Literature Events in Manchester and the North

Sarah-Clare Conlon, Literature Editor

We’ve got lots of live literature to check out and plenty of other opportunities for writers and readers alike as the clocks go back…

Our top picks include Manchester readings by literary legends Armistead Maupin and Roger McGough. We also feature two popular returning events – the Northern Lights Writers’ Conference, for picking up writing and publishing tips, and the Northern Publishers’ Fair, for picking up lots of lovely new books!

Staying in rather than heading out? Tune in to the ongoing Wives and Daughters season beaming out of Elizabeth Gaskell’s House or the full-to-bursting online programme from Carcanet Press, including debut poet Rebecca Hurst.

Another Carcanet poet is TS Eliot Prize-shortlisted Victoria Kennefick, who will be at Blackwell’s with Declan Ryan, both reading from and chatting about their new poetry collections – more here.

Don’t forget to add Manchester Literature Festival to your diary – including some spring trailblazers – as well as the annual Festival of Libraries courtesy UNESCO Manchester City of Literature.

And finally be sure to flick through our Bookshops in Manchester Guide and check out our pages on literary places in LiverpoolLeeds, Sheffield and Cumbria.

Our top picks

Chemistry at The Chemic

Chemistry at The Chemic Tavern, Leeds, 29 March 2024, free entry - Find Out More

Leeds’ live literature regular Chemistry offers an exciting mix of open mic acts and invited headliners, this month poets Dean Wilson and Sarah-Clare Conlon, our very own Literature Editor, on 29 March.

Poet Joe Williams
Poet Joe Williams

Armistead Maupin at Aviva Studios

An Evening With Armistead Maupin at Aviva Studios, Manchester, 4 April 2024, from £25.00 - Book now

It’s your chance to catch one of the most influential writers of the last century as Armistead Maupin heads out on the road for a UK tour to celebrate the long-awaited tenth novel in the Tales of the City series, and pops back into Manchester, on 4 April.

Image of Armistead Maupin looking to thier side, wearing a navy blue cardigan and magenta scarf
Armistead Maupin. Photo courtesy of artist

Roger McGough at Waterside

Roger McGough: Alive & Gigging at Waterside, Manchester, 5 April 2024, from £20.00 - Book now

One of the famous Liverpool Poets of the Sixties, Roger McGough – ‘the patron saint of poetry’ according to former Poet Laureate Carol Ann Duffy – takes to the stage on 5 April with his latest show, Alive & Gigging, featuring new poems as well as old favourites.

Roger McGough
Roger McGough. Photo: Vicki Sharp

Victoria Kennefick and Declan Ryan at Blackwell’s

LITERATURE LIVE! Victoria Kennefick and Declan Ryan in conversation at Blackwell’s Manchester, Manchester, 8 April 2024, from £3.00 - Book now

The University of Manchester’s Centre for New Writing’s Literature Live series continues apace, here welcoming Victoria Kennefick and Declan Ryan to Blackwell’s Bookshop on 8 April to read from their new poetry collections Egg/Shell and Crisis Actor, and talk about them with CfNW’s John McAuliffe.

Victoria Kennefick / Carcanet Press
Victoria Kennefick / Carcanet Press

Northern Lights Writers’ Conference 2024 at Waterside

Northern Lights Writers' Conference 2024 at Waterside, Manchester, 13 April 2024, from £25.00 - Book now

Northern Lights Writers’ Conference on 13 April is a full day’s shindig on the craft and business of writing for scribes at all stages of their career, from the unpublished to those already established with words in print.

Eleanor Pilcher / Creative Industries Trafford
Eleanor Pilcher / Creative Industries Trafford

Carcanet online book launch: The Iron Bridge by Rebecca Hurst

The Iron Bridge by Rebecca Hurst: Carcanet Online Book Launch, online, 17 April 2024, from £2.00 - Book now

We’re very excited about the launch, on 17 April, of Rebecca Hurst’s debut poetry collection The Iron Bridge, published by Manchester’s Carcanet Press. The online event will feature a reading from the text and a chat about the book with host, poet Sarah Hesketh.

Rebecca Hurst
Carcanet Press

David Nicholls at Central Library

David Nicholls in Conversation at Manchester Central Library, Manchester, 22 April 2024, from £10.00 - Book now

Presented in partnership with the Centre for New Writing, Creative Manchester and Waterstones Deansgate, best-selling author David Nicholls is one of the trailblazers of this year’s Manchester Literature Festival, returning to Central Library on 22 April.

A white, middle aged man with short brown hair and wearing a light blue shirt, sits at a round table by a window and against a white wall. He has his arms crossed on the table.
David Nicholls. Photo: Sophia Spring

Festival Of Libraries in various venues

Festival of Libraries at Manchester Central Library, Manchester, 13–16 June 2024, free entry - Find Out More

The fourth Festival Of Libraries is a five-day multi-venue celebration of Greater Manchester’s libraries happening 13 to 16 June.

Simon Armitage. Photo Paul Wolfgang Webster

Manchester Literature Festival 2024

Manchester Literature Festival at Contact Theatre, Manchester, 4–20 October 2024, from £5.00 - Book now

Manchester Literature Festival runs from 4 to 20 October and presents inspiring live literature and spoken word from international writers and home-grown talent.

Max Porter. Photo by Francesca Jones
Max Porter. Photo by Francesca Jones.

Wives and Daughters season at Elizabeth Gaskell’s House online

Wives and Daughters - Events Season at Elizabeth Gaskell's House, online, Until 30 November 2024, from £5.00 - Book now

Each year, the team at Elizabeth Gaskell’s House on Manchester’s Plymouth Grove picks one of the famous 19th-century author’s texts to take – in modern parlance – a deep dive into: in 2024, it’s the turn of Wives and Daughters. 

Elizabeth Gaskell's House

More literature events

Victoria Kennefick / Carcanet Press
LiteratureManchester
Victoria Kennefick and Declan Ryan at Blackwell’s

The University of Manchester’s Centre for New Writing’s Literature Live series continues apace, here welcoming Victoria Kennefick and Declan Ryan to Blackwell’s Bookshop to read from their new poetry and talk about them with John McAuliffe.

from £3.00
Poet Joe Williams
LiteratureLeeds
Chemistry at The Chemic

Leeds’ live literature regular Chemistry offers an exciting mix of open mic acts and invited headliners, this month poets Dean Wilson and Sarah-Clare Conlon.

free entry
Image of Armistead Maupin looking to thier side, wearing a navy blue cardigan and magenta scarf
LiteratureManchester
Armistead Maupin at Aviva Studios

It’s your chance to catch one of the most influential writers of the last century as Armistead Maupin heads out on the road for a UK tour.

from £25.00
Roger McGough
LiteratureManchester
Roger McGough at Waterside

One of the famous Liverpool Poets of the Sixties, Roger McGough – ‘the patron saint of poetry’ according to former Poet Laureate Carol Ann Duffy – takes to the stage.

from £20.00
Rebecca Hurst
Literature
Carcanet online book launch: The Iron Bridge by Rebecca Hurst

We’re very excited about the launch of Rebecca Hurst’s debut poetry collection The Iron Bridge, published by Manchester’s Carcanet Press. The online event will feature a reading from the text and a chat about the book with host, poet Sarah Hesketh.

from £2.00
LIVEwire
Until
LiteratureManchester
LIVEwire at The Edge

Following sold-out shows in 2019 and 2021, LIVEwire is back at The Edge this March, and again in June, with an electric line-up.

from £13.00
A white, middle aged man with short brown hair and wearing a light blue shirt, sits at a round table by a window and against a white wall. He has his arms crossed on the table.
LiteratureManchester
David Nicholls at Central Library

Presented in partnership with the Centre for New Writing, Creative Manchester and Waterstones Deansgate, best-selling author David Nicholls is one of the trailblazers of this year’s Manchester Literature Festival.

from £10.00
Easter Holidays in Manchester and the North
Spotlight on

Things to do over the Easter Holidays

Looking for some ideas to keep little and big kids as busy as the Easter bunny? Check out our guide.

Take me there

Literature Events in Manchester and the North

Manchester
Park
Platt Fields Park

Platt Fields Park in Fallowfield is steeped in history, the land having been acquired by the Platt family in 1225.

HOME Manchester
Manchester
Theatre
HOME Manchester

Now back open with a packed schedule of events and things to do, HOME Manchester is one of the city’s leading hubs for arts and culture.

Cumbria
Event venue
Penrith Old Fire Station

Main venue for Eden Arts, an artist-led organisation based in Eden in Cumbria creating projects around mass participation, local distinctiveness and digital engagement, from Picnic Cinema to The Winter Droving.

The MerseyMade building in Liverpool
Liverpool
Shop
MerseyMade

In the MerseyMade shop you’ll find bottled gin from the likes of Turncoat Gin, Anfield Gin, Albert Dock Gin and Three Graces Gin. Yep, Liverpool REALLY likes its gin.

The Hepworth Wakefield
Wakefield
Gallery
The Hepworth Wakefield

Winner of the 2017 Art Fund Museum of the Year Award, The Hepworth in Wakefield is easily one of the leading cultural highlights of the North.

Culture Guides

Theatre in Manchester and the North
Theatre in Manchester and the North

Affecting contemporary performances and fresh, relevant takes on enduring classics, we pick out shows that help us scrutinise the world we live in.

Teenage Dads
Music in Manchester and the North

Fresh concert seasons, forward-thinking festivals and a revolving door of amazing gigs. Things are looking bright as spring comes into view.