The Manchester City of Literature Schools Writing Trail showcases the ‘best of the best’ of student writing across Greater Manchester, offering a literature trail in conjunction with Manchester’s Festival of Libraries.

The Schools Writing Trail is an exhibition of some of the very best student writing in Manchester. In 2023 there were over 100 young writers featured, writing in 12 languages, whose poetry, fiction, and imagination all featured in the exhibition. The Trail was a walkable constellation of young voices connecting community arts centres, schools, universities, and libraries with over 40 schools in Greater Manchester. The Schools Writing Trail project is a celebration of the young writers who are a vibrant part of what makes Manchester a UNESCO City of Literature.

There were 6 locations in the city centre where audiences could read work that was generated from 8 Manchester-based initiatives: First Story’s Connect Event, Z-Arts Story Stars, The Portico Library’s annual Sadie Massey and Art of the Book awards, the Centre for New Writing at the University of Manchester’s annual Schools Writing Competition, Manchester Metropolitan University’s annual Mother Tongue, Other Tongue competition, Saturday Club and, in conjunction with the Comino Foundation, Comino Poet in Residence program. You can find out more about each one of these Manchester City of Literature partners below.

We hope you enjoyed the writing as part of the Trail and had chance to visit some of the locations! Tag us in your photo’s on the trail or even get involved by penning your own piece of writing by using #MCRSchoolsWritingTrail. Now the trail exhibition is over, you can find an archive of some of the work featured right here.

Participating Schools

Levenshulme High School, Whalley Range High School, Burnage Academy for Boys, The East Manchester Academy, Broadoak High School, Didsbury High School, Stockport School, Trinity C of E High School, Unsworth Academy, Wright Robinson College, Inscape House School, The School at the Christie, Galaxy House, Manchester Hospital School, Fallibroome Academy, Macclesfield Xaverian Sixth Form College, St Aiden’s Church of England High School, St Antony’s RC High School, St Bede’s College, Lady Barn House School, Frosterley Primary School, St John’s RC Primary School, Manchester Enterprise Academy, Abraham Moss Community School, Ladybridge High School, Falinge Park High School, St Peter’s RC High School, Co-op Academy Manchester, Oasis Academy Leesbrook, All Hallows Catholic College, Lancaster Girls’ Grammar School, Cheadle Hulme High School, Oldham Sixth Form College, Hazel Grove High School, Laurus Ryecroft, Sale Grammar School, The School at the Royal Manchester Children’s Hospital.