The Other Room 10th birthday at The Castle

Sarah-Clare Conlon, Literature Editor
Poet and performer Camilla Nelson
Poet and performer Camilla Nelson.

The Other Room at Castle Hotel, Manchester 18 April 2018 Entrance is free

Here on the Literature Desk, The Other Room is one of our favourite nights out – and there was us thinking we didn’t even like experimental and avant-garde poetry when we first stepped foot into the Old Abbey Arms, where they used to hold the event many moons ago. Oh, how we were wrong. So wrong, in fact, that when the news was announced that The Other Room will soon no longer be a regular fixture in our diary, we even shed a tear. At the time, we told everyone it was just something in our eye, but we’ll admit it was shock and chagrin.

Yes, after a full decade of serving up fine live literature for over what will be 74 outings, in venues from The Wonder Inn to The Castle, The Other Room is closing its doors. But they’re going out with a storm not a mizzle, putting the emphasis on celebrating their tenth birthday party and the launch of their tenth annual anthology, featuring poets from the year just gone. Think party poppers, pop and plenty of performers – with organisers James Davies, Tom Jenks and Scott Thurston (themselves to be heard reading at The European Camarade on 13 April and at Peter Barlow’s Cigarette on 28 April) introducing an impressive line-up of four poets.

Lecturer in Contemporary Literature and Culture at King’s College London, Amy De’Ath’s most recent publication is ON MY LOVE FOR gender abolition; founding editor of Singing Apple Press Camilla Nelson creates page-based poetry, soundwork, installation and performance; Irish poet and novelist Pascal O’Loughlin is librarian at the National Poetry Library in London and one-third of Stinky Bear Press poetry collective, and Vicky Sparrow’s poems can be found in Front Horse, Intercapillary Space, datableed and Litmus, and her pamphlet Notes to Selves was published by Zarf Editions in 2016.

You’d be daft to miss this lot. As the wizards behind The Other Room curtain say: “Come from round the corner, come from far afield, come down for the first time if you’ve always meant to come along, get babysitters, get two babysitters just in case, introduce friends, opt out of work the next day, return your tickets for the holiday in Spain. See you there.” Indeedy.

The Other Room at Castle Hotel, Manchester 18 April 2018 Entrance is free

Where to go near The Other Room 10th birthday at The Castle

Chakalaka
Manchester
Restaurant
Chakalaka

The very best of South African cuisine in an intimate, friendly space in Manchester’s Northern Quarter.

Manchester
Bar or Pub
Gullivers

Head north on Oldham Street and you’ll come across Gullivers, a ‘no gimmicks and no pretensions’ pub and gig venue.

City Centre
Restaurant
Rewind NQ

A quirky bar, paying homage to the unfortunately deceased Blockbusters video rental stores, with aptly named cocktails and a great atmosphere.

Behind Closed Doors Booth
Manchester
Bar or Pub
Behind Closed Doors

A hidden den of debauchery and indulgence. A fresh take on a basement cocktail bar in Manchester’s Northern Quarter.

Image of Soup Kitchen in Manchester's Northern Quarter
Manchester
Music venue
Soup

Soup Kitchen is a superb communal cafe by day and an excellent live music venue by night. The perfect choice for lunch or a great night out.

Manchester
Shop
Bags of Flavour

Bags of Flavour is the Northern Quarter’s answer to high end vintage with high quality exclusive garments and accessories.

Beermoth shop in Manchester's Northern Quarter.
Manchester
Shop
Beermoth

Beermoth on Manchester’s Tib Street stocks specialist beers, chosen with a quietly confident knowledge.

Manchester
Shop
RPB

Otherwise known as Ross Parlane’s Barber Shop, RPB is a barber shop in the middle of Manchester’s bustling Northern Quarter.

What's on: Literature

Tom Branfoot. Photo Eleanor Hall, Museum of the Home
LiteratureWest Yorkshire
Poetry at the Dusty Miller

Poetry at the Dusty Miller is a now regular night with invited readers, organised by Carcanet-published Carola Luther and Judith Willson in the Coiners’ Room in the Mytholmroyd pub.

free entry
Okechukwu Nzelu
LiteratureHuddersfield
Polari at Huddersfield Literature Festival

Huddersfield Literature Festival is back with a packed programme this May, and this Polari-themed special caught our eye, featuring writers including Okechukwu Nzelu and Rosie Garland.

from £10.00

Culture Guides

Sextile
Music in the North

Open air clubs, new festivals and long-awaited gigs. The North West's live music scene is heating up this spring. 

A woman sits in a car with hands holding the steering wheel.
Cinema in the North

Vintage Alfred Hitchcock and a family friendly film festival are amongst our highlights this May.

Laura Ellen Bacon, Into Being, 2025. Photo © India Hobson, courtesy Yorkshire Sculpture Park
Exhibitions in the North

Willow weaving, textile collages, digital arts and ecology - all this and more in our exhibition top picks this month

Image by Jonathan Schofield.
Tours and Activities in the North

We've got many a good time in store this month as we round up the best walking tours, cultural classes and makers markets in the land.

Theatre in Manchester and the North
Theatre in the North

Dynamic dance, party-performance, high-energy stand-up and a site-specific show set in a pub. All this and more in our newest theatre guide.

Okechukwu Nzelu
Literature Events in the North

If it's inspiring, inclusive events and avant-garde, experimental afternoons you're after, look no further than live literature this spring – we've got you covered.