Oliver James Lomax at The Portico Library

Sarah-Clare Conlon, Literature Editor

Book now

Readings by Oliver Lomax with Barnaby Rule

The Portico Library, Chinatown
30 November 2024

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

A photograph of a white man wearling glasses.
Oliver James Lomax. Courtesy The Portico Library
Book now

If you missed Oliver James Lomax at Word Central recently, then, fear not, as he’s appearing at The Portico Library to read some of his latest poetry.

A poet, educator and trustee of the Working Class Movement Library in Salford, having been poet-in-residence there, Oliver James Lomax passionately believes in cultural equality and the power of the arts to enable everyone in society to have a voice.

Bolton-born Oliver James Lomax first came to WCML’s attention when he visited the library’s reading room to read the first-hand accounts of the Peterloo Massacre of 1819 held in the collection. Some of his resulting Peterloo poems were performed by Maxine Peake at the Radical Readings commemorative event (she calls his work: “Beautifully written poems from a unique voice of integrity and spirit”) and when he supported Billy Bragg at Manchester Central Library a few years back.

He has published five collections of poetry including 2017’s 18 Poems, illustrated by the artist Dan Llewellyn Hall and garnering praise from the likes of Mike Garry and even Cerys Matthews on BBC 6 Music, and The Dandelion Clock (Cityscape Records, 2020). Last year, Working Class Movement Library published Oliver James Lomax’s latest tome, Burial of the Cameo, which he read from at one of Dave Haslam’s recent Art Decades book launches. Ian Rankin said: “Damned fine poems, full of emotional resonance and vivid imagery; the world made fresh to the eye and ear.”

As well as at the Working Class Movement Library, Lomax has been poet-in-residence with Dylan’s Book Bus at The Laugharne Weekend, Latitude Festival, Do Not Go Gentle and The Goodlife Experience, and was poet-in-residence at the Dylan Thomas Birthplace in Swansea, where he also performed alongside Simon Armitage and Daljit Nagra. Lomax has written poetry for film and television and is currently touring his debut album Working-Class Love Poem (Shadrack and Duxbury, 2023) across the UK. His poems are now taught in schools.

Support comes from Barney Rule, an English Literature student at the University of Manchester.

What's on at The Portico Library

Where to go near Oliver James Lomax at The Portico Library

City Centre
Restaurant
Blinker

Elegant cocktail bar in the centre of Manchester, with a relaxed atmosphere and wonderfully friendly staff.

moose coffee manchester creative tourist
Manchester
Café or Coffee Shop
Moose Coffee Manchester

Moose Coffee celebrates ‘the best meal of the day’ (brunch) in American style, with stack pancakes, potato hash, Huevos Rancheros and eggs any way. There’s always a queue.

Home-X
Manchester
Restaurant
Home-X

Home-X is the online spin-off of renowned Scottish-Italian chef Nico Simeone’s Six By Nico restaurant. This is geared around kit meals to cook at home.

Manchester
Restaurant
Pho Manchester

Pho does a fine line in pho, the noodle soup that’s a staple of Vietnamese street cuisine.

Manchester
Shop
Siam Smiles

Now based at the Great Northern, Siam Smiles is a food stop that’s hot on everyone’s lips.

Chinatown
Restaurant
Manchester Art Gallery Cafe

Summery bakes, seasonal salads and fresh light meals at Manchester Art Gallery’s in-house café, courtesy of highly-regarded Head Chef Matthew Taylor.

hunan chinese restaurant manchester
Chinatown
Restaurant
Hunan Restaurant

Hunan, a Chinese restaurant in Manchester’s Chinatown, may be a bit off the beaten track – but it’s all the better for that.

What's on: Literature

Culain Wood
LiteratureManchester
Crooked Poets at the Crooked Man

Hosted by John Darwin, Crooked Poets is a monthly spoken word night at the Crooked Man bar in Prestwich, featuring a special guest and open mic.

Free entry
LiteratureWest Yorkshire
Poetry at the Dusty Miller

Poetry at the Dusty Miller is a now regular night with invited readers, organised by poets Carola Luther and Ian Humphreys in the Coiners’ Room in the Mytholmroyd pub.

Free entry

Culture Guides

Blondshell by Hannah Bon.
Music in the North

From Lyra Pramuk’s sacred synths to the sugar rush of YAANG, our latest music picks bring ritual, rebellion and ridiculous levels of fun.

Two women stand next to an orange car.
Cinema in the North

August brings a huge LGBTQ+ film festival, plus a reggae classic and a spotlight on Japanese animation.

Theatre in Manchester and the North.
Theatre in the North

From outdoor shows to drama in the dark, our theatre guide celebrates genre-pushing work, new writing and contemporary performance.

Author portrait
Literature Events in the North

Our latest round-up features plenty of one-off live literature events to wrap your ears about, so get those diaries ticking over...