Arundhathi Subramaniam attended the first Manchester Literature Festival in 2006 and we are thrilled to welcome her back to the city to share her sensual and soulful poetry exploring the contradictory nature of living in a Third World megalopolis. She has published two books of poetry in Britain with Bloodaxe, Where I Live: New & […]
By sharing our stories, we have the power to transform the world. Amid a global migration crisis, the Refugee Tales project was conceived as a way of giving voice to people who have been held in indefinite immigration detention. Offered as a modern reworking of The Canterbury Tales, the project’s second book tells the stories […]
THIS EVENT IS FULLY BOOKED Is reading for six minutes as good for you as five a day or a brisk walk? We think so, especially if it is about you, about where you live. Come and hear six minute ensembles written and performed for Read Manchester by the brilliant children from Manchester schools (Levenshulme High School for Girls, […]
Join us for an evening with award-winning Mancunian writer and critic Howard Jacobson, in conversation with MLF Patron and host Rachel Cooke about the art of satire and writing as resistance. Written ‘in a fury of disbelief’ following the election of U.S. President Donald Trump, Howard’s latest novel, Pussy, is a fierce and funny take on POTUS, power, […]
THIS EVENT IS NOW FULLY BOOKED Join two captivating artists for an unforgettable evening of performance poetry. The winner of The Poetry Society’s 2017 Ted Hughes Award for New Work, Hollie returns to MLF to read from her wise, sometimes rude and piercingly candid new collection, Plum. In her debut Nobody Told Me, Hollie’s plainspoken writing about the joy and confusion of […]
Manchester Central Library is proud to host a display inspired by the British Library's new exhibition Harry Potter: A History of Magic. From Friday 20 October 2017, visitors will be able to discover fascinating facts about the History of Magic at Manchester Central Library. Displays will launch simultaneously in 20 public libraries across the UK […]
In his eagerly anticipated seventh collection, Michael Symmons Roberts shows us a place at once familiar and strange. Mancunia is located where real crosses unreal, a Manchester of the mind: occupied, abandoned, liberated and rebuilt. In these finely wrought, capacious poems, we encounter wayward mariners in bars, meet invisible bureaucrats, and hear history shouting through […]
Home Movie Day is an annual worldwide celebration of family films – the North West Film Archive is looking for those more recent home movies which were ‘born digital’ and might be trapped in an old device. Bring us your gadgets, cards and phones and our experts will do their best to retrieve your […]
Start your adventure here! This practical workshop introduces parents and children to the wonderful world of animation, and shows how to work together to create basic stop frame animation. What is the Family Learning Festival? It's a national celebration to mark and inspire a love of learning in family life. It takes place in October […]
Central Library is a mysterious, secret-filled place. Who knows what hidden knowledge lies between the pages of its many books? Read up on the spirit of scientific investigation and come find out for yourself, discovering how science has affected the story-lined corridors of Manchester Central Library over the centuries. Get elbow deep in moonrocks and […]
Darken the doors of Central Library for our spooky Halloween event. Dare to visit the creepy crypt and take part in a ghastly game, hear chilling rhymes from the creature in the corner and then take part in the trick or treat trail with your carefully crafted goody bag. Suitable for families No need to […]
SORRY, THESE EVENTS ARE NOW BOOKED UP. Journey to where magic and myth began! Have you ever wanted to delve into Divination, ponder the peculiarities of Potions and discover enchanting creatures? Now you can. Watch lecturers at the British Library unveil rare books, manuscripts and magical objects from the British Library's collection, capturing the traditions […]
From dedicated performance spaces to stairwells, screens, nooks and domes, Central Library might directly inspire your next event or intervention. Contact us to arrange a tour.
