Free things to do in Manchester this week ft People’s History Museum and Gavin Extence

If you’ve been following Wire’s recommendations religiously over the past few weeks, chances are you’re pretty partied out what with the plethora of free parties and the parties marking the (temporary) closing of Common. With this in mind, we’ve made this week’s free recommendations are a little more intellectually nourishing – real porridge for the mind, but the good kind of porridge that you don’t have to add golden syrup to.

Feminist Tour at People’s History Museum
Hot on the heels of International Women’s Day, the People’s History Museum is offering a tour of their galleries with a feminist slant. Presented by Manchester University researchers Camilla Røstvik and Lucy Johnson, these tours provide a unique perspective on the museum’s collection. This event carries a suggested donation of £3.
Mon 9 Mar, People’s History Museum, Left Bank, Spinningfields, M3 3ER, 3pm-3.45pm,www.phm.org.uk

Let’s Talk About Sex at MOSI
This is an event we’ve given quite a lot of coverage to recently and it’s easy to see why: It’s an interesting and enlightening window into love and sex in the 21st Century viewed through a scientific lense, turning the microscope on what makes our hearts flutter and loins throb. There’s also a speed dating event, although that will set you back £5 – a small price to pay to find your true love in 20 questions or less.
Wed 11 Mar, Museum of Science and Industry, Liverpool Road, M3 4FP, 7pm–10pm, booking reqiured, www.mosi.org.uk

Gavin Extence at Central Library (pictured)
Novelist and former chess prodigy Gavin Extence is on tour just ahead of the release of his second novel The Mirror World of Melody Black. The writer, whose work has been flatteringly compared to Mark Haddon and Kurt Vonnegut in the past, is giving a free Meet the Author talk at Central Library. An excellent excuse to take a long lunch. Online booking advised if you want to guarantee yourself a seat.
Wed 11 Mar, Central Library, St Peters Square, M2 5PD, 3pm – 4pm, www.librarylive.co.uk

Before The Fire Launch at Waterstones Deansgate
It’s a great week for bookworms, with this second literary event. This new novel from Sarah Butler set against the backdrop of the 2011 riots. If early reviews are anything to go off, this looks to be an interesting slice of recent social history and a thumping good story to boot.
Thu 12 Mar, Waterstones, 91 Deansgate, M3 2BW, 7pm, www.urbanwords.org.uk