Manchester Literature Festival begins 8th October

Manchester’s annual literature festival begins its two-week occupation of the city today. The festival celebrates the local, with the bests of new writers in Northern Debuts (Monday 8th) and locally situated writing featured in city picks Manchester (9th October), which sits against the international – from which it now can barely be distinguished.

Some big-name authors will steal the attention, and prove the credibility of the festival; Zadie Smith appeared discussing her lastest novel NW in a preview at the end of August, Michael Chabon, Richard Ford, Carol Ann Duffy – the current poet laureate and honorary Mancunion. Jeanette Winterson, author of the recent memoir Why be happy when you could be normal?, who joins the University of Manchester as a creative writing lecturer this year, will appear with American author AM Homes on the 22nd October in the Martin Harris Centre here on campus.

But alongside these established authors are the unfamiliar gems and genres that can be discovered in the corners. There will be Asian Superheroes (15th October), the Blog North Awards, Bio Punk; and literary walking tours: the Boho Literary Pub Walk (20th October), Poems of the City (11th October) and a Dickens Walking Tour (13th October). So take your pick!

Tickets vary in price, and can be bought from http://www.manchesterliteraturefestival.co.uk/