Literature Events in Manchester and the North

Sarah-Clare Conlon, Literature Editor

There’s much to treat your ears to right now, as authors and poets are flocking to the region, with plenty of famous faces to catch on the road…

Our top picks include Manchester readings by literary legends Armistead Maupin and Roger McGough, and an appearance in Chester by Brian Bilston, plus the 45th Litfest.

Poets & Players is back and there’s a one-off two-part poetry reading at Manchester Cathedral, but if you’d rather stay in than go out, tune in to the Wives and Daughters season beaming out of Elizabeth Gaskell’s House or the full-to-bursting online programme from Carcanet Press, including TS Eliot Prize-shortlisted poet Victoria Kennefick.

Our travels see us venturing East – more precisely, to Poetry at the Dusty Miller in Mytholmroyd, Attic Stories in Huddersfield, Rise Up! in York and Chemistry in Leeds, featuring our very own Literature Editor on headliner duties.

Don’t forget to add Manchester Literature Festival to your diary (details of some early events coming soon) as well as the annual Festival of Libraries courtesy UNESCO Manchester City of Literature.

And finally be sure to flick through our Bookshops in Manchester Guide and check out our pages on literary places in LiverpoolLeeds, Sheffield and Cumbria.

Our top picks

LIVEwire at The Edge

LIVEwire at The Edge Theatre and Arts Centre, Manchester, Until 13 June 2024, from £13.00 - Book now

Following sold-out shows in 2019 and 2021, LIVEwire is back at The Edge on 14 March, and again in June, with an electric line-up featuring performances from Momtaza Mehri, Casey Bailey and Jess Green.

LIVEwire
Photo by Derren Lee Poole

Litfest 2024 at various venues and online

Lancaster Literature Festival - Litfest 2024 at The Storey Creative Industries Centre, Lancashire and online, Until 26 March 2024, free entry - Visit now

Lancaster’s annual literature festival is back, celebrating 45 years with a full programme as spring unfurls – and with it the fabulously accessible chance to come along either in person or virtually from 15 to 26 March.

Hannah Lowe. Credit Lealle Brady
Hannah Lowe. Credit Lealle Brady

Brian Bilston at Storyhouse, Chester

Brian Bilston at Storyhouse, Cheshire, 19 March 2024, from £17.55 - Book now

Maybe he’s the new Pam Ayres, but Brian Bilston has been described as the Banksy of poetry and Twitter’s unofficial Poet Laureate – and you can catch him on 19 March.

Brian Bilston reading his book 'How to Write A Poem' and a cat.
Brian Bilston

Camille Ralphs, Michael Symmons Roberts and Malika Booker at Manchester Cathedral

From Caribbean Ritual to an Elizabethan Magus: Placing Christianity in Contemporary Poetry at Manchester Cathedral, Manchester, 21 March 2024, free entry - Find Out More

Join Manchester Cathedral writer-in-residence Tom Branfoot for this two-part event on 21 March featuring poets Camille Ralphs, Michael Symmons Roberts and Malika Booker discussing the place of Christianity in contemporary poetry, and reading from their work.

Join us for this two-part event between Manchester Writing School at Manchester Metropolitan University and Manchester Cathedral on Christianity and poetry.
Manchester Cathedral

Poets & Players at Burgess Foundation

Poets & Players at International Anthony Burgess Foundation (IABF), Manchester, 23 March 2024, free entry - Find Out More

It’s the first Poets & Players of 2024, back at the International Anthony Burgess Foundation on 23 March with an afternoon of words and music, featuring readings by Mary Jean Chan, Rachael Allen and Katie O’Pray.

Mary Jean Chan
Poet Mary Jean Chan. Photo: Adrian Pope

Marianne Brooker at House of Books & Friends

An Evening with Marianne Brooker: Intervals at House of Books & Friends, Manchester, 26 March 2024, from £5.00 - Book now

Marianne Brooker will be at House of Books & Friends on 26 March to discuss her new book, Intervals, published by Fitzcarraldo and longlisted for the inaugural Women’s Prize for Non-Fiction.

An image of author Marianne Brooker stood in front of green fauna, wearing glasses, smiling and looking up away from camera.
Author Marianne Brooker. Photo: Alexander Burton

Attic Stories at Lawrence Batley Theatre

Attic Stories at Lawrence Batley Theatre, West Yorkshire, 27 March 2024, from £3.00 - Book now

Love words? Head to Lawrence Batley Theatre’s monthly night of words, shared spoken and sung, hosted by Rose Condo. On 27 March, the special guest performer is Ciarán Hodgers, a multi-award winning Irish poet based in the UK, who cut his teeth on the spoken word scene of Salford and Manchester.

Ciarán Hodgers. Photo by Wesley Storey
Ciarán Hodgers. Photo by Wesley Storey

Chemistry at The Chemic

Chemistry at The Chemic Tavern, Leeds, 29 March 2024, free entry - Find Out More

Leeds’ live literature regular Chemistry offers an exciting mix of open mic acts and invited headliners, this month poets Dean Wilson and Sarah-Clare Conlon, our very own Literature Editor, on 29 March.

Poet Joe Williams
Poet Joe Williams

Armistead Maupin at Aviva Studios

An Evening With Armistead Maupin at Aviva Studios, Manchester, 4 April 2024, from £25.00 - Book now

It’s your chance to catch one of the most influential writers of the last century as Armistead Maupin heads out on the road for a UK tour to celebrate the long-awaited tenth novel in the Tales of the City series, and pops back into Manchester, on 4 April.

Image of Armistead Maupin looking to thier side, wearing a navy blue cardigan and magenta scarf
Armistead Maupin. Photo courtesy of artist

Roger McGough at Waterside

Roger McGough: Alive & Gigging at Waterside, Manchester, 5 April 2024, from £20.00 - Book now

One of the famous Liverpool Poets of the Sixties, Roger McGough – ‘the patron saint of poetry’ according to former Poet Laureate Carol Ann Duffy – takes to the stage on 5 April with his latest show, Alive & Gigging, featuring new poems as well as old favourites.

Roger McGough
Roger McGough. Photo: Vicki Sharp

Festival Of Libraries in various venues

Festival of Libraries at Manchester Central Library, Manchester, 13–16 June 2024, free entry - Find Out More

The fourth Festival Of Libraries is a five-day multi-venue celebration of Greater Manchester’s libraries happening 13 to 16 June.

Simon Armitage. Photo Paul Wolfgang Webster

Manchester Literature Festival 2024

Manchester Literature Festival at Contact Theatre, Manchester, 4–20 October 2024, from £5.00 - Book now

Manchester Literature Festival runs from 4 to 20 October and presents inspiring live literature and spoken word from international writers and home-grown talent.

Max Porter. Photo by Francesca Jones
Max Porter. Photo by Francesca Jones.

Wives and Daughters season at Elizabeth Gaskell’s House online

Wives and Daughters - Events Season at Elizabeth Gaskell's House, online, Until 30 November 2024, from £5.00 - Book now

Each year, the team at Elizabeth Gaskell’s House on Manchester’s Plymouth Grove picks one of the famous 19th-century author’s texts to take – in modern parlance – a deep dive into: in 2024, it’s the turn of Wives and Daughters. 

Elizabeth Gaskell's House

More literature events

Image of Armistead Maupin looking to thier side, wearing a navy blue cardigan and magenta scarf
LiteratureManchester
Armistead Maupin at Aviva Studios

It’s your chance to catch one of the most influential writers of the last century as Armistead Maupin heads out on the road for a UK tour.

from £25.00
Roger McGough
LiteratureManchester
Roger McGough at Waterside

One of the famous Liverpool Poets of the Sixties, Roger McGough – ‘the patron saint of poetry’ according to former Poet Laureate Carol Ann Duffy – takes to the stage.

from £20.00
LIVEwire
Until
LiteratureManchester
LIVEwire at The Edge

Following sold-out shows in 2019 and 2021, LIVEwire is back at The Edge this March, and again in June, with an electric line-up.

from £13.00
An image of author Marianne Brooker stood in front of green fauna, wearing glasses, smiling and looking up away from camera.
LiteratureCity Centre
Marianne Brooker at House of Books & Friends

Marianne Brooker will be at House of Books & Friends to discuss her new book, Intervals, published by Fitzcarraldo and longlisted for the inaugural Women’s Prize for Non-Fiction.

from £5.00
Poet Joe Williams
LiteratureLeeds
Chemistry at The Chemic

Leeds’ live literature regular Chemistry offers an exciting mix of open mic acts and invited headliners, this month poets Dean Wilson and Sarah-Clare Conlon.

free entry
Easter Holidays in Manchester and the North
Spotlight on

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Literature Events in Manchester and the North

Manchester
Park
Platt Fields Park

Platt Fields Park in Fallowfield is steeped in history, the land having been acquired by the Platt family in 1225.

HOME Manchester
Manchester
Theatre
HOME Manchester

Now back open with a packed schedule of events and things to do, HOME Manchester is one of the city’s leading hubs for arts and culture.

Cumbria
Event venue
Penrith Old Fire Station

Main venue for Eden Arts, an artist-led organisation based in Eden in Cumbria creating projects around mass participation, local distinctiveness and digital engagement, from Picnic Cinema to The Winter Droving.

The MerseyMade building in Liverpool
Liverpool
Shop
MerseyMade

In the MerseyMade shop you’ll find bottled gin from the likes of Turncoat Gin, Anfield Gin, Albert Dock Gin and Three Graces Gin. Yep, Liverpool REALLY likes its gin.

The Hepworth Wakefield
Wakefield
Gallery
The Hepworth Wakefield

Winner of the 2017 Art Fund Museum of the Year Award, The Hepworth in Wakefield is easily one of the leading cultural highlights of the North.

Culture Guides

Teenage Dads
Music in Manchester and the North

Fresh concert seasons, forward-thinking festivals and a revolving door of amazing gigs. Things are looking bright as spring comes into view.