discuss its impact on the wider cultural sector.
Where: Performance Space
When: 28 Oct 5.00 pm
Cost: Free

1001 Inventions: Journeys from Alchemy to Chemistry
2021-10-30 - 2021-10-31 | Performance Space
1001 Inventions invites families in Greater Manchester to join us on a fascinating learning journey and to unravel some mysteries from the science of CHEMISTRY. Fun and educational sessions will bring the magic of wizards and potions to help cast a spell on children so that they fall in love with science!
Follow in the footsteps of 8th century pioneer Jabir ibn Hayyan through a short animated film screening, on-stage demonstrations and hands-on workshops. Excite budding scientists and help them understand the applications of chemistry and its importance to their daily lives. Introduce your children to the contributions made to science by lesser-known pioneers.
When? 30th & 31st October 2021
Who? Children aged 7-12 with their parent or responsible adult
Where? Manchester Central Library
Cost? FREE EVENT!
Saturday October 30th: 14:00-15:30pm and 16:00-17:30pm
Sunday October 31st; 10:00-11:30am 12:00-13:30pm · 14:30-16:00pm and 17:00-18:30pm

In conversation with Sir Richard Leese
2021-11-15 18:30 - 20:00 | Performance Space
This is a live audience event. The booking includes access to post-event networking where drinks will be served.

Sir Richard Leese, the Leader of Manchester City Council, is stepping down in December after 25 years at the helm, overseeing a redevelopment of the city centre after the 1996 IRA bomb, followed by an extensive regeneration and reimagining of Manchester.

In this event at the Central Library, Design Manchester’s Kasper de Graaf will ask Richard about his vision and the outcomes, looking at Richard’s stewardship of the city through a design lens. How does the development help deliver the inclusive, sustainable and equitable city envisaged in the Our Manchester strategy? Is the process of cooperation and development across the city-region changing as a result of the devolution that Richard has done so much to bring about? What scope does he envisage in the future for artists, creative start-ups and communities to co-design the city?

In conversation with Sir Richard Leese is produced by Design Manchester in partnership with the Business & IP Centre Greater Manchester as a special edition in their regular series of Scale-up Sessions, and with Manchester Central Library.

Manchester Animation Festival (MAF): Animation Mixtape: 2020 Edition
2021-11-16 12:00 - 19:30 | Performance Space
Manchester Animation Festival (MAF) is the UK’s largest Animation Festival and is dedicated to the celebration of the animated art form. Hosted in the Manchester Central Library and at HOME, the festival is the UK’s biggest animation hub, inviting people from Manchester and beyond to share in all things animated. A hybrid festival for 2021, MAF will take place from 14-30 November, in person and online. Passes are available to purchase here.
Last year in 2020, the eclectic animated short films programme of Manchester Animation Festival found their home on the small screen online, but now we’re bringing them to the big screen where they rightfully belong! Come down to Manchester Central Library to watch these short films throughout the day in hourly screening slots. More details on the films and ticket information can be found on the MAF website. Tickets for this event are FREE, though advanced booking is strongly advised.
If you’re an organisation or group who would like to talk more about getting involved with MAF in the future, please contact MAF’s Audience Development Manager, Hannah at hannah@manchesteranimationfestival.co.uk
The films which will be screened are as follows:
Part 1 (12A): 12:00-13:00
Cosmonaut (Dir Kaspar Jancis/Estonia 2019/12 mins/No Dialogue)
The Quiet (Dir Radheya Jegatheva /Australia 2019 /10 mins /English)
Chant of The Printing Machine (Dir Patrcija Māra Vilsone /Latvia 2019 /2 mins/ No Dialogue)

The Quiet Power of Introverts (Dir Sofja Umarik /UK 2019/ 4 mins/ English)

Shadows (Dir Phoebe Halstead and Angie Phillips/ UK 2019/ 2 mins/ English)

Plan For Peace (Dir Leo Crane /UK 2020 / 3 mins/ English)

The Great Malaise (Dir Catherine Lepage /Canada 2019 /5 mins/Niihau Hawaiian with English subtitles)

Kapaemahu (Dir Hinaleimoana Wong-Kalu, Dean Hamer Joe Wilson, Daniel Sousa /United States 2020 /9 mins /English)

The Rest of My Days (Dir Jack Antoine Charlot /France 2020 /4 mins /English)

The Last Train (Dir Ross Hogg /UK 2019 /2 mins /English)

My Favourite Hill (Dir Christopher Childs /UK 2020 /4 mins /English)
Part 2 (12A): 13:30 – 14:30
Pearl Diver (Dir Margrethe Danielsen/ Norway 2021/ 9 mins/ No Dialogue)
Songs of the City (Dir Adelina Court/ UK 2020/ 3 mins/ English)
LLS – Grace (Dir Natalie Labarre/ United States 2019/ 1 min/ English)
A dog by your side (Dir Selina Wagner/ UK 2019/ 2 mins/ English)
University of Tyumen: Becoming Bold (Dir Max Kulikov/ Russia 2020/ 1 min/ Russian).
Delphine: No Dogs (Dir Anayis N. Der Hakopian/ UK 2020/ 4 mins/ English)
Alex and Mr Fluffkins (Dir Adeena Grubb and Andy Biddle/ UK 2020/ 1 min/ English)
Tick (Dir Fabienne Priess & Levin Tamoj/ Germany 2019/ 5 mins/ No Dialogue)
Biplane Model Kit (Dir Tine Kluth/ UK 2020/ 4 mins/ English)
The Physics of Sorrow (Dir Theodore Ushev/ Canada 2019/ 27 mins/ English)
Part 3 (15): 15:00 – 15:30
The Passerby (Dir Pieter Coudyzer/ Belgium 2020/ 16 mins/ Dutch)
Fail in love – Berlin (Dir Cécile Rousset, Romain Blanc-Tailleur, Adrienne Nowak/ France 2020/ 4 mins/ English)
Kroger – Aerobics (Dir César Pelizer/ United States 2020/ 1 min/ English)
Gardener & Bumblebee (Dir Ignas Meilunas/ Lithuania 2020/ 1 min/ Lithuanian)
HerStory: Máire Ní Chinnéide (Dir Richard Keane/ Ireland 2020/ 2 mins/ English)
The Song Of A Lost Boy (Dir Daniel Quirke/ UK 2020/ 10 mins/ English)
Beyond Noh (Dir Patrick Smith/ United States 2020/ 4 mins/ English)
Genius Loci (Dir Adrien Mérigeau/ France 2019/ 16 mins/ French)
PANDICULATION (Dir Konrad Hjemli, Jakob Eiring/ Norway 2020/ 3 mins/ English)
Part 4 (15): 17:00 – 18:00
I, Barnabé (Dir Jean-François Lévesque/ Canada 2020/ 15 mins/ No Dialogue)
The Winter (Dir Xin Li/ Australia 2020/ 4 mins/ English)
The Guardians (Dir AgainstAllOdds/ France 2019/ 2 mins/ No Dialogue)
Ellie’s Story (Dir Claire Grey/ UK 2020/ 4 mins/ English)
Flesh (Dir Camilia Kater/ Spain 2019/ 12 mins/ Portuguese)
Yes-People (Dir Gísli Darri Halldórsson/ Iceland 2020/ 8 mins/ Icelandic)
The Last Mother (Dir Megan De Jong/ Netherlands 2020/ 3 mins/ No Dialogue)
Pearls (Dir Idan Barzilay/ Germany 2019/ 3 mins/ Music Video)
Hijack139 (Dir Joachim Berg & Sondre Johre/ Norway 2020/ 6 mins/ English)
Part 5 (18): 18:30 – 19:30
ALTÖTTING (Dir Andreas Hykade/ Germany 2020/ 11 mins/ English)
Brother Ezekiel (Dir Leon Elliot/ Ireland 2019/ 9 mins English)
100,000 Acres of Pine (Dir Jennifer Alice Wright/ France 2020/ 7 mins/ English)
Carrion (Launch Trailer) (Dir CRCR/ France 2020/ 2 mins/ English)
Habito – The Climb (Dir Andy Baker/ United States 2020/ 1 min/ English)
Big Fish (Dir Samantha Turner & Céline Ufenast/ UK 2020/ 2 mins/ No Dialogue)
My Dream, My Taste (Dir Emily Downe/ UK 2020/ 3 mins/ English)
And Something Else (Dir Olga Kłyszewicz/ Poland 2020/ 7 mins/ English)
Disorder (Dir Robert Grieves/ Australia 2020/ 4 mins/ English)
Brazen – Mae Jemison (Dir Charlotte Cambon & Mai Nguyen/ France 2019/ 3 mins/ English)
Washing Machine (Dir Alexandra Májová/ Czech Republic 2020/ 5 mins/ No Dialogue)
Clown Suit (Dir The Brothers Mcleod/ UK 2019/ 3 mins/ English)
Free – booking strongly advised
