Manchester Poetry Library unveils an unmissable Spring/Summer season of events, performances and exhibitions

Free to attend, Out of Sri Lanka: The Poetry of Witness invites the three poets, contributors and editors of the first-ever anthology of Sri Lankan and diasporic poetry to explore and illuminate their historically overlooked national literary form, as they seek to reshapes our understanding of migrational poetics and the poetics of atrocity with a collection featuring emerging creative talent alongside out-of-print verse.

Curated as a corrective to the worldwide conception of Sri Lanka as a shimmering tropical utopia, the stunning anthology challenges the shallow modern understanding of a troubled nation which erases its fraught sociopolitical history, unpacking a complex past in which activists were assassinated, minorities oppressed and a corrupt government forced its people into financial peril.

You can also book to view this event online here.

Author of award-winning collections Thinking With Trees and Self-Portrait as Othello, Manchester University’s senior lecturer in Critical Theory and Creative Writing Jason Allen-Paisant reads a selection of his works at Manchester Poetry Library on Tue 7 May, followed by a conversation with multiple prize-winner and contemporary spoken word pioneer, Malika Booker.

On Thu 16 May, acclaimed poet Liz Berry recites selected works from her award-winning collections including Black Country, The Republic of Motherhood, The Dereliction and The Home Child, followed by a Q&A session.

Liz has received the Somerset Maugham Award, Geoffrey Faber Memorial Prize and Forward Prizes for her collections.

On Tue 28 May, Manchester Poetry Library celebrates the pop icon’s birthday with a delightfully unique retrospective of her seminal recital at the 1996 Poetry Olympics, where she took to the Royal Albert Stage alongside established luminaries like John Cooper Clarke, Simon Armitage and Carol Ann Duffy to deliver an unforgettable spoken word rendition of I Should Be So Lucky.

Running from 6-8pm, the event invites guests to produce their own interpretations of Kylie’s music, lyrics and abstract essence in any way they see fit, from physical performance to inventive verse.

Book your tickets below.

Beginning with a special preview on Thu 4 Jun featuring contributions from the team behind the research and an exclusive reveal of a limited-edition hand-printed poetry broadside co-created with MMU students and staff, the brand new exhibition Landscapes of Change blends poetry and science to unpack the existential impact of the growing climate emergency with a programme of films, multilingual poetry and children’s activities.

Inspired by their visit to Narsaq, South Greenland in September of last year, scientists Kathryn Adamson and Lestyn Barr alongside poet Helen Mort present their groundbreaking ecological project as a profoundly stirring installation which charts the effects of global warming on the remote Arctic community, from coastal erosion and melting permafrost to wildlife damage and economic crisis.

On Sat 15 Jun, the library hosts a Landscapes of Change Family Day, in which visitors of all ages can drop in to create new poems inspired by the exhibition as part of the Manchester Festival of Libraries.

Performing on Thu 20 Jun, British poet, critic, novelist and Professor of Creative Writing at the University of Birmingham recites a selection of his works from his award-winning collections including The Harbour Beyond the Movie (shortlisted for the 2007 Forward Prize for Best Collection) and Notes on the Sonnets (winner of the 2021 Forward Prize for Best Collection), followed by a Q&A session with author and MMU Senior Lecturer Nikolai Duffy.

This performance is part of Manchester Poetry Library’s Poetry Reading Series.