We’ve rounded up the best literary events for you to add to your calendar this holiday season. Read on to find out about upcoming book launches, panel discussions, poetry workshops, and more.

Make sure to keep an eye out for next month’s What’s On Calendar from aAh! Magazine.

Stories of Uprising

3rd December, 7:30pm | Free Online Entry

Comma Press and Libraries Sheffield host a free online panel to discuss the anthology Resist: Stories of Uprising. The collection was launched a year ago at Manchester Literature Festival and is being revisited due to the recent publication of its paperback edition. Three contributors to the anthology will participate and the discussion will focus on women’s rebellion throughout history.

The Short Story with Nicholas Royle and Lara Williams

4th December, 7-8 pm | Free Online Entry

This free-to-join event is hosted by the Manchester Writing School and offers students the opportunity to learn more about crafting and reading short stories from two well-known professionals. Join Nicholas Royle, a Reader in Creative Writing at Manchester Metropolitan University, and Lara Williams, a Manchester based writer, as they discuss their latest work and answer your short story-related questions.

Between Us and Nature Reading Group

6th December, 12:30pm | Free Online Entry

This event is part of the HOME Artist Film Weekender 2020 and gives the public the chance to discuss the essays of Pedro Neves Marques, a visual artist, film director, and writer. This session will be run as part of an on-going reading club, Between Us and Nature. Discussions will focus on the natural world and our part in it.

Literature and Racism Panel Discussion

7th December, 5- 6pm | Free Online Entry

MACFEST hosts this panel discussion on Legacies of colonialism: Reading and Writing as a Resistance, led by Emily Zobel Marshall and Leila Aboulela. Aboulela is an award-winning novelist based in Scotland and Marshall is a Senior Lecturer at Leeds Metropolitan University. Join them as they discuss their own writing and research, ways in which writing can give voice to the marginalized, and how writing and reading can further resistance to oppresion.

Evan Jones Book Launch

8th December, 7pm | Free Online Entry

Evan Jones’s new book CP Cavafy, The Barbarians Arrive Today: Poetry and Prose was released by Manchester-based Carcanet Press. This book launch event, hosted by the University of Bolton’s English and Creative Writing Department, will have Jones reading from his third collection, Later Emperors as well as his newest book.

Philanthropy From Aristotle to Zuckerburg

8th December, 6:30pm | Free Online Entry

Hosted by the Manchester Literary and Philosophical Society, this event will feature Paul Vallely, a writer of numerous best-selling titles. In this discussion, Vallely will be discussing his latest book Philanthropy – From Aristotle to Zuckerberg. The talk will discuss the history of giving and how it has impacted contemporary philanthropy.

In Conversation with Jessica Andrews, Portico Prize Winner

9th December, 7pm | Tickets £6

Join Jessica Andrews, winner of the Portico Prize for her novel Saltwater which was published by Sceptre. Andrews will discuss the ways in which identity and community influence her fiction. She will be joined by award-winning writer and journalist Anita Sethi.

PTC Online Workshops: Kazakh poet Temirkhan Medetbek

10th December, 6:30-8:30pm | Pay What You Can

The Manchester Poetry Library offers this translation workshop as part of a running series with the Poetry Translation Centre. This session will be run by UK poet Jon Stone, and guest translator Assiya Issemberdiyeva. The session will focus on the poetry of Temirkhan Medetbek, a Kazakh poet. Work as part of a group to translate poetry from its original language into English. No language experience is required as these sessions are led by experts in poetry and translation.

Elizabeth Gaskell’s Second Hand Book Sale

13th December, 11am – 3pm | Sale Entrance Included in House Admission

Not an event so much as an opportunity. Located in the famous Elizabeth Gaskell House, this second-hand book sale has been named ‘Manchester’s best’ by visitors. Stop in to browse two rooms packed full of books of all genres with prices starting at £1. The house itself offers Victorian gardens, historic period rooms, and changing exhibitions, on top of the incredible second-hand books. Social distancing measures are in place to ensure customer safety.

‘Small Axe’: Alex Wheatle in Conversation with Simon Stephens

14th December, 7 – 8pm | Free Entry

Award-winning author Alex Wheatle MBE, who worked as a special consultant for the BBC TV series Small Axe, and Simon Stephens, a Tony Award-winning playwright and Manchester Writing School professor, join together to discuss the ‘Small Axe’ series. Wheatle and Stephens will explore the achievements of the series, give insight into the writing process, and dive into Wheatle’s own story. The event is organized by the Manchester Writing School.