Literature events at Chorlton Arts Festival

Sarah-Clare Conlon, Literature Editor

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Chorlton Arts Festival

Chorlton Library, Chorlton
16-25 May 2025

Always double check opening hours with the venue before making a special visit.

Robin Ince
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The bunting’s up to celebrate Chorlton Arts Festival’s 23rd birthday, with the multi-venue event running 16 to 25 May, and serving up a whole host of literary arts and spoken word performances by contributors from the Manchester area, and beyond.

Literary proceedings get underway with a creative writing workshop courtesy Chorlton-based The Former Boy Wonder author Robert Graham on the morning of Saturday 17 May (10.30-12am, Chorlton Methodist Church), while Lindy Newns takes up the teaching mantle a week later, with flash fiction (2-4pm, The Lloyds) and poetry (6-8pm).

Various spoken word and performance events are chalked up for the festival, including readings by award-winning poet Suzanne Batty and novelist Nick J Brown.

The showcase event Word Of Mouth welcomes 10 writers for a “fun evening of spoken word” on Tuesday 20 May (7.30-9.30pm, Carlton Club). Headlining is special guest Robin Ince, who will be joined by writers and comedians Zena Barrie, Kate Hook, Jo Howard, Tom Jenks, Thomas Marsden, Melanie Neads, Fat Roland, Reshma Ruia and Dave Williams.

The following day (5-7pm, St Ninian’s) sees a spotlight shone on brand-new magazine The Aftershock Review, which explores poetry’s ability to transform pain into healing. This special Chorlton Arts Festival event hears from The Aftershock Review editor-in-chief Max Wallis, contributing editor Dr Anna Percy and contributor Oliver James Lomax as they discuss the resilience and recovery found within its pages, and present an open mic, welcoming local voices to share poems of survival, rage, tenderness and hope.

Also joining The Aftershock Review event is poet, fiction writer and singer with post-punk band The March Violets Rosie Garland, whose latest novel The Fates (Quercus) is a retelling of the Greek myth of the Fates. In 2023, she was made Fellow of the Royal Society of Literature and Queen of Tartan Noir Val McDermid has named her one of the most compelling LGBT+ writers in the UK today. Rosie’s new poetry collection This Is How I Fight (Nine Arches Press) is out in June 2025.

Where to go near Literature events at Chorlton Arts Festival

Chorlton
Restaurant
Yane

Friendly neighbourhood restaurant in Chorlton, specialising in authentic Japanese cuisine such as donburi, katsu kare and traditional pickles, made in-house.

Chorlton
Shop
Chorlton Bookshop

A family-run bookshop in Manchester’s bohemian suburb, Chorlton Bookshop is a haven of great titles and unknown gems.

Horse and Jockey Chorlton
Chorlton
Restaurant
Horse and Jockey Chorlton

The Horse and Jockey is a popular gastro pub located on Chorlton Green, at the end of Beech Road, a beautiful building and a Chorlton landmark.

Chorlton
Bar or Pub
The Beagle

Helmed by the people behind Common and Port Street Beer House, The Beagle is one of the most popular bars in Chorlton.

Beech Road, Chorlton
Bar or Pub
97 Chorlton

97 is a smart new cocktail bar from the team behind Tariff & Dale and The Lead Station, based on Beech Road in Chorlton.

What's on: Literature

Poet and PBC co-organiser Joey Frances
LiteratureManchester
Peter Barlow’s Cigarette at the Carlton Club

Our favourite “afternoon of alternative poetries” Peter Barlow’s Cigarette is back for the Autumn/Winter season, and it’s bringing a very special bumper four-strong line-up to the Carlton Club.

Free entry
Kieren King compèring Word War Four
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SLAMCHESTER at 53Two

This October, Manchester welcomes the return of SLAMCHESTER, a spoken word slam featuring a special performance by Biz Bond.

From £6.00
Deryn Rees-Jones. Credit Alison Dodd Photography
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Deryn Rees-Jones at Open Eye Gallery

For the seventh Matt Simpson Memorial Reading, hosted by Liverpool Poetry Space (LiPS), Deryn Rees-Jones will be reading from her new collection, Hôtel Amour.

Free entry

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