Library Live

Countdown to Illuminate
2017-11-20 12:00 - 2017-11-23 14:00 UTC
In the countdown to Illuminate, our new site specific piece created for Manchester Central Library by Company Chameleon, we’re excited to present a series of free countdown events ahead of the main event.
Mon 20 Nov, 12-2pm | Pop-up: listen
A lunchtime performance of live music and a chance to hear the new and original soundtrack by award-winning composer, Miguel Marin, which features in the Illuminate production.
Tues 21 Nov, 1pm | Pop-up: see
Chameleon make the street their stage and perform a pop-up dance piece on the plaza outside Central Library’s main entrance.
Wed 22 Nov, 4-5pm | Preview
Central Library open up the sides of the performance space to create a stage for professional dancers from all over the world as they share their own creative responses to Company Chameleon’s powerful and original movement style in an informal presentation.
Thurs 23 Nov, 10am-5pm | Open rehearsals
Go behind the scenes and see the rehearsal and pre-production process unfold as Company Chameleon and their ensemble of 60 dancers, musicians and collaborators take over Central Library, ahead of the first performance of Illuminate on Friday night.
Find out more about the main Illuminate performance.

Saturday Spectacular
2017-11-18 12:00 - 16:00 UTC
To celebrate Explore Your Archive Week, join us to celebrate 120 years of the Disabled Living charity. Join us as we find out how the charity has changed over the years by using their archive images in a range of fun activities for all the family.
Free – just drop in

Gordon Brown: A Life in Politics
2017-11-16 13:00 - 14:00 UTC | Performance Space
This event is sold out
The former Prime Minister, Gordon Brown, will talk about a remarkable 40 years on the political frontline. Join us for this landmark event to celebrate the release of his forthcoming memoir, My Life, Our Times, which reflects candidly on an extraordinary career; from New Labour’s 1997 landslide electoral victory, to the 2008 global financial crisis and the historic 2014 Scottish and 2016 European referendums.
Gordon will be signing copies of My Life, Our Times after the event.
This is a free event, but tickets must be booked from the link below. Only ticket holders will be allowed access to the talk.

Jennifer Egan
2017-11-15 19:00 - 21:00 UTC | Performance Space
Acclaimed American author Jennifer Egan makes a rare UK visit to talk about her forthcoming novel, Manhattan Beach – her first foray into historical fiction. Set during the Depression and then the war, it tells the story of Anna Kerrigan, a navy diver making her own way at a transformative time for women; in a Brooklyn populated by sailors and gangsters, tragic starlets and mysterious tycoons. Kirkus Reviews called it ‘haunting…Realistically detailed, poetically charged, and utterly satisfying: apparently there’s nothing Egan can’t do.’
Jennifer’s previous novels include A Visit From the Goon Squad (winner of the Pulitzer Prize, The National Book Critics Circle Award and the LA Times Book Prize), the Invisible Circus and The Keep. Her short stories have been published in The New Yorker, Harper’s, Granta and McSweeney’s, and her journalism regularly appears in The New York Times Magazine. Hosted by Katie Popperwell.
This event is part of Manchester Literature Festival 2017
Book on 0843 208 0500 or

Hidden Histories, Hidden Historians
2017-11-11 08:00 - 2018-01-31 17:00 UTC | Archives+ Ground Floor
Manchester Histories presents Hidden Histories, Hidden Historians, a Heritage Lottery Fund supported exhibition. Five groups from across Greater Manchester have explored their own hidden histories to create a multi-media exhibition that includes archive photography, historical research, video and oral histories.
Free – just drop in

Homeless Film Festival Screening - Mr Stink
2017-11-09 18:00 - 20:00 UTC | Performance Space
Join us for a screening of the film Mr Stink. The film is presented by the Homeless Film Festival which is a registered charity and the world’s biggest festival dedicated to using film screenings, special events and film making workshops as a way of highlighting and tackling homeless issues.
Free – to book email homelessfilmfestival@gmail.com

Made In Manchester: The Ups & Downs of Freelancing
2017-11-07 18:00 - 20:00 UTC
These days many careers in the ever-growing Creative Industries are freelance. Hear from our experienced panel as they discuss how to survive as a freelancer, make the most of opportunities, and stand out in the new “gig economy”. Featuring Tom Clarke from The Sharp Project, Alison Surtees from the Manchester Music Digital Archive and Pip Rustage, photographer. Hosted by Martyn Walsh from the Inspiral Carpets and Creative Industries Guru in Residence at the Business & IP Centre, Manchester Central Library

Made In Manchester is a new series of panel events discussing the business aspects of the creative industries in the city

War Memories
2017-11-04 14:00 - 17:00 UTC | Performance Space
With the endorsement of WarGen, Manchester Central Library together with one of its volunteer groups, the Manchester Indie Film Makers Group (MIFMG), are presenting a single performance of War Memories, a production written by the MIFMG using film and written material from the published WarGen pages on the internet. WarGen is currently uploading film and transcriptions of the experiences of both veterans and civilians during World War 2.
This performance is timed to be close to this year’s Armistice Day, just one week later, and will be in remembrance of all who lived and showed such bravery during the First and Second World Wars.
The performance will consist of film projection and live acting for approximately one hour, followed by a cream tea and an opportunity to meet others at the event. Young people will produce short content for social media during the event, interacting with veterans and their friends and families.
All are welcome, please book your place by phoning Ruth Jacobson on 0161 234 1981 or email r.jacobson@manchester.gov.uk

WORD CENTRAL open mic poetry & spoken word
2017-11-01 18:00 - 20:00 UTC | Performance Space
WORD CENTRAL is back on Wednesday 1st November at Central Library.
6pm – 8pm [doors open 5.30pm], free entry
This month’s special guest is poet Mark Mace Smith
Glastonbury Festival Poetry Slam Winner 2008, BBC MediaCity Poet in Residence 2011-2015, and author of A Fruit Filled with Bitter Ashes.
All open mic slots are already filled, but if you want to book a place on the reserve list email mail@flapjackpress.co.uk [NB Open mic slots are 4 minutes maximum]

Harry Potter: A History of Magic Live Screenings
2017-10-31 19:00 - 2018-01-22 20:30 (Atlantic/Azores) | Performance Space
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 of folklore and magic which are at the heart of the Harry Potter stories. Marvel at original drafts and drawings by J.K. Rowling and illustrator Jim Kay, both on display for the first time.
See the gargantuan 16th-century Ripley Scroll that explains how to create a Philosopher’s Stone. Gaze at Sirius in the night sky as imagined by medieval astronomers. Encounter hand-coloured pictures of dragons, unicorns and a phoenix rising from the flames.
In conjunction with the British Library and together with libraries around the country Manchester Libraries are holding a number of live screenings beamed from the British Library in the coming months. These will be based on the Hogwarts curriculum, including Defence Against The Dark Arts, Care of Magical Creatures and Divination.
Please note that the lectures are about the history and mythology behind the subjects rather than focusing on the books themselves.
Brooms, Wands and Cauldrons: The Instruments of Magic with Simon Costin
Tue 31 Oct 2017, 19:00 – 20:15
Discover why witches’ friends are feline and how the wand became one of the established objects of magical power. This illustrated lecture from Simon Costin of the Museum of Witchcraft and Magic looks at the instruments, objects and tools that have been used by witches and wizards over the centuries, from the iconic to the lesser-known.
Illustrating Harry Potter with Jim Kay and Olivia Lomenech Gill
Fri 17 Nov 2017, 19:00 – 20:30
How do you illustrate magical tales like the Harry Potter series?
Find out from two artists who have done just that, adopting very different approaches to achieve equally stunning results. Chaired by Olivia Ahmad from the House of Illustration.
Women, Witches and Witch Trials
Tue 5 Dec 2017, 19:00 – 20:30
The history of witchcraft and gender roles within it.
Anita Anand chairs a panel of expert historians including Margo Burns, the x10 great-granddaughter of one of key protagonists of the Salem Witch Trials, Malcolm Gaskill, and Ulinka Rublack as they discuss the history of witchcraft and gender roles within it.
The Hogwarts Curriculum Lectures: Defence Against The Dark Arts with Christopher Frayling
Mon 22 Jan 2018, 19:00 – 20:15
How can we protect ourselves from vampires?
History contains no Death Eaters, but plenty of vampires. Cultural historian Christopher Frayling explores the history and myths surrounding these bloodsucking fiends over the centuries and gives a lesson on how the various methods of protecting ourselves. How has their appearance changed? What are their weaknesses? And how have they been appropriated by the Gothic imagination?

Creepy Crypt Halloween Activity
2017-10-31 16:00 - 18:00 UTC
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 book just creep in

Science@Central
2017-10-25 11:00 - 17:00 UTC
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 meteorites, dig around in our archives, meet a real-life conservator, learn the fascinating history of science in the city and get hands-on with the collections (as well as some Lego robots) in the afternoon.
All activities apart from Lego are drop in. For booking information on Lego robots visit the link below.

http://www.manchestersciencefestival.com/event/lego-robotics/

Science all around in Central Library. Pop in and find out more

Family Learning Festival: Animation Workshop
2017-10-24 10:00 - 12:00 UTC
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 every year.
Organisations of all types and sizes from schools and children centres, through libraries to museums and galleries, put on brilliant and creative events and showcase ideas and learning opportunities that families can do afterwards. Some Festival events are organised across local areas.
Learning as a family can help us to become confident, lifelong learners with all the benefits that brings – from better health to being happier. Family learning supports children to achieve at school. It can be transformative, helping us to find new passions and interests, and realise our aspirations through further learning.
The Festival is co-ordinated by the Campaign for Learning, the national charity that aims to build a culture of learning everywhere.

Digital Home Movie Day
2017-10-21 10:00 - 16:00 UTC | Archives+ Ground Floor
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 movies and make it possible to enjoy and share them again!
Free – please drop in

Michael Symmons Roberts
2017-10-20 18:30 - 20:00 UTC | Performance Space
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 the wall.
Michael has published six collections of poetry and been awarded the Forward Prize, the Costa Poetry Award and the Whitbread Poetry Prize. He is also an acclaimed librettist, broadcaster and dramatist, has published two novels, and is a Fellow of the Royal Society of Literature. This event is in partnership with Manchester Metropolitan University, where Michael is Professor of Poetry, and will include contributions from MMU‘s Schools of Art and Theatre. Introduced by Martin Kratz.
This event is part of Manchester Literature Festival 2017
Book on 0843 208 0500 or

Harry Potter: A History of Magic Exhibition
2017-10-20 00:00 - 2018-01-31 00:00 UTC | Entrance Hall
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 tandem with the Harry Potter: A History of Magic exhibition at the British Library in London.
The series of displays across the UK will include specially designed panels which are inspired by Harry Potter: A History of Magic, showing images of rare books, manuscripts and magical objects featured in the British Library’s exhibition, as well as images of material from J.K. Rowling and Bloomsbury’s own collections. Manchester Central Library’s local connections to magic and folklore will also be showcased, and will include unique items from our Special and Archive Collections. We will also be hosting a series of events including live screenings from the British Library, a chance to handle some of our rarest and oldest books and a special Sunday opening.
Harry Potter: A History of Magic celebrates the 20th anniversary of the publication of Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone, combining centuries-old British Library treasures with original material from Bloomsbury’s and J.K. Rowling’s own archives. Based on the subjects studied at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, this exhibition will showcase material from J.K. Rowling and Bloomsbury’s own collections, going on display for the very first time.

Hollie McNish & Jackie Hagan
2017-10-19 19:00 - 21:00 UTC | Performance Space
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 new motherhood, and the mixed messages society sends women struck a powerful chord with readers and audiences across the UK. Her new collection addresses growing up, sex and the body; stitching together writing from her younger selves with new work to create a moving and beautiful picture.
She will be joined by poet, comedian and playwright Jackie Hagan. Jackie’s work has been published by Flapjack Press, she is a recent recipient of a Jerwood Compton Poetry Fellowship, and has been the focus of a Channel 4 documentary in which she downs cut price lager from her glittery false leg. Introduced by MLF’s Kate Feld.
This event is part of Manchester Literature Festival 2017
Book on 0843 208 0500 or

Howard Jacobson
2017-10-18 19:00 - 21:00 UTC | Performance Space
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, and misogyny in the form of a comic fairytale.
Howard is the author of 14 novels including The Mighty Walzer (winner of the Bollinger Everyman Wodehouse Award), The Finkler Question (winner of The Man Booker Prize) and, most recently, J. The Irish Independent called Pussy ‘a seething little nugget of a book.’
This event is part of Manchester Literature Festival 2017
Age Suitability 14+
Book on 0843 208 0500 or

The Writing Squad
2017-10-17 12:30 - 14:30 UTC | Performance Space
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, Manchester Enterprise Academy, Parrs Wood High School, St Paul’s Catholic High School and Wright Robinson College), led by writers who limbered up in the Writing Squad. Manchester Literature Festival works with the Writing Squad to support emerging young writers from the North West region to develop their craft. This event is part of the Read Manchester campaign.
This event is part of Manchester Literature Festival 2017
Suitable for 14+ years
Tickets are free but booking is advised (donations welcome on the door)
Book on 0843 208 0500 or

Refugee Tales: Volume II
2017-10-16 18:30 - 20:00 UTC | Performance Space
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 of real-life refugees whose voyage to the UK has not been a journey of spiritual salvation, rather one of sheer, physical survival. Written by leading writers in collaboration with refugees, former immigration detainees, and those who work with them, it offers a compelling and truthful account of what it means to seek asylum in the UK.
Join us for readings from three contributors: Kamila Shamsie is the author of several acclaimed novels including Broken Verses and Burnt Shadows. Caroline Bergvall is an artist, writer and performer whose work includes the large-scale project DRIFT. Marina Warner is a multi-award winning scholar, critic and author whose books include Once Upon a Time and Stranger Magic: Charmed States & The Arabian Nights. Presented in partnership with Comma Press and Gatwick Detainees Welfare Group.
Chaired by Comma editor Ra Page.
This event is part of Manchester Literature Festival 2017
Book on 0843 208 0500

Arundhathi Subramaniam
2017-10-16 13:00 - 15:00 UTC | Performance Space
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 & Selected Poems and When God Is a Traveller, shortlisted for the T.S. Eliot Prize, and is featured in the DVD anthology In Person: World Poets.
She has also written books on spirituality and culture, including The Book of Buddha and Sadhguru: More Than a Life. Winner of the inaugural Khushwant Singh Memorial Prize for Poetry in 2015, the Raza Award for Poetry, and the International Piero Bigongiari Prize, she mostly lives in Mumbai (a city she is perennially on the verge of leaving).
This event is part of Manchester Literature Festival 2017
Tickets are free but booking is advised (donations welcome on the door)
Book on 0843 208 0500 or

The Things I Would Tell You
2017-10-15 16:30 - 18:00 UTC | Performance Space
The Things I Would Tell You is an anthology that features 22 British Muslim Women Writers whose stories and poems transcend time, place and stereotypes to blow away the narrow image of the ‘Muslim woman’. Nikesh Shukla describes it as an ‘exquisite collection full of energy, experimentation, honesty, beauty, fury, heartbreak and laughs. Defiantly multi-cultural.’
Join us for this special event featuring live performances from four of the contributors. Sabrina Mahfouz is a British Egyptian playwright, poet and screenwriter whose play Chef won the 2014 Fringe First Award. Her poetry has been produced for TV, radio and film and published in the collection How You Might Know Me. Nafeesa Hamid is a spoken word artist, performer and playwright based in Birmingham. Hibaq Osman is a past winner of the Roundhouse Poetry Slam; her debut collection is A Silence You Can Carry. Asma Elbadawi is a Sudanese-born spoken word artist who was a finalist for Words First, the BBC Radio 1Xtra / Roundhouse poetry competition.
This event is part of Manchester Literature Festival 2017
Book on 0843 208 0500 or

Elif Shafak & Nadeem Aslam
2017-10-15 14:00 - 18:00 UTC | Performance Space
Two gifted, cosmopolitan novelists come together for an evening of boundary-crossing fiction, from Asia to Britain. One of the most widely read writers in her native Turkey, Elif Shafak’s nine acclaimed novels have been translated into 40 languages and include The Architect’s Apprentice, Honour, and The Bastard of Istanbul. She will read and discuss her new novel, Three Daughters of Eve, a sweeping tale of faith, friendship and betrayal set in Istanbul and Oxford, that the Financial Times called ‘an intelligent, fierce and beguiling read’. Nadeem Aslam is the author of award-winning novels including Season of the Rainbirds, Maps for Lost Lovers and The Blind Man’s Garden. His new book, The Golden Legend, is the brave and searingly beautiful story of a Pakistan community consumed by religious intolerance, and a new love searching for a place to blossom in the wreckage of violence. The Guardian called it ‘exhilarating … an exquisite, painful book.’ This event is presented in partnership with Karachi Literature Festival.
This event will be BSL interpreted
Part of Manchester Literature Festival 2017
Book on 0843 208 0500 or

Family Reading Day
2017-10-14 10:00 - 16:30 UTC
A day bursting with family fun featuring CBeebies stars Ben Faulks (Mr Bloom) and Michael de Souza (Rastamouse), a draw along with Ed Vere (author of Mr Big and Max the Brave), a Kitchen Disco and a Bathroom Boogie. There’s also a Children’s Bookswap and lots of free craft activities.
This event is part of Manchester Literature Festival 2017
Book on 0843 208 0500 or

Renni Eddo-Lodge
2017-10-13 18:30 - 20:00 UTC | Performance Space
Join Reni Eddo-Lodge for a discussion about her critically acclaimed book, Why I’m No Longer Talking to White People About Race – an urgent and powerful analysis of race in Modern Britain from one of the country’s most inspiring young journalists.
Taking its title from the viral blog post that voiced the frustrations of so many and changed the conversation about race in the media, Reni’s book creates a new framework for how to see, acknowledge and counter racism. In it, she explores everything from the erasure of black history to the political purpose of white dominance; from the whitewashing of feminism to the link between class and race. An award-winning writer, Reni has written for publications including The New York Times, the Guardian, Dazed and Confused and the hit anthology The Good Immigrant.
‘Blistering… Absolutely vital reading from one of the most exciting voices in Britain. A stunningly important book’ Paris Lees
Hosted by Matthew Xia.
This event is part of Manchester Literature Festival 2017
Book on 0843 208 0500 or

Harriet Harman
2017-10-12 18:30 - 20:00 UTC | Performance Space
THIS EVENT IS FULLY BOOKED
When Harriet Harman entered politics, a woman couldn’t sign for a mortgage and jobs were advertised at a lower ‘woman’s rate’. We’ve come a long way since then, but as Harriet shows in her new book, we have longer still to go. Join us for a searching and intimate conversation with the leading Labour Party MP about her 30 years in politics and her engrossing new memoir, A Woman’s Work.
It recalls her many challenging experiences as a working mother serving in Britain’s tradition-bound Parliamentary culture, her work reforming laws on maternity rights, childcare and domestic violence, and her continuing fight to get more women into government as Britain’s longest continuously serving female MP. Harriet will be in conversation with host Sarfraz Manzoor.
This event will be BSL interpreted

Alan Hollinghurst
2017-10-11 19:00 - 21:00 UTC | Performance Space
In 1940 Evert Dax and David Sparsholt, two men from very different backgrounds, are thrown together at Oxford University, amid the fear and recklessness of war. In Alan Hollinghurst’s long-awaited new novel, The Sparsholt Affair, we follow the two through the decades as fashions change and their country is transformed around them, ending in a contemporary London of new ideas. It’s a masterly novel about sexuality, art, intimacy and family secrets from one of our most gifted writers of fiction.
Alan’s previous novels include The Line of Beauty, The Swimming Pool Library and The Stranger’s Child, and his awards include The Man Booker Prize, the James Tait Black Memorial Prize and the Somerset Maugham Award. He will be in conversation with MLF Patron and Observer critic Rachel Cooke.
This event is part of Manchester Literature Festival 2017
Book on 0843 208 0500 or

In Person: World Poets Film Screening
2017-10-11 13:00 - 15:00 UTC | Performance Space
To celebrate the publication of the new Bloodaxe DVD-anthology, In Person: World Poets, we are delighted to present a special film screening featuring some of the most extraordinary contemporary poets from across the globe, including Robert Adamson, Tishani Doshi, Roy Fisher, Choman Hardi, Jaan Kaplinski, Nikola Madzirov, Ruth Stone, Arundhathi Subramaniam, Brian Turner and Chase Twichell.
T.S. Eliot once described poetry as ‘one person talking to another.’ These intimate films, recorded and edited by Pamela Robertson-Pearce and Neil Astley in the poets’ own homes and at festivals around the world, demonstrate the importance and joy of hearing poems read aloud in the poet’s own voice. What better way to spend your lunch time than communing with poets? The event will be introduced by Bloodaxe editor Neil Astley and you will be able to buy copies of the anthology and enjoy many more hours of poet to reader footage at home. The event will be introduced by Bloodaxe editor Neil Astley and filmmaker Pamela Robertson-Pearce.
This event is part of Manchester Literature Festival 2017
Tickets are free but booking is advised (donations welcome on the door)
Book on 0843 208 0500 or

Will Self
2017-10-10 18:30 - 20:00 UTC | Performance Space
THIS EVENT IS NOW FULLY BOOKED
A sharp-eyed, merciless commentator on modern times and modern mores, from the sublime to the ridiculous – no one writes quite like Will Self. Join us for a conversation with the cult author, broadcaster and critic about his new novel, Phone, a wildly funny send-up of contemporary British life. Through the chronicles of Jonathan De’Ath, aka ‘The Butcher’, Will takes aim at technology, public identities and the military industrial complex, in his own inimitable prose.
A prolific and celebrated journalist and author of both nonfiction and fiction, his previous books include Umbrella (shortlisted for The Man Booker Prize), Shark, and The Book of Dave. Hosted by Alex Clark.
This event is part of Manchester Literature Festival 2017

Portrait Youth Exhibition
2017-10-10 08:00 - 2017-11-30 17:00 UTC | Wolfson Reading Room
Manchester Metropolitan University’s Manchester Fashion Institute is involved in an exciting new project that explores the individual and civic identities of Greater Manchester’s young people through style, fashion and dress.
Academics Jo Jenkinson, John Earnshaw and Zoë Hitchen have been working with young people to establish how clothing can be used as a catalyst for self-awareness and personal expression, capturing portraits of each participants’ identity.
Photographs from the Portrait Youth project will on display at an exhibition at Manchester Central Library, opening on Monday 9th October, as part of the Design Manchester DM17 festival.
The exhibition features portraits of 14 members of the Manchester Youth Council (MYC) who attended interactive workshops hosted by the University in February. MYC were the first group to be photographed for the project. Participants were asked to style themselves using their own clothing or artefacts in a way that represented their identities and to reflect upon, and articulate, their current, past and future selves.
Supported by Greater Manchester Combined Authority.
