The bestselling and much-loved author of Brick Lane, Monica Ali visits MLF to celebrate her brilliant new novel Love Marriage, her first book in a decade. Yasmin’s engaged to fellow Junior Doctor Joe, but when they bring the two families together – one love-matched, long-married Bengali immigrants who thrive on home cooking and the other a single white […]
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 […]
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 […]
‘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 […]
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 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 […]
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 […]
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 […]
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 […]
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 […]
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 […]
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
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.
