University of Manchester and Manchester Literature Festival unveil 2024 events

13 Aug 2024

Celebrating a series of collaborations with the University of Manchester’s Centre for New Writing and Creative Manchester research platform, the 2024 events programme will be held between 4 and 20 October.

The 2024 events begin on campus at the university’s Martin Harris Centre for Music and Drama as we welcome former Green Party leader Caroline Lucas who launches her fascinating book Another England: How to Reclaim Our National Story.

As Higher Education Partner, the University of Manchester works closely with the festival team to co-host a variety of events that showcase and highlight the impact of literature across the city. Other partnership events showcase new publications by celebrated authors – including:

Former Scottish Makar and firm festival favourite, Jackie Kay performs poems from her new collection May Day and celebrates A Life in Poetry and Protest at a special event hosted by actor Julie Hesmondhalgh (Saturday 5 October, 7pm, Martin Harris Centre for Music & Drama).
Throughout her four decades as a foreign correspondent, Lindsey Hilsum has always carried a book of poetry with her as ‘a vaccination against despair’. She will share some of her favourite poems and reflect on her career as a war reporter (Sunday 6 October, 4.30pm, Central Library).
David Peace (The Damned United) explores the grief, the heartbreak and the resurrection of a club (Manchester United), a city and a country in his compelling new book Munichs (Sunday 6 October, 7pm, HOME).
Thomas Heatherwick, one of the world’s most prolific designers, talks about his mission to end soulless, boring buildings and put human emotion back at the heart of building design (Tuesday 8 October, 7pm, Contact).
Bestselling cook and Guardian food columnist Meera Sodha shares her passion for East and South Asian cuisine and reveals the dishes she creates when she wants to cook for herself, family and friends in her delicious new book Dinner (Wednesday 9 October, 7.30pm, Martin Harris Centre for Music & Drama).
Legendary music producer Joe Boyd (White Bicycle) invites audiences to open their ‘minds and ears to a wider, richer musical world’ via his engrossing new book And the Roots of Rhythm Remain: A Journey through Global Music (Monday 14 October, 7pm, Central Library).
Scottish author Andrew O’Hagan (Mayflies) joins us to discuss his epic, new state-of-the-nation novel Caledonian Road with host Dave Haslam (Wednesday 16 October, 7pm, Central Library).
Bestselling novelist Rebecca F. Kuang (Babel) visits Manchester to discuss her number one global sensation Yellowface, a provocative satire set in the cut-throat world of publishing seen through the eyes of failed writer June. She also discusses navigating genres, creating characters and her literary influences. (Thursday 17 October, 7.30pm, RNCM)
Post-Festival, Pulitzer Prize winner Richard Powers (The Overstory) makes a rare visit to the UK in support of his compelling new novel. Longlisted for the 2024 Booker Prize, Playground interweaves themes of science, technology, nature, the environment and our shared humanity beautifully (Friday 8 November, 7pm, Central Library).
Our annual Rylands Poetry Reading takes place on Thursday 10 October, 7pm and welcomes poet, playwright and educator, Gillian Clarke. One of the most acclaimed and widely read poets of recent decades, Gillian will also run a Poetry Masterclass, sharing insights into the craft of poetry, and how to bend language into original and musical verse.

Dr Kaye Mitchell, Director of the Centre for New Writing said:

“Every year the Manchester Literature Festival offers up a rich feast of readings, culture and conversation. In 2024, this feels especially vital: to provide a space for joy, beauty and connection, but also for urgent discussions about who we are or might be; the earth we inhabit; our fraught histories and possible futures – and even what we eat. This showcasing of contemporary creativity is at the heart of the Centre for New Writing’s mission, and we are delighted to be the Festival’s Higher Education Partner once again."

Cathy Bolton and Sarah-Jane Roberts, Co-Directors of Manchester Literature Festival said:

“Over the last 200 years, the University of Manchester has shown itself to be one of the most innovative and groundbreaking universities in the UK and we are delighted to have the Centre for New Writing and Creative Manchester as our Higher Education Partner once again. New perspectives and reimagining are at the heart of this year’s Manchester Literature Festival. Caroline Lucas asks us to reimagine a greener, more inclusive England. George Monbiot encourages us to reimagine the end of neoliberalism. Thomas Heatherwick invites us to reimagine our cities without soulless, boring buildings. David Peace reimagines the grief, heartbreak and resurrection of Manchester United after the 1958 Munich air disaster. We also welcome a multitude of brilliant novelists, poets and artists to the city, and invite you to join us to revisit familiar narratives from a place of freshness, curiosity and hope.”

Find out more about Manchester Literature Festival and view the full programme here:

https://www.manchesterliteraturefestival.co.uk