Withington Book Festival at various venues

Imagine our excitement when we heard about plans for the first Withington Book Festival, to take place in autumn 2024, and now the programme has been announced.

Centred around a full day of free events and activities on Saturday 5 October, the packed programme includes a spread of author talks at Withington Public Hall Institute (10am-5pm) plus creative writing workshops and other practical classes led by writers and other creative professionals running concurrently at Withington Works, the upstairs workspace at the newly renovated Withington Baths (11am-2.45pm).

Withington Book Festival organiser Kirstie McCrum hopes the free event will invigorate the local community in South Manchester and create a comfortable space to boost literacy and encourage people to find out more about books.

Manchester-based writers speaking on the day include: queen of domestic suspense Caroline England (10am) talking about the craft of writing; Salt author Trevor Mark Thomas and Confingo author Anne Worthington (11am) discussing their approaches to story-telling; prose writer and self-confessed book obsessive Nicholas Royle (noon); crime writer Chris Frost (1pm) on gripping plots; audio dramatist and Dr Who writer Paul Magrs (2pm); poet and experimental writer Sarah-Clare Conlon reading and chatting to Kirstie McCrum (3pm), and poet, short story writer and novelist Reshma Ruia interviewed by Helen Beesley (4pm).

The wordy workshops you can take part in are: Creative Writing with Burton Road Events (11am); Urban Illustration with photographer-turned-sketcher Len Grant (noon); Self-Publishing with journalist Paul Wheeler (1pm), and Poetry Writing with Ailsa Holland (2pm).

In the run-up to Saturday’s day-long programme, Withington Book Festival kicks off on Wednesday 2 October with a show from the renowned and award-winning VerboseMCR (7.30pm, Fuel Cafe Bar, pay as you feel), featuring headliners Kate Feld, Quigley Brockbank, Trevor Mark Thomas, David Hay, Jemima Foxtrot and Melanie Neads.

The following evening from 7.30pm test your literary knowledge in a free book-themed quiz at Cafe Blah, with questions on classics, Manchester and a picture round.

On Friday 4 October, you have the opportunity to meet the festival team, sample one of the specially concocted book-themed cocktails and enjoy a book-themed playlist at Something More Productive.

The whole four-day festival will be rounded off at Withington Public Hall Institute with a special choir concert at 5pm on Saturday 5 October. Attendees can enjoy a series of songs – including some book-themed picks – from Choirs Manchester.