Carol Ann Duffy and Friends – A new chapter at the Manchester Poetry Library
By Tom Bullingham / Featured image: Donal Hay
First time for the Poetry Library: Manchester Poetry Library hosts the first in a new series of Carol Ann Duffy and Friends, featuring Liz Lochhead.
Acclaimed poet Dame Carol Ann Duffy brought her celebrated Carol Ann Duffy and Friends series to Manchester Poetry Library, in a joint endeavour with Manchester Poetry Research, for the first time on Thursday, joined by Scottish poet and playwright Liz Lochhead and two Manchester Met alumni poets.
The event marked a new chapter for the series, which ran at the Royal Exchange Theatre for 15 years before the Covid-19 pandemic. Its move to the Manchester Poetry Library continues its tradition of bringing established guest poets together with emerging writers and Manchester Writing School alumni, alongside musicians from the Royal Northern College of Music (RNCM).
Speaking to aAh! Magazine ahead of the event, Poetry Library Manager Martin Kratz said: “We’re delighted to welcome Carol Ann Duffy to the Manchester Poetry Library and see the seminal series take place here.”
Kratz highlighted the importance of supporting the School of English graduates and providing a platform for emerging voices.
Project coordinator Theresa Munoz also emphasised the value of bringing established poets, alumni and RNCM students together to showcase Manchester’s diverse creative talent.
“Hosting it in the Poetry Library allows us to showcase our resources, where people can browse the stacks, as well as an opportunity to see and hear poets that have their work in the library,” Munoz said. “We’re proud to be able to support the School of English students.”
She added that the team wanted to create a “cool space to just sit and listen, as well as a space for networking”.
Duffy (Poet Laureate 2009–2019) opened the evening with readings from her forthcoming collection, The Resurrection of May Black, which explores her mother’s life.
She spoke of her excitement at reinventing the series at the Poetry Library after 15 years at the Royal Exchange Theatre, before introducing School of English alumni Tom Branfoot and E Walker.
Branfoot, a poet and critic, graduated from the School of English in 2021 with a BA in English and American Literature. He went on to complete an MA in Issues in Modern Culture at University College London before returning to Manchester Met in 2026 to begin his PhD.
The event coincides with a tour promoting his debut poetry collection, Volatile, from which he read during the evening.
Speaking to aAh! about returning to Manchester Met to showcase his work, Branfoot said: “When a lot of departments are crumbling from financial pressures, it’s a wonderful place to be back, where there’s so much cohesion.”
He also offered advice to students preparing to graduate, emphasising the importance of maintaining relationships with tutors and fellow writers.
“Stay in touch with your advisors and your colleagues. Keep coming back to the Poetry Library. Forging good connections is so important. You never know where it will lead,” he said.
The second alumnus to read was E Walker, who graduated from the School of English’s MFA Poetry programme in 2019.
Speaking to aAh! ahead of the event, Walker spoke of their joy of being back at Manchester Met: “It’s amazing! I’m incredibly grateful to Carol Ann Duffy. When I was in the MFA, Carol Ann invited me to read as an up-and-coming student, when it was still being hosted at the Royal Exchange. So, it’s almost like a welcome home.”
Walker also encouraged students to persevere in the pursuit of writing, acknowledging the difficulties of rejection and editing.
“It’s a cliché but keep going! Rejections can be hard and there’s the ongoing battle in your mind when editing, with having to kill your darlings. I think the best advice is, know what you want to say and say it with your full chest,” they said.
Walker read from their collection, Invertebrate, published by Broken Sleep Books, in August 2026.
Reflecting on the alumni readings, Duffy praised the talent emerging from the School of English. “It’s just so wonderful working in the Writing School to hear such fabulous alumni and such fantastic young poets going forward,” she said.
Duffy introduced the evening’s special guest, award-winning Scottish poet and playwright Liz Lochhead, by reflecting on her influence on British poetry and the opportunities she helped create for women writers.
Lochhead served as Scotland’s Makar, or National Poet, from 2011-2016 and was Glasgow’s Poet Laureate between 2005 and 2011.
“Without Liz Lochhead, poetry in Great Britain would be very, very different. I wouldn’t be a poet. She opened the door to so many young women at a time when it just wasn’t possible,” Duffy said.
Lochhead spoke about how aging has influenced her writing and how she hopes that she doesn’t get caught up writing about the past, but how, in a way, it’s inescapable.
Introducing her poem ‘Social History’, she shared: “When you start to get older, you do start to think about the different lives you’ve had, and you do write about social history.”
The event ended, as it began, with the jazz notes of RNCM students, Khushbu Johnathan and Zach Hodges.
The series continues at Manchester Poetry Library on November 26, with acclaimed poet Imtiaz Dharker.
Dharker has a longstanding connection to the Poetry Library, having originally been commissioned to write a poem for its opening.
Speaking to aAh!, Kratz revealed that Dharker had supplied the Poetry Library with three poems. The first, ‘The Welcome’, was created for the opening, while the second is due to be unveiled to mark the library’s fifth anniversary.
Tickets for the November instalment of Carol Ann Duffy and Friends are free for students. Further information can be found on the Manchester Poetry Library website.
Featured works
Liz Lochhead – A Handsel. 2023. Birlinn Ltd
Tom Branfoot – Volatile. 2026. The 87 Press
E Walker – Invertebrate. 2026. Broken Sleep Books
Carol Ann Duffy – The Resurrection of May Black (forthcoming)
Watch the event back on the Manchester Poetry Library YouTube account and follow for more content.
