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In March 2020, Manchester went into the first national lockdown, and would remain in a state of lockdown until the following year. At that time, the Manchester City of Literature team had only been working together for a matter of weeks. In response to the state of crisis that our city, along with its communities, their libraries, bookshops, schools, and favourite places to read and write found themselves in, we created a large scale project to support Manchester’s Literature scene as best we could: A City Connects.
In response to the need identified by our partners to amplify their digital offer, in April 2020, in just over a week, we created the A City Connects website to support any and all activity from the partnership network as it moved online. From its launch to the retirement of the site in December 2020, there were over 150 events listed from our publishers, spoken word nights, book launches, readings and more. In that time, more than 4000 visitors used the site as a way to find out how to stay connected with the world of literature in Manchester from home.
We can find community in stories, in conversation and in learning that we are not as isolated as we thought. Literature can be the heart of this connectedness- it’s what brings us together. In a world that is changing at break-neck speed, where we carry out social distancing for the good of public health, how do we stay connected? Manchester City of Literature is inspired by the possibilities that still exist for our city to bring people together. You’ll find everything that’s going on on the A City Connects site, whether you’re a reader, a writer, you want to support independent publishers or are looking for something to entertain you or young children. – The introduction to the original A City Connects website
We can find community in stories, in conversation and in learning that we are not as isolated as we thought. Literature can be the heart of this connectedness- it’s what brings us together. In a world that is changing at break-neck speed, where we carry out social distancing for the good of public health, how do we stay connected? Manchester City of Literature is inspired by the possibilities that still exist for our city to bring people together. You’ll find everything that’s going on on the A City Connects site, whether you’re a reader, a writer, you want to support independent publishers or are looking for something to entertain you or young children.
– The introduction to the original A City Connects website
The A City Connects site connected not just the locals, but the wider City of Literature network, attracting people from Russia, Australia, Canada, South America, all across Europe, South Africa, New Zealand and beyond! We hosted key events on there too, including:
A City Connects was always much more than just a website. As well as featuring events on the site, there were projects born out of our desire to join up the literature offering in the city during such a difficult time, many of which were developed around the idea of writing for wellbeing. These included:
In Manchester City of Literature’s first year as a team, it was a year none of us could have predicted. But we believe it shows the strength of the partnership that all of this activity to support each other, the local community and literature scene was still able to go ahead and feel it’s something we should all be proud of.
The Hook: Dike Omeje
The Hook: Earthly Powers by Anthony Burgess
Hear the MCOL team discuss A City Connects with Edinburgh City of Literature
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