Library Live

'Musick' in Manchester 1744/45
2022-07-11 13:00 - 14:00 UTC | Henry Watson Music Library
Musick in Manchester 1744/45 recreates the first ever public concert series known to have been given in Manchester, prefiguring the remarkable musical tradition that accompanied Manchester’s development into one of Europe’s leading industrial cities. Remarkable, and until now underrepresented, the series includes sixteen concert programmes, which survive in a literary transcript by John Harland written a century later in 1844. Through research by Dr Pauline Nobes, many works can be identified directly, but we also utilise Manchester’s archives, most notably the extraordinary collection of Cardinal Ottoboni, housed at Manchester’s Henry Watson Library, bringing to light a significant amount of neglected music. Join us for the third concert in our series, which recreates the original concert first performed on 9th July 1745.
Pauline Nobes, is recognised as one of Europe’s foremost Baroque vioiniists and specialists in historical performance practice. For many years she worked with period instrument ensembles such as The English Baroque Soloists, The English Concert and Orchestre Revolutionnaire et Romantique playing in the most prestigious concert halls and festivals throughout Europe, the USA and Japan participating in over 100 CD productions. For many years Pauline was concertmaster for The Academy of Ancient Music, Das Neue Orchester and Musica Antiqua Köln. Now guest leading in European Opera theaters, she also continues her commitment to teaching, at home and abroad and is Artistic Director and leader for Manchester Baroque.
Free – drop in – please consider making a donation if you can either online or at one of our cash or contactless donation boxes in Central Library

Documenting Demolition: A Community Evidencing Project of Manchester’s LGBT+ Centre
2022-07-12 09:00 - 2022-09-12 17:00 | Wolfson Reading Room
The LGBT+ Centre (previously known as The Gay Centre) is located on Sidney Street, off Oxford Road and is the longest continuously running LGBT+ Community Centre in the UK. ‘Documenting Demolition’ is a photographic exhibition of the Centre’s final months before the groups moved out and the building was demolished to make way for a brand new LGBT+ Centre, now known as The Proud Place. The photos record the various user groups, staff and volunteers, as well as some of the building’s quirky details. These will be displayed alongside some original ‘love letters’ written to the old Centre from its ‘lovers’.
The project is part of a longer-term design and research project into Manchester’s LGBT+ Centre building undertaken by Emily Crompton, an architect and academic at Manchester School of Architecture. The project was created in partnership with The Proud Trust, the charity which manage the Centre, and architectural photographer Sally-Ann Norman.
Free – drop in – please consider making a donation if you can either online or at one of our cash or contactless donation boxes in Central Library

Word Central - Now We Are Six! Birthday Special!
2022-07-26 18:00 - 19:45 | Performance Space
Word Central Open Mic Night
Hosted by Tony Curry
Presented by Manchester Libraries & Flapjack Press

Join us at Manchester Central Library on Tues 26th July for our Now We Are Six Birthday Special
6.00pm – 7.45pm (doors open 5.30pm)
Free entry

Book your open mic slot from noon on Tues 12th July 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

Suhaiymah Manzoor-Khan - Workshop and Book Launch
2022-07-27 14:00 - 19:30 | Performance Space
Suhaiymah Manzoor-Khan is a writer, poet, educator and activist, disrupting ideas of history, race, knowledge and violence, co-author of A Fly Girl’s Guide to University (Verve Poetry Press, 2019) and author of Postcolonial Banter (Verve Poetry Press, 2019). In the afternoon from 2pm she will be leading a workshop for young people aged 16+ centred around her new book Tangled In Terror, Uprooting Islamophobia (Pluto Press, 2022); the workshop will explore concepts such as identity and belonging.
The workshop will be followed in the evening from 6pm by a reading and book launch of Tangled In Terror with Suhaiymah Manzoor-Khan, chaired by Dr Nisha Kapoor, Associate Professor in Sociology at the University of Warwick and author of Deport, Deprive, Extradite – 21st Century State Extremism, and ending with a Q&A session with Suhaiymah.
Both events are free and can be booked through Eventbrite:
Workshop (starts at 2pm): https://SuhaiymahWorkshop.eventbrite.co.uk
Reading and book launch (starts at 6pm): https://SuhaiymahBooklaunch.eventbrite.co.uk

Holiday Activities for 11-16 years
2022-08-01 08:00 - 2022-08-24 17:00
Join us at Central Library for free summer holidays activities for 11-16 year olds at Manchester Central Library – including a free lunch!
1/8/22 – Media Cubs pop-up TV studio and newsroom, 12-4pm
4/8/22 – Media Cubs pop-up TV studio and newsroom, 12-4pm
8/8/22 – Media Cubs pop-up TV studio and newsroom, 12-4pm
11/8/22 – Media Cubs pop-up TV studio and newsroom, 12-4pm
18/8/22 – Create 3D Figures with artist Lorraine Rudyard, 12-4pm
19/8/22 – Jewellery making and graffiti writing with artist Caroline Coates, 12-4pm
22/8/22 – Stencils and screen printing with artist Caroline Coates, 12-4pm
24/8/22 – 3D Figures with artist Lorraine Rudyard, 12-4pm
To book your free place phone 0161 234 1983

Who Built Wythenshawe? The Forgotten Story of Ernest & Shena Simon
2022-08-08 08:00 - 2022-09-03 17:00 | Ground Floor
This exhibition traces the story of Wythenshawe during the twentieth century. From a humble collection of small villages, Wythenshawe was developed as a garden city to re-house the tens of thousands of families previously forced to live in Manchester’s inner-city slums in well-built and spacious neighbourhoods amidst green surroundings. Alongside illustrating Wythenshawe’s history, the exhibition tells the captivating lives of Ernest and Shena Simon who played a critical role in Wythenshawe’s development. The Wythenshawe we see today would not have existed without the great energy and inspiring altruism of the Simons. They paved the way for the creation of Wythenshawe in 1926 by purchasing and donating Wythenshawe Hall and its surrounding parkland for the people of Manchester. Yet their role in pushing for a garden city, their wider work in improving the social conditions of working people across Manchester and their fascinating personal lives, are largely forgotten. There is little in the way of memorials to the Simons, but their legacy runs deep, as we hope this exhibition will reveal. Drawing on historical research, documentary photographs, old maps and original records from the archives, this exhibition illustrates many notable moments in the history of Wythenshawe as Manchester’s garden city.
Exhibition Launch. Henry Watson Music Library. Monday 15th August 11am.
Free – drop in – please consider making a donation if you can either online or at one of our cash or contactless donation boxes in Central Library

Summer Reading Challenge - Steam Punk Crafts
2022-08-10 14:00 - 15:30
It’s rusty, it has cogs and a propellor and it makes a racket…it’s a Steampunk time machine. How do Steampunks get around and what do they wear? Make your own Steampunk time travelling machine or your own Steampunk accessories! No need to book just drop in. Suitable for families.
Free – drop in – please consider making a donation if you can either online or at one of our cash or contactless donation boxes in Central Library

Summer Reading Challenge - Musical Science
2022-08-12 14:00 - 15:00 | Performance Space
Experimenting with simple upcycled electrical junk, we will build little noisy contraptions, learn how they work and make some lovely noise together. Engineer an old speaker to sound like a robot chicken, and tap a slinky for powerful laser blasts! No need to book just drop in. Suitable for families.
Free – drop in – please consider making a donation if you can either online or at one of our cash or contactless donation boxes in Central Library

Summer Reading Challenge - Amazing Flying and Flapping Creations
2022-08-15 14:00 - 16:00 | Performance Space
Join Jill to make some wonderful flying creatures, butterflies, bats, birds, whatever you wish to create. Why not drop and have a go at making your own. Suitable for families with children aged 12 and under.
Free – drop in – please consider making a donation if you can either online or at one of our cash or contactless donation boxes in Central Library

Summer Reading Challenge – Amazing Flying and Flapping Creations
2022-08-17 14:00 - 16:00

Summer Reading Challenge - Media Cubs
2022-08-18 14:00 - 16:00, 2022-08-22 14:00 - 16:00 | Ground Floor
Media Cubs is a pop-up TV studio and newsroom where we direct creative, digital and media challenges – from photography and filming, comic strip-making and stop motion, TV presenting to newspaper reporting – so young people can create, debate and navigate news with confidence. This summer they are joining us at libraries across Manchester to join in with our Summer Reading Challenge to upskill young people aged 7-12 to become presenters, directors, photographers as they take on hosting their own press conferences, reviews, adverts, news bulletins and much more!
Free – to book contact 0161 234 1983

Summer Reading Challenge - Circus skills
2022-08-19 14:00 - 15:00 | Performance Space
Come and try your hand at spinning plates, diablo, feather balancing and juggling with The Circus House. The friendly team will be on hand to help you learn some new skills!
Suitable for all ages and abilities
Free – to book contact 0161 234 1983

Summer Reading Challenge - Bridge Building Challenge
2022-08-23 13:00 - 15:00 | Performance Space
How strong is paper? Could you make a bridge out of newspaper? Why not come along and take our challenge? Find out if you can make a structure strong enough to hold a heavy weight. Surprise yourself and amaze your friends in this fun activity.
Suitable for 7-12 year olds
Free – just drop in

An Evening with Ella Mills
2022-08-25 19:30 - 20:30 | Performance Space
Manchester Libraries, Waterstones Booksellers and Hodder Books present this special evening with bestselling food writer Ella Mills.
Join inspirational bestselling food writer Ella Mills, founder of Deliciously Ella, for a special event to celebrate the release of her latest book, How to Go Plant-Based.
In How to Go Plant-Based, Ella debunks the common myths surrounding a plant-based diet, shares her experiences of cooking as a family and emphasises the importance of making the plant-based diet accessible for all ages. How to Go Plant-Based is not just a simple cookery book, but a guide that incorporates scientific research and data to help families put together balanced meals with family friendly recipes.

Carnival Heritage
2022-08-27 18:00 - 20:30
Join us for great entertainment, talks, exhibition and fun! This will be the first in a series of Carnival Heritage events looking back over the years on how the Manchester Caribbean Carnival evolved and how communities got involved. More information to follow soon.

Booking essential via Eventbrite: https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/387422088897

Word Central
2022-08-30 18:00 - 19:45 | Performance Space
Manchester Libraries and Flapjack Press present Word Central
Open Mic Poetry and Spoken Word hosted by Tony Curry
With special guest David Viney
Tues 30th August, 6.00pm – 7.45pm (doors 5.30pm)
A free event every month at Manchester Central Library, St Peter’s Square, Manchester M2 5PD
Our special guest for August is David Viney, a multiple poetry slam winner, playwright, workshop facilitator and youth worker from Stretford. He has been poet laureate for Kendal Calling festival, written for and performed on BBC radio, written and performed two shows at Salford’s Lowry Theatre as part of Working Verse Collective, and in 2019 was commissioned to write and perform at the opening and closing ceremonies of the World Taekwondo Championships. His second solo collection, In Orbit, Back Soon, is out now.
Book your open mic slot from noon on Tues 16th August 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

Tsitsi Dangarembga: Black and Female
2022-08-31 18:30 - 19:30 | Performance Space
Tsitsi Dangarembga will be in conversation with Naomi Frisby.
Being categorised as black and female does not constrain my writing. Writing assures me that I am more than merely blackness and femaleness. Writing assures me I am.
This paradigm shifting essay collection weaves the personal and political in an illuminating exploration of internationally acclaimed novelist Tsitsi Dangarembga’s complex relationship with race and gender.
At once philosophical, intimate and urgent, Dangarembga’s landmark essays address the profound cultural and political questions that underpin her novels for the first time.
From her experience of life with a foster family in Dover and the difficulty of finding a publisher as a young Zimbabwean novelist, to the ways in which colonialism continues to disrupt the lives and minds of those subjugated by empire, Dangarembga writes to recentre marginalised voices.
Black and Female offers a powerful vision towards ‘re-membering’ – to use Toni Morrison’s word – those whose identities and experiences continue to be fractured by the intersections of history, race and gender.
Blackwells Bookstore will be selling copies of Tsitsi’s new book and back catalogue on the night.

Crime Central
2022-09-01 18:00 - 19:30
We’re back! Thursday 1st September at 6pm!

Crime Central returns with three more fantastic authors. Joining our host Rob Parker this month will be the author Adam Simcox, who’s novels combine murder mysteries with the supernatural. Joining him will be bestselling local author Paul Finch, who’s well known for his brilliant crime and horror novels. We’re also very excited to welcome Miranda Dickinson, who’s swapped her contemporary novel hat for the darker world of crime!

We can’t wait!

Adam Simcox, author of The Dying Squad series.
When Detective Inspector Joe Lazarus storms a Lincolnshire farmhouse, he expects to bring down a notorious drug gang; instead, he discovers his own body and a spirit guide called Daisy-May. She’s there to enlist him to The Dying Squad, a spectral police force who solve crimes their flesh and blood counterparts cannot.

Miranda Dickinson (M J White) author of the Dr Cora Lael novels.
MJ White is the pen name of million-copy selling Sunday Times bestselling author, Miranda Dickinson. Her debut crime series featuring Dr Cora Lael begins with The Secret Voices. A huge fan of crime fiction and particularly police procedurals, Miranda wrote The Secret Voices largely in secret and is chuffed now to finally share Cora, Acting DS Rob Minshull and the detectives of South Suffolk CID with the world!

Paul Finch, author of the DS Mark Heckenburg and DC Lucy Clayburn novels.
Paul Finch is a former cop and journalist now turned best-selling crime and thriller writer, and is the author of the very popular DS Mark ‘Heck’ Heckenburg and DC Lucy Clayburn novels. Paul first cut his literary teeth penning episodes of the British TV crime drama, The Bill, and has written extensively in horror, fantasy and science-fiction, including for Dr Who.

PLEASE NOTE: Tickets for this event are on a “pay what you can” basis. They range from £0 – £8 plus the Eventbrite booking fee.

All tickets allow the same access to the event. This is a just a pricing system to accommodate for individual financial circumstances.

Henry Normal In Conversation with...
2022-09-07 - 2022-09-28
Flapjack Press, Manchester Libraries and New Poetry Society present
Henry Normal in conversation with…
A series of live stream poetry, chat and Q&A every Wednesday evening in September.
Free but booking essential. Just click on the link to each event to register.
Join poet, writer, TV and film producer Henry Normal as he chats and shares poems with award-winning wordsmiths from Flapjack Press.
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Henry Normal in conversation with John Darwin
Wednesday 7th September, 7.00pm – 8.00pm
John Darwin was part of the acclaimed touring troupe A Firm of Poets and his solo poetry show, Happy Hour, won the Best Spoken Word Performance Award at the Greater Manchester Fringe Festival 2021. His new collection, Ultrasilence, is published this autumn.
“His words are visceral, delicate, vulnerable and utterly engrossing.” Matt Abbott, poet & educator
Henry Normal in conversation with Janine Booth
Wednesday 14th September, 7.00pm – 8.00pm
Janine Booth co-edited Flapjack Press’s new anthology NeurodiVERSE. Her poetry and prose collection, The Big J vs The Big C, details her journey from detection and diagnosis of breast cancer, through surgery, to – in her words – “getting over it”.
“Her words encourage and motivate … an inspiration.” Attila the Stockbroker, poet & musician
Henry Normal in conversation with David Viney
Wednesday 21st September, 7.00pm – 8.00pm
David Viney has been poet laureate for Kendal Calling festival, written for and performed on BBC radio, and written and performed two shows at Salford’s Lowry Theatre. His new collection, In Orbit, Back Soon, is part poetry, part comic book, part screenplay, and a rhythmic ride through right now.
“Has a unique talent … I’m constantly impressed.” David Scott, Official Poet for NSPCC & UEFA
Henry Normal in conversation with Rob Steventon
Wednesday 28th September, 7.00pm – 8.00pm
Rob Steventon is founder of Punk in Drublic, the Saboteur Award-winning poetry and comedy night. He co-edited NeurodiVERSE, a unique poetry anthology about the neurodivergent experience by
neurodivergent writers, and his debut collection How I Made My Millions is available now.
“A vital new voice in stand-up poetry. Young, angry and very funny.” Kate Fox, stand-up poet
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Henry Normal is a writer, poet, TV and film producer, founder of the Manchester Poetry Festival (now the Manchester Literature Festival) and co-founder of the Nottingham Poetry Festival. In June 2017 he was honoured with a special BAFTA for services to television.
Henry co-wrote and script edited the multi-award-winning Mrs Merton Show and the spin-off series Mrs Merton and Malcolm. He also co-created and co-wrote the first series of The Royle Family. With Steve Coogan, he co-wrote the BAFTA-winning Paul and Pauline Calf Video Diaries, Coogan’s Run, Tony Ferrino, Doctor Terrible, all of Steve’s live tours, and the film The Parole Officer. Setting up Baby Cow Productions Ltd in 1999, Henry Executive Produced all and script edited many of the shows during his tenure as MD. Highlights of the Baby Cow output during this time include Oscar-nominated Philomena, Gavin and Stacey, Moone Boy, The Mighty Boosh, Uncle, Nighty Night, Hunderby, Camping and Alan Partridge.
Since retiring in April 2016, Henry has written and performed nine BBC Radio 4 shows for his ‘occasional series’ A Normal…, combining poetry, comedy and stories about his life and family.
His latest title, Collected Poems Volume Two, is available now from Flapjack Press, and an all-new collection, The Fire Hills, is coming soon.

An Evening with Claire Mooney and Special Guests
2022-09-08 18:00 - 19:30 | Performance Space
Join Claire Mooney and special guests at Central Library for a night of music and poetry like no other.
Claire Mooney is a singer songwriter with numerous albums and international airplay to her credit. Described by NME as ‘a real talent’ and Music Week as ‘a people’s songstress’ Claire mixes the political with the playful and blends it all together into a performance of serious fun.
For personal reasons, Dave Puller is now unfortunately unable to perform at this event, but we are delighted to announce that Claire will be joined by award winning playwright and poet Alex Keelan and Manchester based writer and poet Marie Crook.

RETRO SILENT DISCO IS BACK!!!
2022-09-09 20:00 - 23:59 | Performance Space
You may have been living on a prayer that our super popular Silent Disco was ever going to return, but we were never gonna give you up!
If you’re desperate to strut your funky stuff to the best retro pop, rock and soul, Central Library is the place you wannabee. Since you’ve been gone, the fab DJ John has been creating some magic new mixes for you to get bootylicious to and reach for the stars!
So, don’t stop believin’ and get booking those tickets now.
Tickets range from £6 (+ booking fee) to ‘4 tickets for the price of 3’ bundles!
We can’t wait to see you on 9th September!

Salford and Cheetham Hill - iconic photos from the 1950s and 60s
2022-09-15 08:00 - 2022-09-30 17:00 | First Floor Exhibition Hall
This unique collection of photographs shows aspects of life in Cheetham Hill and Salford in the 1950s and 60s. There are images of whit walks , shops, factories, schools, family snaps, products and fashions of the period. There are also photo’s of the diverse migrant communities who came to live in Cheetham Hill and their ancestors. There are over 12,000 images in the collection. Many can be seen here: www.salfordandcheethaminfocus.co.uk
Free – drop in – please consider making a donation if you can either online or at one of our cash or contactless donation boxes in Central Library

The Prostate Gap
2022-09-15 08:00 - 2022-10-29 17:00 | Lower Ground Floor Exhibition Space
Photographer Ian Smith presents this exhibition with the objective of raising awareness of prostate cancer in the under-represented. It focuses on the lack of understanding of how prostate cancer affects minority groups. The message is aimed at the general public to dilute the stereotyping of ‘the under-represented section of the population – groups with cultural differences, BME, gay and trans women communities.’ Individuals that live with a social stigma as well as a life changing illness.
Free – drop in – please consider making a donation if you can either online or at one of our cash or contactless donation boxes in Central Library

History of Carnival Workshops by Linford Sweeney
2022-10-05 17:30 | Performance Space
The history of Caribbean Carnivals is much more complex than many realise. Carnival has origins based in colonialism and religious conversion, but it has now become a festival and celebration tied to freedom and emancipation from slavery. Learn about how established African-Caribbean communities transferred the traditions associated with carnival to Manchester as we explore the roots of the different aspects of carnival.

Wednesday 5 October at 5.30pm – suitable for age 14+

Book via www.racearchive.org.uk/events/black-history-month/

Sex Pistols in Manchester - Exhibition
2022-10-07 08:00 - 2022-12-31 17:00 | First Floor Display Cases
On 4 June 1976, the Sex Pistols played for the first time in Manchester at the Lesser Free Trade Hall. The gig is seen as the catalyst for the Manchester music scene which followed. Paul Welsh was the only person there on the night taking photographs, which have since been sold world-wide through Getty Images. However, this is the very first time all the photographs taken on that night have been shown to the general public.
Free – please consider making a donation to support our Library Live cultural programme either online or at one of our cash or contactless donation boxes in Central Library

Jan Carson & Louise Kennedy
2022-10-09 14:00 - 16:30 | Performance Space
Two award-winning stars of Irish writing join us to discuss their acclaimed novels. Jan Carson’s The Raptures is a playful, inventive whodunnit set in the small town of Ballylack. Hannah’s classmates are dying of a mystery plague to which she’s immune. As each of the dead children visit her, Hannah begins to question her religious upbringing as the adults fall apart. Louise Kennedy’s beautifully vivid Trespasses tells of an affair between Catholic primary teacher Cushla and Michael, a Protestant lawyer nearly twice her age. Set in and around Belfast against a backdrop of the Troubles, lives are changed forever.
Jan’s second novel, The Fire Starters, won the EU Prize for Literature. Her stories have won the Harpers Bazaar short story competition and been shortlisted for the BBC National Short Story Award. Louise has been twice shortlisted for the Sunday Times Audible Short Story Award and is the author of the acclaimed collection The End of the World is a Cul de Sac. Hosted by Caroline Magennis, Reader in 20th & 21st Century Literature at University of Salford.
Tickets £8 / £6. Book on 0343 208 0500 or via ‘Book Now’ link below

Kit de Waal
2022-10-09 16:00 - 17:00 | Performance Space
‘I live with the dread that one day when my young muscles rebel, can take no more stillness and the brutal confinement of my very self, I will stand and strip naked and burst out of my skin.’ Without Warning and Only Sometimes is Kit de Waal’s memoir of a childhood of opposites and extremes. Raised in Moseley, Birmingham, with her siblings, food was scarce. Their Irish mother worked multiple jobs and believed the world would end in 1975. Their Caribbean father’s paradise was home – St Kitts – and when he wasn’t splurging on fancy clothes and a car, he was saving to build his dream house there. Eventually teenage Kit found a route that led to her becoming an award-winning writer.
Kit is the author of three previous books. My Name Is Leon won the Kerry Group Irish Novel of the year, was shortlisted for the Costa Novel Award and has been adapted for TV by Lenny Henry’s production company. The Trick to Time was longlisted for the Women’s Prize for Fiction. Hosted by broadcaster and Literary Editor Ellah P. Wakatama. Presented in partnership with the Centre for New Writing and Creative Manchester.

Tickets £10 / £8. Book on 0343 208 0500 or via ‘Book Now’ link below

Paterson Joseph in Conversation
2022-10-09 19:00 - 20:30 | Performance Space
It’s 1746 and Georgian London is not a safe place for a young Black man, especially one who has escaped slavery. So how does Charles Ignatius Sancho meet the King, write and play highly acclaimed music, become the first Black person to vote in Britain and lead the fight to end slavery? In his captivating debut novel, The Secret Diaries of Charles Ignatius Sancho, much-loved actor Paterson Joseph tells a story hidden for 300 years. An attempt ‘to correct the colour-balance that has allowed an historical distortion of British history to exist’ and ‘to add to the growing canon of Black Historical Fiction’ as entertaining as any of the revered classics.
A star of stage and screen, Paterson is best known for his roles in Casualty, Peep Show and Green Wing amongst many others. He recently appeared in the BBC series Vigil and as Kamal Hadley in the adaptation of Malorie Blackman’s Noughts + Crosses. Hosted by broadcaster and Literary Editor Ellah P. Wakatama.
Tickets £12 / £10. Book on 0343 208 0500 or via ‘Book Now’ link below

Damon Galgut in Conversation
2022-10-10 19:00 - 20:30 | Performance Space
One family, four decades, four funerals, one unfulfilled promise. Winner of the 2021 Booker Prize, Damon Galgut joins us to discuss his masterpiece The Promise, a gripping, beautifully written family saga based around a farm in South Africa. Through the members of the Swart family, Damon explores personal and political change as the family splinters and apartheid ends, questioning whether reparations for Black South Africans can ever be sufficient. The Promise was a Book of the Year in The Guardian, The Observer, The Daily Telegraph, The Sunday Times and the New Statesman. Author of nine novels and four plays, Damon was previously twice shortlisted for the Booker Prize with The Good Doctor and In a Strange Room. Hosted by broadcaster and Observer critic Alex Clark and presented in partnership with the Centre for New Writing and Creative Manchester.
This event will be BSL interpreted
Tickets £12 / £10. Book on 0343 208 0500 or via ‘Book Now’ link below
