Events are starting to pick up as we move into April. Many ongoing literature festivals can be found throughout Manchester and the North, most of which are being held online for little to no cost, this makes for a great opportunity wherever you’re are located. Check out our April literary events below, and be sure to tune in each month to find the best selection of events on offer in Manchester.
Roger Rogerson, celebrated Black British poet and musician, will perform a first-time reading of his new poems which were commissioned specifically for the Manchester Literature Festival. His new poetry focuses on the Black Lives Matter movement and what this movement means for the Black British experience. He is joined by Malika Booker, Manchester Metropolitan University lecturer and poet. The two will discuss Rogerson’s new poetry, the Black-British experience, Rogerson’s ongoing work.
Mix Up Theatre presents Dommy B’s Best Adventure Ever Book Launch. This unique comedy storytelling performance is adapted from Dommy B’s poetry-theatre show and is suitable for ages 5 and up. The Story of Dommy B’s Best Adventure Ever follows ten-year-old Dom as he navigates a new home and a new school. Will Dom be able to adapt, can his “wonderfully weird imagination” help him make sense of his new life? You’ll have to attend the performance to find out.
In this new selection of poetry, commissioned especially for the Manchester Literature Festival, Caleb Femi, a rising star on the poetry scene, explores the impact of solitude on the inner and physical self, friendship, and joy in his first-ever reading of his new poems. Following the reading, he will be joined by host and poet Vanessa Kisuule, to discuss his work and his inspiration.
The People’s History Museum is hosting this interactive, multi sensory bedtime story which will be live streamed on their Facebook page. These puppet adaptations of bedtime tales for little ones is an ongoing event, and will take place every Thursday, starting on April 15th. Grab the kids, settle in and enjoy the show.
Imagine if the streets could talk. Sjaan Flikweert and Elten Kiene, two Dutch poets, are joined by Manchester based poets Saf Elsenossi and Ella Otomewo to reshape Manchester City Centre into a visual representation of poetry. Visual artist, Jess Loveday, will transform poetry of place, community, and identity into works of art directly onto the pavements and streets of Manchester City Centre. This walking, ongoing experience will be open and available to all. Just grab a map online and find the poetry hidden throughout the city.
Kazuo Ishiguro is an award-winning novelist and winner of the Nobel Prize in Literature in 2017. Ishiguro’s latest novel, Klara and the Sun, explores themes of artificial intelligence, human connection, and what makes humans unique. For this event, Ishiguro will be joined by poet Jackie Kay to discuss his latest novel, his characters, and his love of music.
Another event brought to you by the Manchester Literature Festival, Natalie Diaz, a poet whose work often explores themes of place and body and erasure, will be reading a selection of newly commissioned work for the first time. Her new collection, Radixes and Formations: a series of poetic sensualities exploring the words ‘origin’, ‘migration’, ‘freedom’ and ‘love’, explores the meanings of these words in both English and Mojave. She will be joined by poet Mary Jean Chan for a conversation about her work after the reading.
Part of the Queer Contact Festival 2021, Roma Havers will perform LOB, a “tennis and poetry bonanza about moving through sporting spaces as a queer body.” LOB at Contact Theatre is one of many films screening at Queer Contact to help support and showcase the many different experiences of queer identity. Following the screening, there will be a live Q and A session with the creator.
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