Library Live

Under the Little Red Moon
2023-11-08 11:00 - 11:30 UTC | Performance Space
Join Lulu, Monty and their friend Tom on a vibrant and colourful journey in English Touring Opera’s new opera for babies, which explores the development of language with the help of music and movement. Composed by Russell Hepplewhite. Suitable for babies aged 6−24 months.
Free – booking required below

3 Chord Ukulele Club
2023-11-04 13:00 - 14:00 | Henry Watson Music Library
Join us for an informal ukulele lesson and singalong. Ukulele’s available. Beginners welcome!
Free – please book by emailing catherine.rooney@manchester.gov.uk

Spooky Sunday: Horrible Family Halloween Party!
2023-10-29 17:00 - 20:00
Central Library opens its doors to little spooks and ghouls for a fun-filled family spectacular. Fearsome face painters, spooky silent disco, creepy crafts and maybe a few treats and scary surprises. Fancy dress is absolutely encouraged. So dust down your capes, polish your broomsticks and enjoy a spooktacular evening filled with ghoulish delights!
£10 per family (maximum in a family on 1 ticket is 3 children and 2 adults)
Please note – no unaccompanied adults

Behind The Scenes Tours at Manchester Central Library
2023-10-26 18:00 - 2023-11-23 19:30
What do George V, Gypsy Rose Lee and Bernard Bresslaw have in common?
Which musician was once thrown out of the Language and Literature Library?
What would you find now in the space where Patrick Stewart and Helen Mirren – amongst many others – played their first roles?
All these questions – and many more – are answered on a tour of Manchester Central Library which will take you to all the areas not normally accessible to the general public and tell the story of this iconic building. Tours last around 90 minutes and include the chance to see some of our rarest treasures and archives.
The dates for the next tours are –
Thursday 26th October 2023
Thursday 23rd November 2023
Places are strictly limited so please book early.
Please meet in the main entrance (Shakespeare Hall) of Central Library from 5.45pm. The tour starts at 6pm.

Word Central with special guest Jolivia Gaston
2023-10-24 18:00 - 19:30 | Performance Space
Word Central Open Mic Poetry and Spoken Word
Presented by Manchester Libraries and Flapjack Press
Celebrating Black History Month
Tuesday 24th October, 6pm Free entry
Hosted by Tony Curry with special guest Jolivia Gaston

Book your open mic slot from noon on Tues 10th October via mail@flapjackpress.co.uk

NB Open mic slots are 3 minutes per performer – it is essential that you stay within this timeframe.
Performance slots are allocated on a ‘first come first served’ basis from the stated booking time
If they are already filled you will be offered a place on the reserve list.

Cosy Club
2023-10-23 18:00 - 19:00 | Children’s Library
A cosy evening of independent reading for 8 to 11-year-olds. We’ll build dens, decorate our own cosy reading nooks and settle down for an evening of independent reading and escapism – hot chocolate included! You’ll get all the tips, tricks and kit to build your own home-reading den. Part of ‘Take 10 Week’, supporting mental health through the joy of reading.
Free – just drop in. Please support our cultural programme by donating at our cash or contactless donation boxes.

The Welcome Roadshow
2023-10-23 10:30 - 16:30 | Performance Space
Get ready Greater Manchester! The Welcome Roadshow is coming to Manchester Central Library on Monday the 23rd this October half term, bringing the magic of dance, circus skills and craft workshops.
We’re visiting all 10 boroughs in Greater Manchester, offering FREE workshops. It’s not just about honing your dance, circus and craft skills; it’s about connecting with your community and finding out more about The Welcome a nine-day extravaganza coming to Aviva Studios this autumn.
Find out more and book on the workshops here.

Zebra Tribe Comic Book Festival
2023-10-21 11:00 - 16:30 | Performance Space
Black (African Caribbean and mixed heritage) creatives will get together and showcase their talent. Come along and listen to speakers Corey Brotherson, UK comic creator, and Yomi Ayeni, historic comic creator. There will also be writing workshops for young people and adults, and creative activities for families. An UBUNTU Festival of Events activity in collaboration with The Zebra Partnership and Manchester Central Library.
Suitable for ages 8+.
Free – but booking essential for workshops and Mentor Zone (suitable for ages 10yrs+)
1-2pm workshop booking link
2-3pm workshop booking link
3-4pm workshop booking link

creative:connection
2023-10-20 13:00 - 13:45 | Performance Space
In partnership with Create, disabled and non-disabled students from Manchester and Salford schools come together to create, build connections and break down barriers. Working with top class musicians they will write and perform original songs inspired by the theme ‘Speak Up!’ at this celebratory event. Presented by Manchester Literature Festival.
Tickets FREE – booking advised
Email: miriam@manchesterliteraturefestival.co.uk

Monica Heisey & Sheena Patel
2023-10-20 08:00 - 17:00 | Performance Space
Two of fiction’s rising stars discuss their brilliant debut novels, strong women characters, narrative voice, the perils of modern love and relationships, and how we present ourselves in the physical and digital worlds. Monica Heisey is a writer and comedian from Toronto. She has written for television shows including Schitt’s Creek and Workin’ Moms. Her astute and wildly funny debut novel is Really Good, Actually. Sheena Patel is a writer, assistant director for the film and TV industry and part of the 4 Brown Girls Who Write collective. Her witty and acerbic debut novel, I’m A Fan, won the Discover Book of the Year at the British Book Awards 2023, and was longlisted for the Women’s Prize for Fiction. Presented by Manchester Literature Festival and supported by Sofas & Stuff.
‘The novel I’ve been waiting for my whole life. Brutal, sharp as broken glass, funny, delusional, sexy, troubling. Like Camus went rogue on Instagram.’ Sophie Heawood on Sheena Patel’s I’m A Fan
‘Really Good, Actually is a goddamn delight. Heisey doesn’t shy away from any of the hard stuff, showcasing the myriad ways people turn into little monsters when their hearts get broken and they lose sight of themselves.’ Kristen Arnett on Monica Heisey’s Really Good, Actually

Lisa Nandy
2023-10-19 08:00 - 17:00 | Performance Space
THIS EVENT IS NOW SOLD OUT
‘I am determined that we seize this moment and rise to meet the challenge of our age: to build a country in which everyone has a stake and a contribution to make.’ In her first book, All In: How we build a country that works, Lisa Nandy sets out a way in which we can turn around the global changes, political divisions and economic crises that have rocked the UK. How we can move from fear of differences to strength in our ability to work together and build a fairer, more equal, more prosperous country.
One of the stars of frontline politics, Lisa is MP for Wigan and the Shadow Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities. Presented by Manchester Literature Festival and supported by Sofas & Stuff. Hosted by Katy Shaw, Professor of 21st Century writing and publishing at Northumbria University and Director of the UKRI / AHRC Creative Communities programme.

Decolonising My Body with Afua Hirsch
2023-10-18 08:00 - 17:00 | Performance Space
We’re channelling our ancestors, crediting our ancestors, claiming we are our ancestors “wildest dreams”, and cautioning against our ancestors’ deepest nightmares.’ As she turned forty, broadcaster and journalist Afua Hirsch set out to reconnect with her heritage and apply what she learned to her body. Through puberty rituals to body hair to waist beads to tattoos, in her latest book Decolonising My Body, Afua looks at ideas of how notions of beauty are constructed and stripped away, empowering people to reconnect with their own ancestral heritage and healing their bodies and minds along the way.
Afua Hirsch is a dynamic and fascinating speaker. An award-winning broadcaster, appearing regularly on the BBC, Sky News and CNN, Afua co-presented Samuel L. Jackson’s major BBC TV series Enslaved in 2020. Her first book Brit(ish) was a Sunday Times bestseller and winner of the Royal Society of Literature Jerwood Prize for Non-Fiction. Afua will be in conversation with poet and MLF Patron Jackie Kay. Presented by Manchester Literature Festival and supported by Sofas & Stuff.
Image credit: Henry Gill

Karl Ove Knausgaard in Conversation
2023-10-17 08:00 - 17:00 | Performance Space
Karl Ove Knausgaard, author of My Struggle, ‘the greatest literary invention of the 21st century’, makes his MLF debut to discuss his dazzling new novel The Wolves of Eternity (translated by Martin Aitkin). In Southern Norway in 1986, Syvert Løyning returns home from military service and discovers letters to his late father which lead him to the Soviet Union. In present day Russia, Alevtina cares for her young son and, with the help of her friend Vasilisa, considers the belief in eternal life. But her existence is about to be upended in a way she hasn’t contemplated.
A giant of contemporary literature with the ability to balance unflinching intimacy with big, essential themes, Karl is the much celebrated author of The Morning Star, The Seasons Quartet and the My Struggle cycle of six autobiographical novels. Presented by Manchester Literature Festival and supported by Sofas & Stuff.
Tickets £12/ £30 inc a copy of The Wolves of Eternity (£25 RRP)
Image credit: Sølve Sundsbø

Simon Armitage
2023-10-15 08:00 - 17:00 | Performance Space
‘Perhaps [song lyrics] have something that the poems don’t. Or perhaps they don’t have something that the poems do’. Where do song lyrics and poetry converge? Poet Laureate Simon Armitage has always been inspired as much by music as he is the written or spoken word. His latest book Never Good With Horses collects Simon’s musical outpourings, from the lyrics written for his ambient post-rock band Land Yacht Regatta, to the DIY indie band The Scaremongers to those written for film and theatre productions, including the BAFTA-winning Feltham Sings, for which Simon won an Ivor Novella Award. Join us to hear Simon read some of his favourites and discuss his love of language, his creativity and compositions, his collaborations with musicians, and some of the songwriters and lyricists he admires.
Simon is the author of numerous poetry collections including The Unaccompanied, Seeing Stars and his acclaimed translation of Sir Gawain and the Green Knight. He has won numerous awards including the Queen’s Gold Medal for Poetry. Presented by Manchester Literature Festival in partnership with Manchester Poetry Library. Supported by Sofas & Stuff.
Image credit: Katie Silvester

Gaia Vince in Conversation
2023-10-15 08:00 - 17:00 | Performance Space
EVENT POSTPONED: Please note that due to travel disruptions we are having to postpone this event. Details of the new date will be confirmed shortly and our box office will be in touch with customers to offer a ticket transfer or refund.
‘Have no doubt, we are facing a species emergency – but we can manage it. We can survive, but to do so will require a planned and deliberate migration of a kind humanity has never before undertaken.’ In her latest book, Nomad Century: How to Survive the Climate Upheaval, Gaia Vince promotes the idea of planned and extensive migration as key to surviving the climate crisis. A brilliant speaker, Gaia will discuss how the relocation of hundreds of millions of people will allow us to adapt habitats and create global economic security.
Gaia Vince is an award-winning science writer, journalist and broadcaster. She writes for the Observer and Guardian and presents on BBC R4. She is the author of the groundbreaking work Adventures in The Anthropocene for which she spent 2.5 years travelling to over 50 countries to map the ways humans are changing the planet forever. Presented by Manchester Literature Festival in partnership with Manchester Museum and hosted by Museum Director Esme Ward. Sponsored by Sofas & Stuff.
Image credit: Phil Fisk

Little Reads Family Day with Nathan Bryon & Dapo Adeola
2023-10-14 10:30 - 12:30 | Performance Space
Author Nathan Bryon and illustrator Dapo Adeola’s loveable character Rocket has already taught us about space in the award-winning Look Up! Then she tackled ocean pollution in Clean Up! Now, in Speak Up! she’s back to save her local library which she is horrified to learn is closing for lack of funding. Hear how Dapo and Nathan created Rocket and what inspired her adventures in this action-packed event about speaking up for what you believe in. Includes Speak Up! activity trail and crafting. Presented by Manchester Literature Festival.
Suitable for ages 3 – 6
Image credit: Tim Lane, Penguin Books

Robert John Watson: The Sky Above Her
2023-10-14 08:00 - 2023-12-30 17:00 | First Floor Exhibition Hall
Exhibiting work spanning 20 years, Robert Watson (one of the country’s leading documentary and contemporary photographic artists) returns to Central Library. This free exhibition features images of Manchester Pride and his internationally exhibited Blackpool seascapes. It premiers the series ‘The Sky Above Her’; these vibrant and soulful pictures illustrate the kaleidoscope of colours, seen in the evening skies above his Mother’s headstone.
Free artist’s talk and Q&A followed by exhibition tour at 2pm on 25 November. Book your free place here via eventbrite
Free exhibition – just drop in. Please support our cultural programme by donating online or at our cash or contactless donation boxes

Terrance Hayes, Anthony Anaxagorou & Selina Nwulu
2023-10-13 18:30 - 20:00 | Performance Space
Three dynamic poets perform work from their latest collections, exploring identity, heritage and injustice. Terrance Hayes returns to MLF with his blistering new work So to Speak. Exploring what it means to be an artist and a Black man, Terrance writes about figures including Bob Ross, Lil’ Wayne, David Berman and George Floyd, navigating his way through the predicaments of the present. Anthony Anaxagorou’s daring second collection Heritage Aesthetics asks what it means to have heritage. Considering Cyprus and the diasporic experience, Anthony looks at colonialism and the impact on the public and the personal. Selina Nwulu’s superb debut collection A Little Resurrection melds the golden light of Senegal with the harsh winds of Yorkshire. Exploring grief, injustice and an identity in constant flux.
Terrance Hayes is one of America’s most exciting and innovative poets. His last collection American Sonnets for My Past And Future Assassin was shortlisted for the T.S. Eliot Prize and was the Sunday Times Poetry Book of the Year. Anthony Anaxagorou is a British-born Cypriot poet. His previous collection After the Formalities was shortlisted for the T.S. Eliot Prize and Heritage Aesthetics was awarded the 2023 Ondaatje Prize. He is the artistic director of Out-Spoken. Selina Nwulu was the Young Poet Laureate for London 2015-6. Her first chapbook collection, The Secrets I Let Slip is a Poetry Book Society recommendation.
Presented by Manchester Literature Festival in partnership with Manchester Poetry Library. Supported by Sofas & Stuff.
Image credit: Kathy Ryan

Paper Piano Presents: DJ Goalpost
2023-10-13 08:00 - 17:00 | Henry Watson Music Library
Anyone who has visited the Paper Piano exhibition may have wondered who or what DJ Goalpost is. To answer that, and to mark the end of the exhibition, Paper Piano will be giving away a limited edition DJ Goalpost book. The book is part exploration of what an alter-ego can be, part self-help guide and part treasure chest of memories, past and future. The book is easily identified as it has a photo of DJ Goalpost on the front and features all the Paper Piano trademarks including a CD-R and tea cards. Numbers are extremely limited and will be available from 4pm.

Free – please drop in

Annie Macmanus
2023-10-12 08:00 - 17:00 | Performance Space
‘To be honest with you, I want to make music.’ In Annie Macmanus’ absorbing second novel The Mess We’re In it’s the early noughties and 21-year-old Orla Quinn has made her way to London with a burning desire to become part of the music industry. Moving into a squalid house in Kilburn with her friend Neema and up-and-coming rock band Shiva, Orla works in the local Irish pub and takes work experience at a record label. Negotiating hedonism, sex, parties, the pub locals and life in London, all soundtracked by her favourite artists, Orla learns what it will take to make it.
A dynamic and enthusiastic speaker, Annie will discuss the journey she’s undertaken from discussing other people’s stories to telling her own. Annie is internationally renowned as a DJ, broadcaster and host. Her debut novel Mother Mother was critically acclaimed. She hosts the podcast Changes where she talks to people from all walks of life about the challenges they’ve faced. Hosted by Caroline Magennis, Reader in 20th & 21st Century Literature at the University of Salford. Presented by Manchester Literature Festival. Sponsored by The Edwardian Manchester and supported by Sofas & Stuff.
Image credit: Stephanie Sian Smith

When the Dust Settles - Exhibition
2023-10-09 08:00 - 2023-12-30 17:00 | Archives+ Ground Floor
There are currently thousands of refugees in the UK waiting for decisions on their family reunion applications. Forced migration and the traumatic consequences of separation, as well as of the obstacles to the reunification process, are well documented, as are the most immediate needs of families, once reunited. The longer-term lived experience of reunited refugee families, in contrast, is poorly understood, despite recognition that family reunion is not the end of a journey, but the beginning of another long road for families to be able to settle and build their lives in the UK, free from persecution.
When the Dust Settles is a participatory, mixed media research project that addresses this research gap, by examining the ongoing challenges reunited refugee families face after their first year together in their new home. Created by Dr Maria Abranches (School of International Development, UEA) and Amy Lythgoe (Together Now), and supported by a British Academy Innovation Fellowship.
Free – just drop in
Please make a donation to support our Library Live cultural programme at one of our cash or contactless donation boxes or online

Christie Watson & Lorraine Candy
2023-10-08 08:00 - 17:00 | Performance Space
‘THIS EVENT HAS BEEN CANCELLED DUE TO UNFORESEEN CIRCUMSTANCES’
‘Is this the beginning of the end? Or the end of the beginning? How many women like me are changing like this, all at once, from a butterfly into a caterpillar?’ Through their latest books, Quilt on Fire: The Messy Magic of Friends, Sex & Love and What’s Wrong With Me? Christie Watson and Lorraine Candy make smart, funny, relatable contributions to the growing conversation about women and midlife. How do we navigate perimenopause, parenting and friendships with brain fog, sleepless nights and changing brains and bodies? Hear these two friends and fabulous women share their experiences and feel less alone in navigating yours.
Christie is the author of the bestseller The Language of Kindness, a critically acclaimed book about nursing and our need for compassion. She won the Costa First Novel award for her debut, Tiny Sunbirds Far Away. She was a nurse for 20 years and is now Professor of Medical Humanities at the University of East Anglia. Lorraine is an award-winning journalist, formerly editor-in-chief of Sunday Times Style, ELLE and Cosmopolitan. She is the co-host of the podcast Postcards from Midlife, which features the stories of spirited midlife women and tackles parenting adolescents. Presented by Manchester Literature Festival and supported by Sofas & Stuff.
Image credit: Rebecca Reid

Elif Shafak: My Life in Books
2023-10-08 08:00 - 17:00 | Performance Space
Much loved Turkish-British novelist and regular MLF guest Elif Shafak joins us for a very special event. Elif will discuss some of the writers and poets that have influenced and inspired her in her work and her life, some of the books she returns to regularly for pleasure and guidance and her own life-long passion for reading, writing and storytelling. Elif is a warm, engaging and intelligent speaker whose enthusiasm for literature shines through. This will be a unique event, not to be missed.
Elif is the author of 19 books, including the novels The Island of Missing Trees, 10 Minutes 38 Seconds in this Strange World and The Forty Rules of Love. An inspiring public speaker and an advocate for women’s rights, LGBTQ+ rights and freedom of expression, Elif was awarded the Halldór Laxness International Literature Prize for her contribution to ‘the renewal of the art of storytelling’. Presented by Manchester Literature Festival and supported by Sofas & Stuff.
Image credit: Ferhat Elik

Kate Mosse in Conversation
2023-10-07 16:30 - 18:00 | Performance Space
‘I am, indeed, notorious, feared over sea and land. I am the one they did not believe could exist. I am the commander of the Ghost Ship.’ In her gripping new novel, The Ghost Ship, internationally acclaimed author Kate Mosse tells the tale of a woman in a man’s world. A tale of adventure and liberation, of hidden identities, of love and revenge. Inspired by two real eighteenth-century female pirates, the legendary Anne Bonny and Mary Read, this is a swashbuckling, swaggering tale set against the backdrop of the French religious civil wars and their aftermath.
Kate is the international bestselling author of ten novels and short story collections and several books of non-fiction. These include Labyrinth, Sepulchre, The Burning Chambers and Warrior Queens & Quiet Revolutionaries. She is the Founder of the Women’s Prize for Fiction and the global campaign #WomanInHistory. Hosted by Beth Underdown, author of The Witchfinder’s Sister and The Key in the Lock. Presented by Manchester Literature Festival and supported by Sofas & Stuff.
Image copyright: Ruth Crafer

Deborah Levy
2023-10-07 08:00 - 17:00 | Performance Space
‘I projected myself into her and she became music.’ In August Blue, the latest novel by acclaimed author Deborah Levy, virtuoso pianist Elsa M. Anderson sees a woman in a flea market in Athens who she believes is her double. Following a catastrophic performance where she walked off stage, Elsa is on the run from her talent, men and history. Spending the summer moving across western Europe, the two women repeatedly cross paths, until they finally confront each other in a rainstorm in Paris.
One of our greatest contemporary novelists and a thoughtful and interesting speaker, Deborah engages in ideas about time, culture, identity. She is the author of the living autobiographies Things I Don’t Want to Know, The Cost of Living and Real Estate and several novels including the Booker Prize listed The Man Who Saw Everything, Hot Milk and Swimming Home. Presented by Manchester Literature Festival in partnership with the Centre for New Writing & Creative Manchester. Supported by Sofas & Stuff.
Image credit: Sheila Burnett

Brushstrokes of Bridgerton
2023-10-02 17:30 - 19:30 | Performance Space
Brushstrokes of Bridgerton will be a delightful evening of painting ‘the Ton’. Partake in a glass of wine with top-quality music and enjoy a panel discussion about the show, colour-blind casting, changing the narrative, and our experience within the world of theatre, TV and film. Period costume is optional. An UBUNTU Festival of Events activity.

Drag Queen Cabaret with Angel Delight
2023-09-30 14:00 - 16:00 | Performance Space
Angel invites you to a Saturday afternoon of fun and games.
We all love a game of bingo! but add in some ‘play your cards right’ and ‘name that tune’ with a sprinkling of singalongs and surprises, who could resist!

Crime Central
2023-09-28 18:00 - 19:30 | Performance Space
As the nights get darker, Crime Central returns with three amazing authors and three new books to chill your bones. Rob Parker welcomes Fiona Erskine, Luca Veste and Neil Broadfoot to Central Library!

Fiona Erskine
Engineer by day, writer by night.
Fiona was born in Edinburgh, and grew up playing guitar, riding motorbikes and jumping into cold water. After studying Chemical Engineering at University she learned to weld, cast and machine with apprentices in Paisley before working internationally as a professional engineer. She is now based in the north east of England.
Her latest novel, Phosphate Rocks: A Death in Ten Objects is published by Sandstone Press in June 2021.
Fiona’s debut novel, The Chemical Detective (2019), was shortlisted for the Specsavers Debut Crime Novel Award. Her second thriller in the Jaq Silver series, The Chemical Reaction (2020), was shortlisted for the Staunch Prize.

Luca Veste
Luca Veste is a writer of Italian and Liverpudlian heritage, married with two young daughters, and one of nine children. He studied psychology and criminology at university in Liverpool. He is the author of the Murphy and Rossi series, which includes DEAD GONE, THE DYING PLACE, BLOODSTREAM, and THEN SHE WAS GONE.
Part psychological thriller, part police procedural, his books follow the detective pairing of DI David Murphy and DS Laura Rossi. The novels are set in Liverpool, bringing the city to life in a dark and terrifying manner…with just a splash of Scouse humour.
“Astringent and artfully constructed.” The Financial Times
“A darkly impressive novel… disturbing and intelligent.” The Times
“A chilling début from a writer to watch…” Mark Billingham
“Gripping, unpredictable, genuinely shocking and impossible to put down, Dead Gone is a remarkable début.” Steve Mosby
“A twisty, psychological crime debut in a gritty setting: a new favourite for police procedural lovers” Clare Mackintosh
“Tense and darkly playful.” Chris Ewan
He is a former civil servant, actor, singer and guitarist (although he still picks it up now and again), and now a full-time writer.

Neil Broadfoot
“Neil should be better known and more widely read. A true rising star of crime fiction.”
– Ian Rankin
Neil Broadfoot worked as a journalist for 15 years at both national and local newspapers, including The Scotsman, Scotland on Sunday and the Evening News, covering some of the biggest stories of the day.
Falling Fast, which was shortlisted for the Dundee International Book Prize, is the first in the Edinburgh-set McGregor and Drummond series of thrillers.
His Stirling-set series, which begins with No Man’s Land and features close protection expert Connor Fraser, has been hailed as “tense, fast moving and bloody” and “atmospheric, twisty and explosive” with a “complex cast of characters and a compelling hero”. No Man’s Land was longlisted for the 2019 McIlvanney Award.

Word Central
2023-09-26 18:00 - 19:45 | Performance Space
Word Central Open Mic Poetry and Spoken Word. Presented by Manchester Libraries and Flapjack Press Tuesday 26th September, 6.00pm – 7.45pm.
Hosted by Tony Curry with special guest Janine Booth
Book your open mic slot from noon on Tues 12th September via mail@flapjackpress.co.uk
N.B. Open mic slots are 3 minutes per performer – it is essential that you stay within this timeframe
Performance slots are allocated on a ‘first come first served’ basis from the stated booking time. If they are already filled you will be offered a place on the reserve list.
Event host Tony Curry is a performance poet, playwright, and workshop facilitator. Raised in Crawley by English and South African parents, he has lived and worked in Manchester for three decades, running literature-in-the-community projects with a specific leaning towards mental health and wellbeing. Tony’s solo spoken word shows include Brit Boy, Complicit Relations, Moving and The Odyssey, performed at Manchester’s Royal Exchange Theatre. His play, The Teddy Bear, was staged at Manchester’s Contact Theatre and his work has been exhibited at the city’s art gallery and museum. His latest poetry collection, We Kid Ourselves, is available from Flapjack Press.
September’s special guest is Janine Booth, a Marxist, trade unionist, Labour Party member, socialist-feminist, supporter of Workers’ Liberty, autistic, bi, author, poet, disaffected middle-aged woman and Peterborough United fan. She writes and delivers trade union training, particularly on equalities issues, and speaks widely on socialist politics, history, disabled people’s rights, autism, and neurodiversity. Janine co-edited the anthology NeurodiVERSE for Flapjack Press and her collection of prose and poetry, The Big J vs The Big C: Issues, Experiences and Poems in the Battle Against Breast Cancer, is also available now.

The Declining Winter
2023-09-23 15:00 - 16:00 | Henry Watson Music Library
In association with Paper Piano, The Declining Winter will perform in the Henry Watson Music Library, preceding their November tour with epic45. The self-described “(un) popular music group based in West Yorkshire” creates ethereal, spacious arpeggiated music and unique live experiences.
Yorkshire based The Declining Winter are led by Richard Adams, the co-founder of the Domino Records group Hood. They are purveyors of a unique form of pastoral pop taking in influences from lo-fi, electronica and post rock with a strong visual aesthetic inspired by the countryside of Yorkshire and beyond. Their latest album ‘Really Early, Really Late’ has been universally praised and compared to the likes of Talk Talk and Bark Psychosis.
Free – please drop in
