Writing Manchester Gothic: Tania Hershman and Rosie Garland at Man Met

Sarah-Clare Conlon, Literature Editor

Visit now

Writing Manchester Gothic: An Audience with Tania Hershman and Rosie Garland

15 October 2019

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

Writer Rosie Garland. Photo by Absolut Queer Photography.
Writer Rosie Garland. Photo by Absolut Queer Photography.
Book now

The Gothic Manchester Festival is back for a seventh year, running throughout October with various events and activities to whet your ghoulish whistles (more here). We’re excited about this evening, which brings together two acclaimed Manchester-based writers of both poetry and prose and who are both currently working in the Gothic mode. Tania Hershman and Rosie Garland will read from selections of their work, and will be joined in conversation by Dale Townshend, Professor of Gothic Literature from the Manchester Centre for Gothic Studies at Manchester Metropolitan University, which organises the annual festival in the run-up to Halloween.

This “audience with” event is unique in that not only are Tania and Rosie friends IRL, they are also two of Manchester’s current Writers-in-Residence: Tania at Southern Cemetery – keep your ears open for a related BBC Radio 4 broadcast coming soon – and Rosie at John Rylands Library – where she will be reading on 17 October (6pm, free) from the manuscript she’s been working on in its cathedral-like confines.

This “audience with” event is unique in that not only are Tania and Rosie friends IRL, they are also two of Manchester’s current Writers-in-Residence: Tania at Southern Cemetery and Rosie at John Rylands Library

Tania Hershman – appearing in the Flash In The Van event at Burnley Literary Festival on 5 October – is the author of three short story collections: The White Road and Other Stories, My Mother Was An Upright Piano and Some Of Us Glow More Than Others, published by Unthank Books in May 2017. Her debut poetry collection, Terms & Conditions, was published this summer by Nine Arches Press and she is also the author of a poetry chapbook, Nothing Here Is Wild, Everything Is Open. Tania curates short story hub ShortStops, which celebrates short story activity across the UK and Ireland, is the co-author of Writing Short Stories: A Writers’ & Artists’ Companion (Bloomsbury, 2014), and has a PhD in creative writing inspired by particle physics.

Equally capable of multi-tasking, Rosie Garland is a novelist, poet and performer – she’s both Rosie Lugosi Vampire Queen and the singer with post-punk band The March Violets. Her debut novel, The Palace of Curiosities, was published by HarperCollins and was nominated for both The Desmond Elliott and Polari First Book Prize and her second, Vixen, was a Green Carnation Prize nominee. Her third novel, The Night Brother, is described by The Times as “a delight: playful and exuberant… with shades of Angela Carter” and she’s currently working on her fourth. She has also published five solo collections of poetry – the most recent, As In Judy, with Flapjack Press in 2017 – and her award-winning short stories, poems and essays have been widely anthologised and appear in Under the Radar, The North, Spelk, Rialto, Mslexia and elsewhere.

Rosie will be popping up again on 24 October, introducing an evening of folk horror with Water Shall Refuse Them author Lucie McKnight Hardy and Starve Acre‘s Andrew Michael Hurley at Blackwell’s. More here.

Where to go near Writing Manchester Gothic: Tania Hershman and Rosie Garland at Man Met

exterior of Contact Theatre building
Manchester
Theatre
Contact Theatre

Following a major redevelopment, the iconic venue on Oxford Road will be reopening its doors to welcome the public back into the building this autumn. 

Manchester
Music venue
The Deaf Institute

The Deaf Institute is a vibrant gig venue and nightclub for which it is well worth taking a jaunt out of the Northern Quarter.

Manchester
Catalog Bookshop

Find Peter and his Christiania cargo bike around All Saints Park, a hop, skip and a bunnyhop from Manchester Poetry Library.

Manchester
Bar or Pub
Sandbar

Sandbar, just off Oxford Road in Manchester, is a well-loved watering hole, with a great selection of ales and some eccentric seating.

Johnny Roadhouse store
Manchester
Shop
Johnny Roadhouse

Buffeted by fried chicken outlets, legendary musical instrument emporium Johnny Roadhouse has been serving the local music community for over 50 years.

Manchester
Café or Coffee Shop
Eighth Day

Eighth Day is a co-operative shop that sells ethically-sourced food, wine and cosmetics. There’s also café that serves hearty, healthy meals in the basement.

Manchester
Event venue
The Proud Place

Based in the heart of Manchester on Sidney Street, The Proud Place houses The Proud Trust and serves as a community hub for the wider LGBT+ population across Greater Manchester and beyond.

What's on: Literature

LiteratureLeeds
Lisa Jewell at the Old Woollen

“Twisty page-turners. Domestic dramas. Bone-chilling suspense.” That’s how #1 New York Times bestselling author Lisa Jewell is described by her publisher Simon & Schuster on their home page for her.

From £18.00
Jenn Ashworth at Blackwell's Manchester
LiteratureManchester
Jenn Ashworth at Blackwells

Jenn Ashworth is back at Blackwells bookshop for the Manchester launch of her latest work, reading extracts and chatting to Helen Mort about how The Parallel Path came about.

From £4.00
LiteratureLeeds
Chemistry at The Chemic

Leeds live literature regular Chemistry offers an exciting mix of open mic acts and invited poets – this month the headliners include Rosie Garland.

Free entry
Poet Mike Garry. Photo Paul Wolfgang Webster
LiteratureManchester
Word Central at Central Library

Word Central is a long-standing live literature favourite at Central Library and features open mic performers and a special guest, brought to you by Manchester Libraries and Flapjack Press.

Free entry

Culture Guides

European Poetry Festival European Camarade
Literature Events in the North

From tongue-twisters to twisty page-turners, we have all kinds of spoken word surprises in the latest literature round-up.

Theatre in Manchester
Theatre in the North

Summer signals theatre festivals, world premieres and open-air spectacle - from MIF25 to comedy, outdoor circus and beyond, here’s what we’re looking forward to.

Cloudwater Production One
Tours and Activities in the North

Go forth with wild abandon to dance the pavements, dabble with the paint and down the pints in this month's tours and activities guide.

Star Nhà Ease
Cinema in the North

July's cinema highlights include spotlights on international cinema, a new cult classic, plus a visit from one of our favourite directors.

Exhibitions in the North

Captivating, urgent and intimate - we bring you our top exhibition picks, with even more art festivals, artist-led shows and new venues.

Helena Hauff
Music in the North

Shape-shifting bands, scorched-earth techno, and off-grid festivals. Our latest music picks catch the live scene at its most urgent, inventive and alive.