About Manchester Literature Festival

Manchester Literature Festival is one of the North’s most exciting Literature Festivals. Over the last 16 years, it has distinguished itself as a Festival that provides unique and imaginative opportunities for audiences to experience high quality live literature, poetry and spoken word. Alongside an annual Festival each October, MLF presents a Spring programme of events and ongoing education projects and fun activities for children and young people.

As an Arts Council National Portfolio Organisation, Manchester Literature Festival is committed to providing a platform for women writers, LGBTQ+ writers, working class writers and writers of colour. Whilst the Festival predominantly showcases Fiction, Poetry and World Literature from national, international and regional voices, MLF also hosts events with artists, activists, feminists and environmentalists as part of their Culture strand.

Manchester Literature Festival is part of Manchester’s rich cultural tapestry and the Festival was central to the designation of Manchester as a UNESCO City of Literature in 2017. In keeping with this, Festival events take place across some of Manchester’s most prestigious and atmospheric venues from RNCM and HOME to Central Library, International Anthony Burgess Foundation, Manchester Museum and The Whitworth. MLF prides itself on developing strong partnerships with other cultural organisations and regularly commissions poets and writers to create new work especially for the Festival.

About the Festival Team

Manchester Literature Festival is run by a dedicated team of two Co-Directors (Cathy Bolton & Sarah-Jane Roberts), a Children and Young People’s Programme Producer (Miriam Wild) and various Freelance staff. The team are all passionate about storytelling, literature, culture and events and have a background in independent publishing, arts journalism, education and community work as well as Festivals.

MLF events

Watch New Commissions from Northern writers Andrew McMillan, Hafsah Aneela Bashir, Reshma Ruia & Clare Shaw on Manchester Literature Festival’s Vimeo page linked below.

Watch Angela Davis & Jackie Kay, Kae Tempest & Max Porter, Dara McAnulty & Helen Mort and other MLF Digital conversations on the Manchester Literature Festival You Tube channel, also linked below.