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There’s plenty on as we head into June, including a county-wide celebration of libraries and some tempting sniffs of upcoming real-life live literature…
First of all, happy birthday to Manchester’s Word Central, in conjunction with Flapjack Press, which turns five on 3 June with a shindig featuring regular host Tony Curry in the headline spot. The night before, Speak Easy is live on Zoom – but pop Thursday 1 July in your diary for its return in person, picking up proceedings at Chorlton’s Dulcimer following the sad demise of Sip Club. Also back in real life after taking a break in June is Liverpool’s A Lovely Word… back on Thursday 1 July with headliner poet Curtis Watt at St James’ Gardens below the Anglican Cathedral and on Thursday 5 August with Afflecks creative-in-residence Joy France at Princes Park wooden henge.
While we’re talking alfresco in Liverpool, The Reader’s Spoken Word evening is back in the Secret Garden in Calderstones Park for a second outing on 17 June, and aims to continue apace every third Thursday of the month. Find out more in our preview here. The weekly Poetry Walks and Shared Reading groups are also back on, so if you like your literature served with a side order of gorgeous surroundings, read on here.
The programme for Manchester’s first-ever Festival Of Libraries has been revealed, and runs 9 to 13 June with plenty to pick from, including an evening with three writers connected to the city through the Manchester Writing School: Lara Williams, Keith Hutson and Oliver Harris. The Writing School’s Malika Booker, meanwhile, is chatting to poet Jason Allen-Paisant about his debut collection with Manchester’s Carcanet Press on 30 June, while Richard Price launches his new Carcanet book the week before on 23 June.
Looking to July, and Didsbury Arts Festival welcomes Mike Garry and Manchester International Festival has a programme loaded with poetry, prose and more – see our previews on Arcadia, I Love You Too and Notes On Grief.
The Elizabeth Gaskell’s House book sale is back on 13 June, so get your place booked as soon as possible, and check out our Guide To Bookshops In Manchester. And don’t forget to scroll down for more events and activities, or see our literary guides to Liverpool, Leeds, Sheffield and Cumbria if you’re venturing further afield.
Here are our picks
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1. Carcanet online book launch: Thinking With Trees by Jason Allen-Paisant
Poet Jason Allen-Paisant. Thinking with Trees by Jason Allen-Paisant: Carcanet Book Launch, online, 30 June 2021, from £2 - Book now
Jamaican-born, Leeds-based poet Jason Allen-Paisant launches Thinking With Trees, his debut collection, reading from the new work on 30 June and chatting about it with Forward Prize-winning poet Malika Booker.
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2. Mike Garry live online at Didsbury Arts Festival
Poet Mike Garry. Photo Paul Wolfgang Webster. Mike Garry live online at Didsbury Arts Festival, 1 July 2021, free entry - Find Out More
Manchester poet Mike Garry will be performing live online on 1 July as part of Didsbury Arts Festival 2021, this year taking place virtually, with an audience Q&A part of the event.
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3. I Love You Too – part of Manchester International Festival 2021
Artist Kemang Wa Lehulere. I Love You Too at Manchester Central Library, Manchester, 2–10 July 2021, free entry - Find Out More
Visual artist Kemang Wa Lehulere collaborates with 11 Manchester writers and over 100 residents of the city to create a surprising collection of love letters – a new book for Central Library and installation in situ 2 to 10 July.
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4. Arcadia – part of Manchester International Festival 2021
Arcadia at MIF21. Arcadia at The Factory, Castlefield, 10–11 July 2021, free entry - Find Out More
Be among the first to experience new work at MIF’s future year-round home The Factory with a special installation on 10 and 11 July bringing the natural world into the heart of the city via a poetic soundscape – created for the site by internationally renowned theatre and opera director Deborah Warner.
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5. Notes On Grief – part of Manchester International Festival 2021
Writer Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie. Photo by Manny Jefferson. Notes On Grief at Manchester Central Convention Centre, City Centre, 7–18 July 2021, free entry - Find Out More
Award-winning author Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie’s latest powerful book Notes On Grief – a reflection on family, love and loss – journeys from page to stage in theatre director Rae McKen’s new production, running from 7 July until the end of Manchester International Festival.
More in Literature
The Little Library in Spinningfields
Take your pick from The Little Library’s carefully curated collection of classics and new releases, adding a recently read book of your own as a replacement.
Book sale at Elizabeth Gaskell’s House
Elizabeth Gaskell’s House and award-winning garden is a must-see, with the famous book sale back on 18 April and scheduled thereafter for 9 May, 13 June, 11 July, 8 August, 12 September, 10 October, 14 November and 12 December 2021, 11am-4pm.
Poetry Walk at The Reader in Liverpool
Every Thursday morning you’re invited to join the Poetry Walk with The Reader in Calderstones Park. Get into the great outdoors and escape the everyday, while exploring poetry and making the most of the beautiful surroundings in a safe and socially distanced way.
Sir Walter Scott and Elizabeth Gaskell
Join Dr. Diane Duffy for a look into the literary works of Sir Walter Scott and his relationship to Elizabeth Gaskell in our literary canon.
Children’s Literature: With Prof. Kim Reynolds
Professor Kim Reynolds will be exploring the world of children’s literature that Elizabeth Gaskell may have read to her own four daughters and the influence this may have had on her own writings.
Lakes International Comic Art Festival
The Lakes International Comic Art Festival is back in the Cumbrian town of Kendal, bigger and better than ever, and with plenty of storytelling treats in both words and pictures.
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