Manchester Literature Festival 2006

Things are set to get decidedly more intelligent in Manchester later this week when the 2006 Manchester Literary Festival comes to town.

But it’s not all dusty old men sitting around drinking coffee and discussing the finer points of Tolstoy. Celebrating new writing, new technology and new venues, the inaugural Manchester Literature Festival reflects the original modern city through an inventive and stimulating programme.

Set in 'hidden gem' locations around the city, Manchester Literature Festival has commissioned with the BBC, five eminent Manchester writers to tell Manchester: Original Modern Stories; fifteen minute tales about places one might walk past every day without ever seeing.

Chethams’ Library, Manchester Police Museum, the Godlee Observatory, Sangam Restaurant in Rusholme and The Gaskell House are all places where important events have taken place, major decisions been made, or personal dramas played out against the backdrop of the original modern city. Writers commissioned include Amanda Dalton, Jackie Kay, Sophie Hannah, Nicholas Royle and Rajeev Balasubramanyam.

Also incorporated in this year’s festival is the Manchester Festival of Palestinian Literature, the country’s first ever dedicated festival of this kind. Included in the festival will be shared platform readings and panel debates given by some of Palestine’s most exciting novelists, poets and short story writers in tandem with high profile authors from the UK, Europe, the US and the wider Middle East; all in a venue transformed into a colourful Palestinian market selling food and a diverse range of other goods relating to Palestinian culture. Writers featured are Ahdaf Soueif, Mourid Barhgouti, Carol Ann Duffy, Salma Khadra Jayyusi, and Nicholas Blincoe.

Other highlights of the Manchester Literature Festival will include the first Manchester Blogs Awards - a live awards ceremony held at Urbis on Monday 16th October, Mike Garry’s Mancunian Meander, and discussions with some of the city’s leading screen writers.

For full information on the festival and a comprehensive events calendar, visit the official festival website by clicking here.