Monday 5^th December 2011 – 1-2.45 pm

Zion Arts Centre

Suitable for Ages 12-16 (school years 7,8,9,10)

Cost: free – contact schoolsoutreach@mmu.ac.uk to book places

Places are limited and will be allocated on a first-come, first-served basis.

 

The event: by popular demand, Julie Bertagna, author of the acclaimed Aurora trilogy for young adults returns to Manchester to help us launch the Midland Future Manchester Short Story competition to schools. Julie’s presentation explores early science fiction written by teenagers – telling the story of how Mary Shelly came to write Frankenstein and the environmental and scientific developments that inspired her back in the 19^th Century – before talking about how she took inspiration for her own writing from the world around her. She will share some of her own secrets and tips with young ‘imagineers’ of the future to inspire them.

 

This event is presented by the Manchester Children’s Book Festival in association with Manchester Metropolitan University. Copies of the Aurora books will be on sale at the event and Julie will be happy to sign copies. Competition literature will be available at the event to help publicise the competition in schools.

 

The Competition: pupils are invited to write a fictional short story set at least 10 years in the future. Imagine how everyday life in Manchester might be affected by technological and scientific advances and/or environmental and population changes. We want to read your pupils’ unique vision of a future Manchester.

 

The competition is a joint initiative led by the Manchester Literature Festival, Manchester Children’s Book Festival and the Manchester Science Festival. Schools attending the event on Jan 27^th will be given priority for booking free follow-on workshops led by Science/Writing practitioners in Jan/Feb. Pupils are invited to submit their short stories to our panel of judges by March 5^th 2012. The competition is open to anyone and winners will be announced at a Manchester Children’s Book Festival event in July 2012, where they will be presented with copies of the Future Manchester anthology by judges Julie Bertagna, Saki Lloyd and Jane Rogers.

 

For details of Julie’s last visit to Manchester as part of the Manchester Literature Festival in October see their blog.

 

www.juliebertagna.com

 

www.mcbf.org.uk

December 8th, 2011 - 12:24pm

Friday 27^th January 2012, 10am – 11.45am

Zion Arts Centre

MCBF Trailblazer event

Suitable for Age 10+ (school years 5,6,7,8)

Cost: free – contact schoolsoutreach@mmu.ac.uk to book places.

 

The Manchester Children’s Book Festival is delighted to welcome award winning author/illustrator Curtis Jobling to the Zion Arts Centre in Manchester to launch his latest book, the third in the  Wereworld series, ‘The Shadow of the Hawk’.

 

Curtis Jobling is probably best known for his work in TV and picture books – he is the designer of hit children’s TV show Bob the Builder and has worked on other shows such as Aardman’s Wallace and Gromit and Tim Burton’s Mars Attacks as well as creating many other children’s books and characters.  Curtis also writes for older readers, though and the Wereworld Series is a fantastic new blend of fantasy and horror for the over 10s.  The books take place in a wonderfully inventive world of lycanthropes, which will appeal to young readers who love fantasy, Darren Shan and action-adventure.

 

In this event, Curtis will talk about his love of film and books, explaining animation, different mediums, and his early work in picture books. Through a fascinating flipchart demonstration, Curtis will show how he creates his characters before getting them to challenge him to draw things from their wildest imaginations.  This brings him to his horror and fantasy genres, with role-playing and a ‘werewolves in cinema’ pop quiz, finishing with a gripping chapter reading from the new book. The event concludes with a lively question and answer session.

 

Copies of the Wereworld books Wereworld: Rise of the Wolf, Rage of Lions and The Shadow of the Hawk will be on sale at the event and Curtis will sign copies.

 

This event is presented by the Manchester Children’s Book Festival in association with Penguin Books, Manchester Metropolitan University and Manchester Children’s Library Services.

December 2nd, 2011 - 13:28pm

In association with the Royal Exchange Theatre, the Manchester Writing School at MMU presents a fifth series of special evenings of poetry and music hosted by Manchester’s much-loved Poet Laureate. Carol Ann will be reading from her own work and presenting some of the country’s best new emerging talent: students and graduates of the Manchester Writing School, led by House Poet David Tait. Each evening will also feature a guest appearance from a poet of national stature.

Monday 30^th January 2012: Adam O’Riordan SOLD OUT!

with Matthew Byrne and Louise Stothard

 

Monday 19^th March 2012: Jean Sprackland

with Joseph Hobson and Linda Sunderland

 

Monday 30^th April 2012: Jonathan Davidson

with Martin Malone and Amy Rawsthorne

Start time: 7.00pm (music), 7.30pm (readings)

Venue: The Studio, Royal Exchange Theatre, St Ann’s Square, Manchester, M2 7DH

 

Tickets: £10 (£7/£4 concession); price includes £1 book token for use at a special Blackwell’s bookstall on the night – and there’ll be an opportunity to get copies signed by the star poets in the interval, and at the end of the evening.

Book online at www.royalexchangetheatre.org.uk or contact the box office: 0161 833 9833

 

Sponsored by The Midland Hotel, Manchester

www.qhotels.co.uk

Hotel Reservations: 0845 074 0060

November 29th, 2011 - 15:09pm

The fifth (and final) in a new series of FREE events features Alan Hollinghurst.

 

Alan Hollinghurst was born in Gloucestershire and is a graduate of Magdalen College, Oxford. He lectured at Oxford, and at University College London, before becoming Deputy Editor of the Times Literary Supplement in 1982.

 

His first novel, The Swimming Pool Library, was published in 1988 and won the 1989 Somerset Maugham Award. It was followed by The Folding Star (1994 – and winner of the James Tait Black Memorial Prize), The Spell (1998) and the Booker Prize-winning The Line of Beauty (2004). His latest novel, The Stranger’s Child, was published in the summer of 2011 and long-listed for that year’s Man Booker Prize.

 

Alan will be talking about his work and answering questions from the audience. Drinks will be available from the bar, and there’ll be a special Blackwell’s bookstall, with signing after the event.

Date: Thursday 8^th December 2011

Time: 6.30-8.00pm

Entry: Free – all welcome (booking recommended;

email: events@anthonyburgess.org to reserve seats)

Venue: The International Anthony Burgess Foundation, Chorlton Mill,

Cambridge Street, Manchester, M1 5BY

Contact: James Draper: +44 (0) 161 247 1787; j.draper@mmu.ac.uk

 

The Manchester Writing School at MMU: www.mmu.ac.uk/writingschool

The International Anthony Burgess Foundation: www.anthonyburgess.org

Sponsored by The Midland Hotel, Manchester

www.qhotels.co.uk

Hotel Reservations: 0845 074 0060

November 24th, 2011 - 17:18pm

The fourth in a new series of FREE events features historical crime writer Laura Wilson. Laura Wilson was brought up in London and is a graduate of the University of Oxford and University College London. She currently lives in Islington, is the Crime Fiction reviewer for the Guardian newspaper and writes a “Crime Fiction Masterclass” column for Mslexia magazine. Her novels include A Little Death (short-listed for a CWA Dagger award), Dying Voices, My Best Friend, Hello Bunny (published in the USA as Telling Lies to Alice, The Lover (short-listed for both a CWA Gold Dagger and the Ellis Peter Historical Dagger), A Thousand Lies, Stratton’s War, An Empty Death, A Capital Crime and The Man Who Wasn’t There. Laura will be talking about her work and answering questions from the audience. Drinks will be available from the bar, and there’ll be a special Blackwell’s bookstall, with signing after the event. Date: Thursday 24^th November 2011 Time: 6.30-8.00pm Entry: Free – all welcome (you can just turn up on the night, or email events@anthonyburgess.org to reserve seats) Venue: The International Anthony Burgess Foundation, Chorlton Mill, Cambridge Street, Manchester, M1 5BY Contact: James Draper: +44 (0) 161 247 1787; j.draper@mmu.ac.uk Later in the series: Alan Hollinghurst (08/12/11) The Manchester Writing School at MMU: www.mmu.ac.uk/writingschool The International Anthony Burgess Foundation: www.anthonyburgess.org Sponsored by The Midland Hotel, Manchester www.qhotels.co.uk Hotel Reservations: 0845 074 0060

November 23rd, 2011 - 09:47am

[caption id="attachment_989" align="alignright" width="200" caption="ITV's Scott and Bailey"][/caption] On Thursday 17^th November 2011 from 6 – 9pm Bafta Award winning writer Sally Wainwright and her co-writer, ex-Detective Inspector Diane Taylor will be visiting Manchester Metropolitan University to talk about the making of the Red/ITV show Scott and Bailey.  The second series of the Manchester-based Detective series starring Suranne Jones and Lesley Sharpe, is now filming in the city.    Sally and Diane will be talking about the series from first ideas, through writing and making the first series, and commissioning and writing of the second. Scriptwriting students from MMU and students of the MA in Creative Writing will be invited to ask questions about their own scripts and series in development.  We would like to extend the invitation to hear Sally and Diane, to members and prospective members of the Writers Guild. The event takes place in the John Dalton Building, opposite the BBC on Oxford Road, in room E32.  If you are not yet a member of the Guild but would like to join, and for further information about this event please contact j.wilkinson@mmu.ac.uk

November 16th, 2011 - 13:59pm

The London benefit, Poetry Cuts, organised by Carol Ann Duffy on 3rd June 2011, brought together 31 poets to read at a spectacular evening of poetry in the Logan Hall in London’s Institute of Education. The audience were enthralled by a terrific line-up including Carol Ann Duffy, David Harsent, George Szirtes, Hugo Williams, Gillian Clarke, Christopher Reid and John Agard.   Carol Ann said: “At the time of the ACE cuts to the PBS and to several much-loved festivals and important publishers of poetry, many poets and readers felt a sense of anger and grief. This event is intended to put a spotlight on the passionate support there is in the UK for our poetry institutions and to share, through poetry and audience, our love for our national art.”   If you missed the London event, but would like to support the PBS, the next benefit will be in the Cosmo Rodewald Hall in Manchester on Friday November 4th and once again we’ll have a brilliant line-up of poets, including Simon Armitage, Sean O’Brien, Bill Herbert, Vona Groarke, John McAuliffe, Jake Polley, Paul Farley, David Morley, Jean Sprackland, Julian Turner, Rommi Smith, Ian Duhig, Michael Symmons Roberts, Helen Mort, Jeffrey Wainwright and Amanda Dalton.   Join us for this celebration of poetry and support the PBS!   6.30pm, Friday 4th November 2011 Cosmo Rodewald Concert Hall, The Martin Harris Centre for Music and Drama, The University of Manchester, Bridgeford Street, off Oxford Road, Manchester, M13 9PL Tickets: £10 – on sale now To book, please contact the Martin Harris Centre Box Office (Mon-Fri between 2-4pm) on 0161 275 8951.or visit www.quaytickets.com   The Manchester PBS benefit is a collaboration between the Poetry Book Society, The Manchester Writing School at MMU and the Centre for New Writing at the University of Manchester.  

November 2nd, 2011 - 18:01pm

The third in a new series of FREE events features author Naomi Alderman.

Naomi’s first novel, Disobedience, was published in ten languages, read on BBC Radio 4’s “Book at Bedtime” and won the Orange Prize for New Writers. In the USA, it was short-listed for the National Jewish Book Award and the Sami Rohr Prize. From 2004-2007, she was lead writer on the BAFTA-nominated alternate reality game Perplex City. In 2007, Naomi was named Sunday Times Young Writer of the Year and one of 25 Waterstone’s Writers of the Future. Her short fiction has been published widely and she was short-listed for the BBC National Short Story Award in 2009. Her second novel, The Lessons, was published by Penguin in 2010: “Universal in its themes of ambition, desire and betrayal, this spellbinding novel reflects the truth that the lessons life teaches often come too late.” She broadcasts regularly and writes a weekly games column for the Guardian. Naomi grew up in London and is a graduate of the universities of Oxford and East Anglia.

Naomi will be talking about her work and answering questions from the audience. Drinks will be available from the bar, and there’ll be a special Blackwell’s bookstall, with signing after the event.

Date: Thursday 10^th November 2011

Time: 6.30-8.00pm

Entry: Free – all welcome (you can just turn up on the night, or email

events@anthonyburgess.org to reserve seats)

Venue: The International Anthony Burgess Foundation, Chorlton Mill,

Cambridge Street, Manchester, M1 5BY

Contact: James Draper: +44 (0) 161 247 1787; j.draper@mmu.ac.uk

Later in the series: Laura Wilson (24/11/11) and Alan Hollinghurst (08/12/11)

The Manchester Writing School at MMU: www.mmu.ac.uk/writingschool

The International Anthony Burgess Foundation: www.anthonyburgess.org

Sponsored by Q Hotels, The Midland, Manchester

Sponsored by The Midland Hotel, Manchester

www.qhotels.co.uk

Hotel Reservations: 0845 074 0060

October 27th, 2011 - 15:59pm

October 18th, 2011 - 20:58pm

Jeanette Winterson will be discussing her memoir Why Be Happy When You Could Be Normal? Jeanette grew up in Accrington and based her bestselling first novel, Oranges Are Not The Only Fruit, on this experience.  The book went on to win the Whitbread First Novel Award and she has gone on to write many more novels and win many more prizes, including the Prix d’Argent. In 2006 Jeanette was made an OBE for services to literature.  Her new book is an extremely moving, and often very funny, exploration of life, love, families and identity. Copies will be available to buy at the event. Hosted by Dr Ellie Byrne.

Presented by the Manchester Writing School at Manchester Metropolitan University, in association with Jonathan Cape and the Royal Exchange Theatre.

Date: Sunday 30^th October 2011

Start time: 5.00pm

Venue: Royal Exchange Theatre, St Ann’s Square, Manchester, M2 7DH

Tickets: £5

Book online at www.royalexchangetheatre.org.uk or contact the box office: +44 (0) 161 833 9833

To find out more about Manchester Writing School events, activities and programmes of study (enrolling now for January and September 2012), go to: www.mmu.ac.uk/writingschool or contact James Draper on +44 (0) 161 247 1787 or j.draper@mmu.ac.uk.

October 7th, 2011 - 14:02pm