Iphone owner? Try the new iPhone app from Creative Tourist

Manchester’s residents and visitors - those of them with iPhones anyway - can now keep up to date with the city’s latest cultural happenings through a new app released by online arts magazine Creative Tourist. Get the latest information about exhibitions, shows and performances straight to your phone plus extras such as suggested walking tours, historical facts, insider tips on social haunts and practical information about arts venues.

It is free to download from the App Store during October, but will cost 79p after a two week trial period is over. Visit  creativetourist.com and find out more...

Can e-books improve your reading experience?

On the Huffington Post, writer Steve Leveen has written a column about the ways that e-books can improve the reading experience. What do you think?

If you are curious about e-readers or maybe fancy an eBook reader for Christmas you can have a play with some of the latest models at Chorlton Library during the Chorlton Book Festival. We'll also show you how to download free eBooks from the library website.

Drop-in session - Chorlton Library, Manchester Road, M21 9PN
Thursday 18 November, 6-8 pm  FREE

2010 Arvon International Poetry Competition shortlist announced

 The shortlist results are in for the prestigious 2010 Arvon International Poetry Competition. Founded by Ted Hughes and now in its 30th year, The Arvon International Poetry Competition is one of the UK's most prestigious open poetry prizes. The first prize of £7,500 is one of the largest available for a single poem.

The competition is truly international, welcoming entries from around the world and this year’s competition attracted entries from more than 43 countries – including the Philippines, New Zealand, Zimbabwe and the United States of America.

The shortlist was decided by a judging panel chaired by Poet Laureate, Carol Ann Duffy and included leading poets Elaine Feinstein and Sudeep Sen.

The shortlisted poems are:

Cherries by Linda Anderson

Squaw duck for the bard by Jeff Bien

Love and the Orchid by Zoe Brigley

The Stoup by Frances Butler

Making Rounds by Frances Butler

Triptych by Geraldine Clarkson

Miss Jenkins by Julia Copus

Sea Bream Dinner by Paul Deaton

The Blue Dressing Gown by Ross Donlon

Hide and Seek Champ Found Dead in Cupboard by Angela France

Sin of Unrequited Love by Heidi Garnett

The Disposition of the Whiskers by Richard Gaunt

Inshallah by Gary Geddes

Alms for Anne by Rae Howells

Into The Horse by Sarah Jackson

The Calmness of Sheep by Hannah Lowe

Night Crime by Jo Lowry

Stone by Nick Makoha

Entertaining the Dictator by James Manlow

Advice to Wives by Sam North

Merman by Jean O'Brien

Kru Child by Timothy Ogene

And then you made me feel..... by Catherine Ormell

Zoo by Angela Readman

Lazarus by Sian Rider

Operation Cast Lead by Seni Seneviratne

Flying by Deirdre Shanahan

13th August, 1964 by Penelope Shuttle

Black Bat Burn by Andrew Slattery

How is it possible to ever say goodbye? By Sally St Clair

Silkworms by Ruth Thompson

The Butterflies, Kew Gardens by Christian Ward

Goldrush by Colette Watson

The winners will be announced on Thursday 4th November at a prize-giving ceremony, and results will be publicly announced online on 5th November. All prize-winning and commended poems will be published in a special competition anthology.

It's poetry night tonight at Sales's Waterside Arts Centre

BBC national slam champion Ben Mellor returns to Write Out Loud tonight at the monthly poetry night at the Waterside Arts Centre in Sale.

Ben, who got through to the BBC final after winning the Write Out Loud-organised North West heat, is accompanied by showcase poets Cynthia Buell Thomas,  Rachel K and you, in the open mic – get there early to book your spot.  The evening is hosted by the fabulous Rod Tame.
It all starts at 7.30pm this evening (Tuesday, 26th October) at the Waterside Arts Centre, Sale. Read more at Write Out Loud...

A eurocrime reading list for 2011

Karen from Eurocrime (one of my favourite blogs) has posted a great list of books to look forward to in the New Year. She's also updated her amazon list of Scandinavian Crime Fiction Published in 2011 and there's even a fuller list of translated titles in 2011 here.



If you are interested in reading more crime books from foreign places Eurocrime also has a handy list of European authors in translation including:

• French Crime Fiction
• German Crime Fiction
• Italian Crime Fiction
• Scandinavian Crime Fiction
• Spanish Crime Fiction
• (more european countries)

plus a list of specialist crime fiction bookshops.

The Paris Review provides free access to all its author interviews

The Paris Review has opened access to its complete archive of author interviews beginning in 1953 with "E. M. Forster, The Art of Fiction No. 1" through to the current issue and an interview with "Michel Houellebecq, The Art of Fiction No. 206." 

The collection can be browsed by name or by decade.

A Few Examples:

"Ray Bradbury, The Art of Fiction No. 203"

"R. Crumb, The Art of Comics No. 1"

"Stephen King, The Art of Fiction No. 189"

"Hunter S. Thompson, The Art of Journalism No. 1"

"Tom Wolfe, The Art of Fiction No. 123"

"Kurt Vonnegut, The Art of Fiction No. 64"

"Arthur Miller, The Art of Theater No. 2"

"Ernest Hemingway, The Art of Fiction No. 21"

and Many More

(via ResourceShelf )

Cleopatra author comes to Wythenshawe

This Sunday (October 24) acclaimed author Joyce Tyldesley talks to the Forum Library reading group about her historical biography, Cleopatra: Last Queen of Egypt. Everyone is welcome - you don't have to be a member of the reading group to attend.

Sunday 24 October
2pm @ the Forum Library, Wythenshawe


Here a few reviews...

"'Tyldesley's strength has always been her storytelling, and here she is on top form.' Sunday Telegraph

'A very readable account of the life of Cleopatra VII, and one that goes some way to redress the way in which she is often viewed... Intriguing insights into life and society in the Egypt of the Ptolemies.' THES

'Magnificent... strips away preconceptions to provide a rich, absorbing picture of a country and its Egyptian Queen.' Belfast Telegraph"

'Joyce Tyldesley's 'Cleopatra' is a remarkable book; highly readable, clever and humorous, the biography offers a wealth of information and detail on Cleopatra and her world.' Amazon Reviewer

Joyce has written numerous books on Egypt and even has her own Amazon author page! And of course you can order any of Joyce's books from our online catalogue and pick it up from a library near you. If you'd like to explore more biographies of historical figures here are a few classic suggestions to get you going...

Margaret George The Memoirs of Cleopatra
Robert Graves I, Claudius
Stephen Marlowe The memoirs of Christopher Columbus
Rosalind Miles I, Elizabeth
Robert Nye The Voyage of Destiny (Sir Walter Raleigh)

There's even more historical reading suggestions over at the Time to Read Pages Ago website.

Do you have any favourite historical memoirs or novels? I love The True History of the Kelly Gang by Peter Carey! Share yours in the comments section...

Unusual photos of Central Library...

We've added 80 new photos to our Flickr collection. Recently, the last books left Central Library to go into storage before the huge refurbishment programme leading up to the library reopening in 2013. In August photographer Wendy Graham took a walk around Central Library and captured the empty building...

Here's a few images from the collection. To see the full set and much larger images head over to Flickr.






Find out more about what's happening at Central Library.

T S Eliot shortlist announced

Simon Armitage, Seamus Heaney and Derek Walcott are to battle for this year's T S Eliot Prize for Poetry in an "exceptional year for poetry".

Heaney's Forward Prize-winning collection Human Chain is up for the £15,000 prize, alongside his two Faber stablemates: Simon Armitage's Seeing Stars and Derek Walcott's White Egrets. Also in the running are titles from Picador, Seren, Carcanet, Cape and Bloodaxe.

A record 123 collections were submitted for the 10-strong list. Chair of judges Anne Stevenson said: "The judges have found this an exceptional year for poetry, with a record number of entries, and have agreed on a strong shortlist which is unusually eclectic in form and theme."

The winner will be announced on 24th January, with £1,000 going to each of the shortlisted poets. The prize will be heralded by an evening of readings on 23rd January at London's Royal Festival Hall.

The shortlist in full:

Seeing Stars Simon Armitage (Faber)
The Mirabelles Annie Freud (Picador)
You John Haynes (Seren)
Human Chain Seamus Heaney (Faber)
What the Water Gave Me Pascale Petit (Seren)
The Wrecking Light Robin Robertson (Picador)
Rough Music Fiona Sampson (Carcanet)
Phantom Noise Brian Turner (Bloodaxe)
White Egrets Derek Walcott (Faber)
New Light for the Old Dark Sam Willetts (Jonathan Cape)

(via Bookseller)

Chorlton Book Festival 2010 - brochure now available online

Roll up, roll up and get your own downloadable Chorlton Book Festival brochure for our 2010 literary M21 extravaganza now featuring extra Carol Ann Duffy. See our previous post to find out more about the Poet Laureate's Chorlton appearance.

Open publication - Free publishing - More library

And here's the plain text version...

Chorlton Book Festival
Readers, writers and would-be writers are out in force in South Manchester for some book-related action at the sixth Chorlton Book Festival. All the featured guests have Chorlton connections - does this makes M21 the city’s most literary suburb?

Ed Glinert
Ed, a co-founder of City Life, has a unique personal take on the recent and not-so-recent history of Manchester. Tonight he talks about and reads from a new and improved online version of his acclaimed Manchester Compendium, a street-by-street history of England’s greatest industrial city.

Chorlton Library, Manchester Road, M21 9PN - Monday 8 November, 6pm

Ann Featherstone
Ann is author of two gripping Victorian thriller novels: Walking in Pimlico and The Newgate Jig. She also writes about the Victorian entertainment industry and is a lecturer in Performance History at Manchester University.

“Up there with the work of Angela Carter and Sarah Waters. Extremely hard to put down.” - The Times

Lloyds Hotel, Wilbraham Road - Tuesday 9 November, 7pm

Quizimodo’s Chorlton Festival Special!
Come and experience the madness that is Quizimodo!! We will be celebrating Chorlton Book Festival with a loony limerick round, an ‘Are You Sitting Comfortably?’ round with Graham and Ben reading extracts from their favourite childrens books. There’ll be books as prizes and plenty of biscuits! Entries £1.

Oddest Bar, 414-416 Wilbraham Road - Wednesday 10 November, 8pm till late


Valerie Roebuck
The Dhammapada is one of the best-known and best-loved Buddhist texts, a sequence of teachings in verse said to have been spoken the Buddha himself. Local author Valerie Roebuck talks about the challenges of translating Pali poetry into modern English, and reads extracts from her new translation.

Chorlton Library, Manchester Road, M21 9PN - Friday 12 November, 12.30


Simon Unsworth

Horror author Simon Kurt Unsworth was brought up in Chorlton, so has learned to cope with the odd and the weird. His stories have appeared in a wide range of magazines and anthologies. His first collection was Lost Places (Ash Tree Press) and his second, Strange Gateways, is out in 2012.

Chorlton Library, Manchester Road, M21 9PN - Friday 12 November, 7pm


Robert Graham: writers’ workshop
The Chorlton-based author of Holy Joe and The Only Living Boy and MMU lecturer in Creative Writing shares his expertise in this practical workshop. Places are free, but limited. Call 227 3700 to book.

Lloyds Hotel, Wilbraham Road, Saturday 13 November, 11am-1pm



Animal Magic Story Time
Roar like a lion or squeak like a mouse - masks and costumes welcome! Suitable for children aged 3-7 years.

Busy Bee Toy Shop, 517 Wilbraham Road - Saturday 13 November, 11am


Stunning Stories
You decide what you want to hear! Listen to extracts and let us know what you think by scoring them. Open to children aged 8-12.

Busy Bee Toy Shop, 517 Wilbraham Road - Saturdays 13 and 20 November, 2pm

101 Dalmatians
Author Dodie Smith grew up in Old Trafford and Whalley Range and went to Whalley Range High! Find out the story behind The 101 Dalmatians, one of our best-loved novels, and about Dodie’s own dogs. Free fun family activities and prizes. Come in fancy dress - spotty would be good.

Chorlton Library, Manchester Road, M21 9PN, Saturday 13 November, 1.30-4pm


Charlotte Keatley (with actress Karen Henthorne)
Charlotte Keatley is one of Manchester’s most notable writers. Her award-winning play, My Mother Said I Never Should, was named by the National Theatre as one of the Significant Plays of the Twentieth Century. It is thought to be the most widely performed play across the world by a female playwright and is a set text in schools. Charlotte, supported by Corrie’s Karen Henthorne, will demonstrate how play writing works and read her plays, including her new play.

Chorlton Library, Manchester Road, M21 9PN - Sunday 14 November, 2-4pm


Jackie Kay
Jackie Kay has written awarding-winning poetry and novels for adults and children and received an MBE for services to literature. Her most recent book, Red Dust Road, traces her experience of finding her natural parents and is full of unexpected twists, turns and deep emotion. Chorlton Library, Manchester Road, M21 9PN - Monday 15 November, 7pm


e-Read All About it
Fancy an eBook reader for Christmas? Have a play with some of the latest models and find out about how you can now download free eBooks from the library website. Drop-in session.

Chorlton Library, Manchester Road, M21 9PN - Thursday 18 November, 6-8 pm


Bookstart Storytime
Join Bookstart Bear and Surestart for lots of fun.

Chorlton Library, Manchester Road, Friday 19 November, 10.15 (for under-2s) Chorlton Library, Manchester Road, Friday 19 November, 11.15 (for over-2s)


Manky Poets with copland smith: the Poets of Greater Chorltonia

Live in the library, readings by the poets of Chorlton, including Sarah L Dixon, Jimmy Doxford and copland smith. £2/£1

Chorlton Library, Manchester Road, M21 9PN, Friday 19 November, 7.30pm


Sarah Dixon: writers’ workshop
This creative writing workshop by a prize-winning poet, will consist of exercises using books by festival authors to fire your imagination. Limited places – booking recommended. Tel 227 3700.

Chorlton Central Church, Barlow Moor Road, Saturday 20 November, 11-1pm


Teen poetry slam with Mike Garry
Showcase your writing and performance skills in a supportive and friendly environment. Your host and compère is the inspirational poet Mike Garry. Teenagers only. First prize is a Kindle e-book reader.

Chorlton Library, Manchester Road, M21 9PN, Saturday 20 November, 12-2pm


Pirate Pretenders Story Time
Ahoy, me hearties! Swashbuckling adventures of treasure and treason. For children aged 3-7 years.

Busy Bee Toy Shop, 517 Wilbraham Road, Saturday 20 November, 11am


From Plot to Pot
A hands-on session by Chorlton’s Cracking Good Food. Learn how to cook home-grown produce supplied by local allotments. Tons of books to borrow to get you started too! Free family event.

Chorlton Library, Manchester Road, M21 9PN, Sunday 21 November, 1-3 pm


Story Competition
Want to win a prize? Then get writing. We supply the pictures, then you write a story to go with them! This children’s competition is open 1-21 November. Ask in the library.

Chorlton Library, Manchester Road, M21 9PN


Art Competition
Draw your favourite book character and see your work on display in the Busy Bee Toy Shop. You could win Busy Bee vouchers. Hand your entry in at the Busy Bee Toyshop or the library. Competition open to ages 0-12 and runs 1-13 November.

Friday - The Saul Williams Experience at Band on the Wall

Saul Williams is a hybrid. A poet. A rapstar. A rockstar. Manchester Literature Festival in association with Young Identity, Contact, Speakeasy and Commonword present Saul Williams, one of the outstanding Slam poets of his generation.

Winner of the 1996 Nuyorican Poets Cafe’s Grand Slam Championship, featured in the documentary film SlamNation and star of the 1998 feature film Slam, Saul Williams has performed with The Fugees and Erykah Badu, as well as with the poets Allen Ginsberg and Sonia Sanchez.



Don’t miss this rare opportunity to catch Saul in performance at one of Manchester’s premier venues, Band on the Wall. With the Speakeasy Band on song, and Young Identity gracing the mic too, it promises to be a scintillating session!

Friday 22 October at Band on the Wall.

Tickets £8 / £5 concessions from the Band on the Wall.

More information on Saul Williams.

More information on Speakeasy.

More information about Young Identity.

The Big Family Book Day - this Saturday @ Tatton Park

Families across the North West are being invited to kick-off the half-term holiday in style by joining the Big Family Book Day. North West Library Services and Tatton Park invite you to spend some time finding out how history can be enjoyed through books and enjoy loads of activities.

There's something for everything including reading, writing, drawing and listening!  Drop in or stay all day...

10.30am Fun with words with “That Poetry Bloke” Craig Bradley 

11am Drawing with Matt Buckingham, illustrator of the “Gruesome Truth about”….series. Matt will talk about how he draws his scenes and
characters and will encourage you to have a go

11.45 – 2pm Drawing & writing through history, make a badge, look at books, take part in our quiz and storytelling for younger children.

12.30pm Stories from the Big House with Amy Douglas, a storyteller with a passion for traditional stories and riddles.

2pm Create Your Own “My Story” with Jim Eldridge. “My Story” is a series of historical novels for children. Each is written in the form of a diary
set against an important event in history. Jim has written several including “Pyramid of Secrets”, “Roman Invasion” and “Sweep’s Boy”.

3pm More Rhyming & Poetry fun with Craig Bradley or stories with Amy Douglas plus hands – on activities and stories for younger children.

Visit our mobile library and take part in our quiz.
Saturday 23rd October 10am – 4pm Free - normal park entry charges apply.
For more information about the day please contact
Jane Mathieson on 0161 234 1210 or email Jane on j.mathieson@manchester.gov.uk

Stop Press!! Carol Ann Duffy in Chorlton Book Festival

An Evening With Carol Anne Duffy
Saturday 13th November 7pm
Wilbraham St Ninian's United Reformed Church
Wilbraham Road, Chorlton
£10

Carol Anne Duffy, the first woman to hold the post of Poet Laureate will be reading of a selection of her poems in aid of the Greater Manchester Immigration Aid Unit on 13th November.  Tickets via www.mccmanchester.co.uk or 0161 881 6050 (reservation essential, pay on the door).

Free evening classes: Selling on the web

If you're in the business of literature these free workshops might be very useful...the classes are designed for small businesses already trading online or who want to start using the internet to develop a competitive edge.

The workshops, now in their 5th year give an excellent insight into what selling on the web means – from getting the right website, how the design of your website affects customer behaviour, choosing the right payment system, to devising the best way off attracting customers. Plus it is an excellent forum to meet and network with other local businesses.

What businesses said about last year’s “Selling on the Web” events:

• “The workshops provided me with the information I needed”
• “Exactly what I wanted to know ”
• “Once I have put into practice what I have learnt I can see my business benefiting greatly ”

To book for City Library, call 0161 234 1991 and to book for Longsight Library call 0161 227 3706.

1.0 Making a Good Website
City Library, Thursday 4 November, 5.45-7.30

Longsight Library, Monday 15 November, 5.45-7.30

2.0 Kerching!
Choosing the right payment system for your needs.
City Library, Thursday 11 November. 5.45-7.30 

Longsight Library, Monday 22 November 5.45 – 7.30

3.0 Your Space on MySpace
Using social networks and marketing online.
City Library, Thursday 18 November, 5.45-7.30

Longsight Library, Monday 29 November, 5.45-7.30

4.0 Get Noticed by Google
How to attract customers to your site.
City Library, Thursday 25 November, 5.45-7.30 

Longsight Library, Monday 6 December 5.45-7.30

Booker Prize news round up

Author and columnist Howard Jacobson has won the Man Booker Prize for his comic novel The Finkler Question. Jacobson, who beat contenders including double winner Peter Carey, received the £50,000 prize at London's Guildhall. Browse books by the prize-winning author at the online library catalogue, order any book for freeand we'll deliver it to your nearest library and email you when it's ready to collect.


Catch up on all the Man Booker buzz around the web...

BBC
Guardian
Telegraph - Howard Jacobson is surprise winner
Daily Mail

The Ladies of Cranford: Literary Landscapes

Manchester Literature Festival and Manchester Libraries present

The Ladies of Cranford: Literary Landscapes

2010 marks the 200th anniversary of the birth of pioneering Manchester writer Elizabeth Gaskell. To mark the occasion and launch the new festival theme of Literary Landscapes, Sue Birtwistle and Susie Conklin, the creators of the BBC’s hugely popular adaptation of Gaskell’s Cranford, talk about their research methods and their new book The Cranford Companion.

Friday 15 October
7.30pm
The Whitworth Art Gallery
The University of Manchester
Oxford Road
Manchester M15 6ER
Tickets: £7/£5 concessions
Phone 0843 208 0500
or www.manchesterliteraturefestival.co.uk

Bewilderbliss and Corridor8 @ the Cornerhouse

The literary ‘zine scene has never been livelier! Come to the Cornerhouse to hear from two of the local success stories as the editors and writers of Bewilderbliss and Corridor8 talk about and read from their magazines.

Each year, Corridor8 selects the best and most interesting writers and artists it can find: architecture, contemporary visual and audio art and creative writing rub shoulders to produce a journal that sets out to inform and stimulate as much as it entertains.

Produced by students on the University of Manchester’s Creative Writing Masters programme, Bewilderbliss showcases the best new prose and poetry from the rainy city and beyond.

Tickets are free but booking is advised. Contact 0843 208 0500
or www.manchesterliteraturefestival.co.uk

1pm Monday 18 October
Cornerhouse
70 Oxford Street
Manchester M1 5NH

Advice on submitting to literary journals

This blog post from American poet, Steve Roggenbuck, is worth reading. Recently published on the *Red Ceilings poetry blog the twenty-two year old poet and writer has been published in over twenty literary journals.
steveroggenbuck.blogspot.com/2010/10/submitting-to-literary-journals.html

*Red Ceilings is a Derbyshire based poetry blog and e-publisher. Take a look at redceilings.blogspot.com

October's Poem of the Month: Life Class by Katherine Horrex

Life Class

Doubly alive, today's model
shifts tender weight
across the mattress on the floor.
We lift our easels, set them down,
and the room fills with big smells
of paint, warm skin.

Our canvasses feed on oil,
her body, full with the baby
making itself known
with a fist or a foot
across the wide womb roof.

*********************


Katherine is a songwriter and poet newly moved to Withington from Hull.  She has been published in magazines such as Mslexia, Fuselit and Pomegranate, and is working towards her first collection.  You can hear her band at www.myspace.com/stickpin, and possibly even join if you are a drummer!

Celebrate National Poetry Day - Win the Best of Manchester Poets Vol 1

We've got a brand new copy of Puppywolf's new poetry anthology The Best of Manchester Poets to give away. To enter email the Lit List on litlist@manchester.gov.uk and we'll pick a winner at random on Monday 11th October.

Come and listen to the Best of Manchester Poets showcase at City Library on Thursday 21 October at 6pm...

Poetry @ City Library presents…

Cathy Bryant & The Best of Manchester Poets

Thursday 21 October 6pm
City Library
Becker Room
Elliot House, 151 Deansgate
Manchester
M3 3WD







Best of Manchester Poets is the first major attempt in recent years to showcase in book form the talent, individuality and sheer fun of the Manchester poetry scene. Readers tonight include Simon Rennie, Rod Tame, Angela Smith, and Chris Dommett.

Contains Strong Language and Scenes of a Sexual Nature is Cathy Bryant’s debut poetry collection. Irritatingly hard to classify, Cathy Bryant’s poetry hints at what it means to be female and intelligent in the 21st century. Think Carol Ann Duffy meets Spike Milligan!

For more information about this event contact Libby Tempest 0161 234 1981 or
email l.tempest@manchester.gov.uk

Bookdrum - a creative community for booklovers

I think I may have discovered a new hobby! Bookdrum.com, is an exciting new creative community for booklovers. Rather than just reviewing or listing the titles on your shelves Bookdrum provides a mechanism for readers to upload or embed multi-media content to illustrate and augment a book.

Bookdrum call these collections of extra information 'profiles' - a dossier of illustration and information on a particular book.   It consists of a Summary, a Glossary, a Review, a biography of the Author, a note on the Setting, and a collection of “Bookmarks” that refer to specific passages in the text.

Anyone with spare time, enthusiasm, reasonable writing skills and an Internet connection can build a Profile on a book they know well.   All you need to do is sign up for a free account.   While a book is being profiled, it cannot be worked on by anyone else.   Once the Profile is complete, other registered Contributors will be able to add to it.

In the illustration above you can see a couple of bookmarks created by Geoff Mills for his profile of David Mitchell's Cloud Atlas. Geoff has created one hundred extra pieces of information to help illustrate the novel including pictures, photos, music and video. There's also a author biography which includes videos and recordings of David Mitchell.

Book Drum  say their goal is to encourage more people to read better books.  The team behind the website believe that the interactive, multi-media approach will appeal to younger people and they hope that providing the visual and audio context to books will introduce a whole new section of the population to reading for pleasure. It may also help the rest of us understand and enjoy difficult or inaccessible texts rather more easily.

Have a look at Bookdrum and see what you think? Is it literary 'scrapbooking? Do great books need all this extra detail? How would you react if you were an author? Add your thought to the comments section...we want to know what you think!

Why History Matters - new evening classes at City Library

We are delighted to announce details of an exciting new history course being run at City Library this year, taught by members of the History Department at the University of Manchester. The course will follow the same format as our Literature course and will run parallel with it.

WHY HISTORY MATTERS
This series of study workshops will explore key issues in history to offer members a chance to reflect and discuss why and how key events in the past help us understand issues in today's society. Presented by History staff at the UNIVERSITY OF MANCHESTER, this group will examine key readings on major historical debates and questions with a local and national focus, that continue to shape who we are, our shared past and our current social relationships.

The study workshops are FREE - but registration is required for the entire course and there will be a modest fee for a course booklet. To book a place, please email Libby Tempest at l.tempest@manchester.gov.uk

Classes will run on the 3rd Wednesday of the month, from 6pm - 7.30pm.

Wed 20th Oct - Why History Matters Dr. Julie-Marie Strange
This introductory session will draw upon a recent book by the historian John Tosh to explore claims that governments should have professional historians on board to help them navigate key current political & social issues. We'll discuss Tosh's arguments for why & how understanding the past is vital to navigating the present. This session will also act as an overall introduction to the more specialised, diverse themes considered in subsequent meetings.

Wed 17th Nov - The Rise of Britain and the Slave Trade Dr. Natalie Zacek
Wed 15th Dec - Religion and Identity in the City; Manchester Whit Walks in the Interwar Period  Dr. Charlotte Wildman
Wed 19th Jan 2011 - The Origins of Britain? Or, Why Weren't the Anglo-Saxons More British? Prof. Nick Higham
Wed 16th Feb 2011 - From Horatio Nelson to James Bond: Why History Needs Heroes Dr. Max Jones
Wed 16th March 2011 - The Dark Spectre of Unemployment: the Depression in the North Dr. Chris Godden
Wed 20th April 2011 - Why are Refugees Hidden From History? Prof. Peter Gatrell
Wed 18th May 2011 - The Nursery of Virtue: Why History Needs to Include the Home Prof. Hannah Barker
Wed 15th June 2011 - Just Why Did Child Labour Decline in Britian? Dr. Peter Kirby


Please note, in the interests of fairness, people should only sign up for EITHER the History course OR the Literature one, not both - demand is very high - if you've applied for the Literature course and haven't heard back, that course is now full, so please assume that you haven't been successful in obtaining a place and do feel free to apply for a place on the History course.

To book a place, please email Libby Tempest at l.tempest@manchester.gov.uk

Free web workshops for community and voluntary groups in Manchester

Are you part of a community or voluntary group in Manchester? Do you want to learn about online tools to get things done?




Come along to one of MDDA's FREE morning web workshops, running once a month from October 2010 to March 2011.

Workshops will cover a range of useful topics including:

• Stop using email to send big files and learn how to use Dropbox instead
• Find out how to edit photos in your web browser
• Find out how text expansion programs can save you time at the keyboard
• Learn how to blog using nothing but your email program
• Use Google Forms to create online contact forms and surveys
• Learn lots more useful tips and tricks to help you get things done online

Find out more and register to attend at http://mddawebworkshops.eventbrite.com