Manchester Dark, Manchester Light at Craft & Design Centre
Sarah-Clare Conlon, Literature Editor
Channel your inner Victorian street urchin and discover the inspiration behind Rosie Garland’s latest novel, The Night Brother, out on HarperCollins. Devised by the author of The Palace of Curiosities and Vixen and local tour guide Anne Beswick, this special walking tour around the Northern Quarter is organised in conjunction with HAUNT Manchester, so expect some Gothic influences, perfect for the Halloween time of year!
Described as ‘Orlando meets Jekyll and Hyde’, The Night Brother is Manchester-based writer and performer Rosie Garland’s third novel. Rich are the delights of late 19th-century Manchester for young siblings Edie and Gnome. They bicker, banter, shout and scream their way through the city’s streets, embracing its charms and dangers. On this unique city centre walking tour, you’ll be guided in their footsteps by Anne, while Rosie reads excerpts from the novel. Places are limited so be sure to book in advance – and note that Oak Street Cafe at the Craft Centre will be offering cake and coffee or tea for £5 for anyone showing their walking tour ticket on the day.
Meanwhile, another spooky tour takes place on 30 October (2-4pm, free, meet at The Lodge at 212 Barlow Moor Road, Chorlton-cum-Hardy), as part of The Radość Pisania: Manchester Polish Poetry Festival. Led by Manchester Green Badge Tour Guide Emma Fox, this will take in the highlights of the Southern Cemetery (the UK’s largest and Europe’s second largest municipal cemetery), and conclude with a special celebration of legend of Polish poetry Maria Pawlikowska-Jasnorzewska. Known as the Polish Sappho, Maria Pawlikowska-Jasnorzewska was born in 1891 in Kraków – another UNESCO City of Literature – and died in Manchester in 1945. This event will celebrate her life and work with the performance of a specially commissioned poem by Southern Cemetery writer-in-residence Tania Hershman.
The Radość Pisania: Manchester Polish Poetry Festival (the name means ‘The Joy of Writing’ in Polish and is taken from a piece by Polish poet, essayist, translator and recipient of the 1996 Nobel Prize Wisława Szymborska) is curated by Manchester Met’s award-winning poet Mark Pajak, who recently completed a residency in Kraków. The Festival is presented by the Manchester Writing School at Manchester Met in partnership with the British Council, Kraków UNESCO City of Literature and Manchester City of Literature and runs 30 and 31 October, and includes a reception and readings, plus creative writing and translation workshops run by guest poets from Poland, including Weronika Lewandowska, Paweł Łyżwiński, Michał Sobol and Ewa Sonnenberg.
Be sure to check out our Tours & Activities Guide too!
