Literature Events in Manchester and the North

We may be living in the online world for live literature still, but there’s plenty to fill your diary with this April thanks to a whole host of virtual festival events, digital book launches, small screen spoken word showcases and socially distanced reading series…

Liverpool’s A Lovely Word kicks off the month with British/Ghanaian writer and spoken word artist Miss Yankey on 1 April, while Liver Bards’ latest event, ‘Self-Portrait’ featuring Elspeth McLean, airs on 6 April. Manchester’s Word Central returns to our Zoom rooms on 15 April, welcoming poet Louise Fazackerley; slightly later than usual in the month as the week earlier, on 7 April, WC MC Tony Curry is launching a new book with Flapjack Press, We Kid Ourselves. Virtual Verbose is back on 19 April, featuring an open mic alongside guests poet Natalie Ann Holborow and former Verbose host Zena Barrie.

Manchester publisher Carcanet Press hosts launches – with, first up, Victoria Kennefick’s “daring” debut full collection Eat Or We Both Starve then Victoria’s host Martina Evans launches her own book, American Mules, on 21 April, more on both here – while Comma Press and Manchester Metropolitan University take their Publishing Conference 2021 online on 24 and 25 April.

The literary series of Novel Voices events, from Creative Manchester and Blackwell’s Bookshop, sees Ellah Wakatama in conversation with 10 debut authors over the run, and continues with Cherie Jones and Nekesa Afia on 12 April followed by Natasha Brown and Jarred McGinnis on 26 April. Creative Manchester also teams up with the Centre for New Writing on 20 April when creative writing lecturer Beth Underdown talks to acclaimed travel and nature writer, memoirist, broadcaster and children’s author Horatio Clare about his recovery from a mental breakdown, as told in his latest book, Heavy Light. More here.

We’ve been hearing good things about Klara And The Sun, and its author Kazuo Ishiguro is in conversation with Jackie Kay on 19 April as part of the Manchester Literature Festival spring programme, which also features a series of brand-new commissions, in association with Centre for New Writing and Creative Manchester. First was Roger Robinson hosted by Malika Booker, then, on 8 April, rising star on the British poetry scene Caleb Femi chats to writer and performer Vanessa Kisuule, and on 22 April, Natalie Diaz presents her new work and talks about it with Costa winner Mary Jean Chan. All MLF spring events will be captioned and available to watch for seven days after they are first broadcast.

The month comes to a close with another festival as Queer Contact takes place 28 April until 1 May, featuring various writers including Young Identity’s Roma Havers and Ella Otomewo, who will be curating the Outspoken showcase of poets and performers, and Dean Atta, who will be reading from his debut novel The Black Flamingo and chatting about it with the UK’s LGBT History Month Poet Laureate Adam Lowe.

Don’t forget to scroll down for more events and activities. Check out our Guide To Bookshops In Manchester – many of the indies will order books for you and deliver locally while the libraries are shut – plus our literary guides to Liverpool, Leeds, Sheffield and Cumbria.

We are so grateful to National Lottery players, The National Lottery, DCMS and Arts Council England for supporting our freelance writers during this crisis. This means that, although venues remain shut and campaigns cancelled, our writers can be reengaged to help arts organisations and artists across the North of England share their online content with our culture-hungry readers.

Here are our picks