Northwest Book Highlights – October 2015

We might be inching close to winter, but October is the hottest month for book lovers in the Northwest, with two literature festivals bringing some of the most exciting writers to the region

Preview by Alice Horne | 06 Oct 2015

Manchester Literature Festival (MLF) celebrates its tenth anniversary this month with one of its most impressive programmes yet. Among those not-to-be-missed events is an evening with Manchester-born writer Jeanette Winterson, who presents her long-awaited prose retelling of Shakespeare’s The Winter’s Tale on 13 Oct. Expect to enjoy this classic story of love, jealousy and reconciliation in a whole new way.

Elsewhere, the award-winning journalist and broadcaster Paul Mason will be discussing his latest book, PostCapitalism: A Guide to our Future, on 22 Oct. Currently economics editor at Channel 4 News, Mason’s most recent publication argues that capitalism is reaching the end of its useful life. He will be considering what we should do next alongside Katy Shaw, author and principal lecturer in contemporary literature at Leeds Beckett University.

Similarly forward-looking is bestselling author Iain Pears, whose new novel Arcadia is published as both a hardback book and an innovative app. The digital version has an additional 70,000 words, allowing the reader to choose their own path through the narrative and making it the first digitally native title from Faber. Pears will be discussing digital storytelling with author David Gaffney on 21 Oct.

For those who prefer their classics to their e-books, MLF is also showcasing the work of several literary greats. The Whitworth brings the poetry of WB Yeats back to the gallery where he performed a sell-out show in 1903. True Harmony: Yeats at 150 marks the Irish poet’s 150th birthday with experimental music and readings in celebration of his love of poetry, music and performance on 15 Oct.

Singer-songwriter Kathryn Williams also explores the powerful relationship between music and poetry with her album Hypoxia, directly inspired by her re-engagement with the work and life of Sylvia Plath. Williams will be performing the album in full with her band on 17 Oct, before discussing the project with Observer writer Rachel Cooke.

But it’s not all big names. MLF continues to support up-and-coming authors such as journalist and critic Bidisha and Afghan writer Gulwali Passarlay. As the Syrian refugee crisis continues to hit the headlines, this Amnesty International event on 17 Oct focuses on the themes of asylum and exile in today’s world. Elsewhere, authors Stephen Kelman and Sunjeev Sahota will be reading from their hotly tipped new books, both centring on India, on 24 Oct.

The annual Chester Literature Festival is also back this month with its own star-studded programme. Top of our list is actor and screenwriter Nick Frost (11 Oct), most famous for starring in films including Hot Fuzz, who will be discussing his memoir, Truth, Half Truths and Little White Lies, in the week of its publication.

Meanwhile, the Poetry Pub Crawl (16 Oct) returns to take poetry lovers on a tour of Chester’s pubs, with a literary twist provided by hosts Mark Grist and Luke Wright. Both poets are also appearing elsewhere at the festival, with Grist’s one-man show Rogue Teacher (17 Oct) and Wright’s theatrical monologue What I Learned from Johnny Bevan. Poetic wit is sure to flow as steadily as the beer.

Finally, ex-business secretary Vince Cable discusses his new book, After the Storm, the follow-up to his bestselling exploration of the 2008 world economic crisis. Gain a previously unreported view into the coalition government and Cable’s uniquely positioned perspective on the British economy on 19 Oct.

If that’s not enough literature to get you through autumn, Tate Liverpool is hosting US-born poet Tamar Yoseloff, who will be reading poetry inspired by Jackson Pollock on 11 Oct. Renowned for her interest in the relationship between poetry and visual art, Yoseloff’s sequence The City with Horns will introduce listeners to iconic New York locations as well as characters in Pollock’s life.


Manchester Literature Festival: Jeanette Winterson, The Royal Exchange Theatre, Tue 13 Oct, 7.30pm, £12 (£10); Paul Mason, Royal Northern College of Music, Thu 22 Oct, 7.30pm, £10 (£8); Iain Pears, International Anthony Burgess Foundation, Wed 21 Oct, 6pm, £6 (£4); True Harmony: Yeats at 150, Whitworth Art Gallery, Thu 15 Oct, 7.30pm, £10 (£8); Kathryn Williams: Hypoxia, Hallé St Peter’s, Sat 17 Oct, 8pm, £15 (£12); Asylum and Exile, Cross Street Chapel, Sat 17 Oct, 2pm, £8 (£6); Stephen Kelman and Sunjeev Sahota, International Anthony Burgess Foundation, Manchester, Sat 24 Oct, 4pm, £4 (£3)

manchesterliteraturefestival.co.uk

Chester Literature Festival: Nick Frost, Chester Town Hall, Sun 11 Oct, 7.30pm, £15.50; Poetry Pub Crawl, Chester Town Hall, Fri 16 Oct, 7.30pm, £15.50; Mark Grist: Rogue Teacher, Chester Town Hall, Sat 17 Oct, 2pm, £12.50 (£10.50); Luke Wright: What I Learned from Johnny Bevan, Chester Town Hall, Sat 17 Oct, 4.30pm, £12.50 (£10.50); Vince Cable: After the Storm, Chester Town Hall, Mon 19 Oct, 7.30pm, £15.50 (£13.50)

chesterperforms.com/literature

Tamar Yoseloff, The City with Horns: Poems Inspired by Jackson Pollock, Tate Liverpool, Sun 11 Oct, 2pm, free (booking essential), tate.org.uk