On the anniversary of Peterloo, we want to transport you to the world of ‘Libertalia’ a place where all are free and equal, a ‘way of being’ the people of Peterloo wanted so much for Manchester. ‘Libertalia’ was a city founded by Madagascan pirates in the 17th century. Here the pirates acted as “vigilant guardians of […]
MAG (Mines Advisory Group), a Manchester-based landmine clearance charity, is celebrating 30 years of life-saving work across the globe. The Walk Without Fear exhibition tells the stories of people affected by landmines in Angola, and MAG's campaign for a world without landmines by 2025.
Let our expert Speed Mentors help you turn your new food business into a tasty success The UK’s food and drinks sector is going from strength to strength with developments in street food and markets, pop-up catering, hospitality and myriad innovative new product launches all contributing to our growing reputation as a nation of foodies. […]
Hosted by Paul Neads with special guest poet Gerry Potter. October’s guest Gerry Potter is a poet, playwright, director, actor, and both creator and destroyer of the infamous gingham diva, Chloe Poems. A favourite son of Manchester and his home town Liverpool, he trained at Everyman Youth Theatre and National Museums Liverpool lists him amongst […]
Manchester Literature Festival presents... ‘The status quo might revere men as a class, but it destroys them as individuals.’ In Boys Will Be Boys, Australian feminist Clementine Ford’s furious and funny new book, she considers why toxic masculinity isn’t just bad […]
In preparation for the Dashehra Diwali celebration on 12 October, we will be holding lantern making workshops for those wishing to be a part of the lantern parade on the evening of 12 October. There are three sessions to choose from - Saturday 5 October 11am–1.30pm Saturday 5 October 2 - 4pm Saturday 12 October […]
Manchester Literature Festival presents... Bloody Brilliant Women, Channel 4 journalist Cathy Newman’s fascinating history of British women, asks two important questions: what were the sources of female power in the 20th century?, and what have women used this power to achieve? […]
Manchester Literature Festival presents... It really is a man’s world. In her latest book Invisible Women, writer and feminist campaigner Caroline Criado Perez (Do It Like a Woman) considers how the perspective we have of the world has been recorded and […]
Manchester Literature Festival presents... Celeste Ng, author of the critically acclaimed bestsellers Everything I Never Told You and Little Fires Everywhere, joins us to talk about her work. Her gripping novels explore themes of race, class and privilege through family dynamics, […]
Jim Kay will be talking about his inspiration behind the art for the book and what it was like to illustrate J.K. Rowling’s words. Jim will reveal some of the stories behind his work, the artists that have inspired him and how he goes about creating images of the key characters from the Harry Potter […]
Manchester Literature Festival presents... Celebrated Cuban writer, Legna Rodríguez Iglesias launches her bi-lingual poetry collection A little body are many parts. Legna has won a number of prestigious national and international prizes including the Premio Paz for her collection, Miami Century […]
Manchester Literature Festival presents... “I decided that I’d start to try to acknowledge the strength it had taken for me to get through, and over, my upbringing and become the woman I am today.” Kerry Hudson grew up in a succession […]
Manchester Literature Festival presents... Does anyone care about a sex worker, murdered and abandoned in a bin in Istanbul? Tequila Leila’s friends do. In her superb new novel 10 Minutes 38 Seconds in This Strange World, Elif Shafak considers the meaning […]
Visit Central Library during the afternoon to start the celebrations off with performances, crafts and much more. Free for everyone. No need to book just drop in.
Manchester Literature Festival presents... ‘You are history.’ In her stunning new novel, The Man Who Saw Everything, Deborah Levy considers duality: duality of time, of place, of people. She explores how those dualities might affect our perspective – personally and politically […]
Manchester Literature Festival presents... Leading feminist activist Mona Eltahawy (Headscarves and Hymens: Why the Middle East Needs a Sexual Revolution) is on a mission to arm women and dismantle the patriarchy. Through her new manifesto, The Seven Necessary Sins for Women […]
The histories and lived experiences of deafness are rich and complex. Extraordinary technological advances have been made in the exploration of hearing, alongside a better appreciation of the social and psychological impact of sensory perception on learning. The materials displayed offer an insight into the varied historical and contemporary approaches in deaf education and audiology, from […]
Manchester Literature Festival presents... ‘One loved money, one loved power and one loved her country’. International bestselling Chinese author, Jung Chang discusses her gripping new biography Big Sister, Little Sister, Red Sister: Three Women at the Heart of Twentieth-Century China. The […]
Manchester Literature Festival presents... Is it possible to find love in your nineties? In Howard Jacobson’s hilarious new novel Live a Little, nonagenarians Beryl Dusinbery and Shimi Carmelli reflect on their lives. Beryl’s problem is that she’s forgetting things – particularly […]
Manchester Literature Festival presents... In her witty and poignant new novel, The Carer, much loved novelist and screenwriter Deborah Moggach tells the tale of James, his new carer Mandy, and his middle-aged children, Phoebe and Robert. Has the arrival of Mandy […]
Manchester Literature Festival presents... In partnership with Create, disabled and non-disabled students from Chatsworth High School & Community College, Grange School, Loreto High School and New Park Academy will come together to take part in an award-winning music project designed to […]
Dr Chris Paton explores some of the areas of ancestral hardship, to allow us to truly understand the situations that our forebears had to endure and overcome. An Anglo-Scottish Family History Society event.
Manchester Literature Festival presents... Join us for a day of fictional fun! Enjoy FREE arts and crafts in our marketplace, and let your imagination run wild in our special story den… Ready Steady Lift Off!: 10.30 – 11.30am Navigate, sing, paint […]
Dr Chris Paton explores some of the areas of ancestral hardship, to allow us to truly understand the situations that our forebears had to endure and overcome. An Anglo-Scottish Family History Society event.
Manchester Literature Festival presents... Join us for a day of fictional fun! Enjoy FREE arts and crafts in our marketplace, and let your imagination run wild in our special story den… Ready Steady Lift Off!: 10.30 – 11.30am Navigate, sing, paint […]
Do you want to learn how to code? Come along to our new series of coding workshops for all. Families, adults, grandparents, in fact anyone aged 8 years and above is welcome to join us in learning how to code these cute and friendly robots. Free – please drop-in
Manchester Literature Festival presents... ‘She was the bravest person I ever met’ – Lale Sokolov. Heather Morris’s debut novel, The Tattooist of Auschwitz, became an international bestseller as it moved and uplifted readers across the world. New Zealand author, Heather joins […]
Manchester Literature Festival presents... Raifa Rafiq, Salma El-Wardany, Yassmin Midhat Abdel-Magied & Afshan D’souza Lodhi In 2016, former Prime Minster, David Cameron, said he considered Muslim women to be traditionally submissive. Frustrated by constantly being told what Muslim women were like, It’s Not About the Burqa anthology editor Mariam Khan wanted Muslim women to voice […]
Manchester Literature Festival presents... Exceptional times call for exceptional writers. Scottish Makar, poet, and novelist Jackie Kay introduces her selection of ten of the most exciting BAME (black, Asian and minority ethnic people) writers working in the UK today. Experience incredible writing, and find out why Jackie feels these are the writers who are influencing […]
European expat women share their experience of being a woman, an immigrant, and a business leader in creative industries. We will welcome 4 European expat women who run a creative business in Manchester to share their experience of being a woman, an immigrant, and a leader in creative industries. Our speakers will present a range […]
SORRY, THIS EVENT IS NOW SOLD OUT. Join us for this very special event with best-selling author Jacqueline Wilson. Celebrating publication of her new book, We Are The Beaker Girls, Jacqueline will discuss creating the world of Tracy Beaker and why the little girl from a children’s home has proved so popular. There will be […]
A campaign that aims to change the record on ageing - Talking About My Generation - hosts people aged 50 and over, from different walks of life, who will share their personal stories that challenge age-related prejudice and stereotypes. Visitors can browse the bookcase of titles and choose the book they want to read. However, […]
Grey Hen Press invites you to the book launch of 'Vaster then Empires' their latest poetry anthology. Love them, sometimes loathe them, vegetables are such a part of our daily lives it can be hard to take a fresh look. Within the covers of this book you will find a market stall of beauty and […]
As part of Manchester’s Halloween in the City weekend, we are celebrating with a totally Spooky Sunday at Manchester Central Library. We have many tricks and treats planned for those children brave enough to enter the haunted library! Marvel at the magical drag queen storytellers Discover the demonic disco Create some creepy crafts Watch a fearsome film […]
The Ahmed Iqbal Ullah Education Trust and Big People Music present 3 days of history, 3 days of futurity on the 1st, 28th and 30th October. Come and experience black culture, what it means, and why unifying a social movement forward is crucial to how we define a legacy. We encourage you to be open […]
Two players enter a virtual world and compete for the ultimate prize: happiness. Made especially for public spaces and influenced by video games; First Person is a quirky fusion of fast paced promenade theatre and physical performance. Grab your headphones, predict your winner and cheer them on. Part of the Big Imaginations Festival. 30 min […]
Join us for this hybrid talk / performance, led by academic and artist Stav Meishar. Stav will discuss the lives of Jewish circus artists during Nazi regime, their legacies and their fates, as well as the process of transforming real stories into her stage work. The talk will be woven with excerpts from Stav’s theater-circus […]
Looking for inspiration for a Halloween outfit? Why not drop in to our Media Lounge and have a go a creating those important witches hats, wands and more? We will assist by using sewing machines for the finishing touches. Free - family drop in
The Ahmed Iqbal Ullah Education Trust and Big People Music present 3 days of history, 3 days of futurity on the 1st, 28th and 30th October. Come and experience black culture, what it means, and why unifying a social movement forward is crucial to how we define a legacy. We encourage you to be open […]
Come and balance objects, yourself and other people with the Circus House group. Skills covered include spinning plates, tight-wire and acro-balance. 2 sessions at 1.30-2.30 and 3-4 pm, plus free craft activities. Suitable for 4-12 year olds Free drop in but places are limited
Founded in Manchester by former foster carer and straight ally Cath Hall in 1989, akt (formerly The Albert Kennedy Trust) now works to support LGBTQ+ young people facing homelessness across the UK. This portrait exhibition celebrates faces from throughout its lifetime, including patrons, ex-service users, mentors, carers and Cath herself. Free – please drop-in
Come and join us in a unique and special ancient Mexican celebration Dia de Muertos (Day of the Dead). In Mexican culture it is believed that during this time of the year your lost loved ones come back to visit. Family and friends gather together to honour their relatives and friends by cooking their favourite […]
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.
