Join a webchat with Giles Kristian and win a copy of Odin's Wolves

 

  












We lusted for an even greater prize...and we would find it in Miklagard... 

We think that the only thing more satisfying than reading a good book is the discussion that follows. So we are offering you the chance to take place in a live webchat with Giles Kristian, the author of Odin's Wolves AND receive a free hardback copy of the book courtesy of our friends at the Bantam Press.

This is your chance to get answers to the questions you've been dying to ask: about the author's personal experiences; what inspires them; how it feels to see one's name on a book cover; how they create characters; and what their writing routine is like. For devoted readers, it's like the ultimate literary seminar.

If you would like the chance to talk to Giles AND receive a copy of Odin's Wolves email litlist@manchester.gov.uk by 5pm on Monday 4 April. Include your library membership/ticket number and tell us why you'd like to read the book and chat to the author. We'll pick ten winners who will each receive a brand new hardback copy of Odin's Wolves and an exclusive invite to a live webchat with Giles Kristian on Thursday 5 May on the Reader's Place website.

Not a member? Don't worry - it's easy, quick and free to join the library. Fill in a simple online form and we'll give you a membership number. Join Online Now!

The book...
The thrilling, blood-stirring, blood-soaked new chapter in the story of Raven and his fellow Viking warriors.
Raven and the Wolfpack have suffered. Good men have died, treasure has been lost. But to Norsemen such as these there is something more valuable than silver: fame - for fame is the saga-story that a warrior leaves behind when he dies. Now the Fellowship sails in search of Constantinople, which they call Miklagard, for it is there that they hope to find both riches and glory.

It is a voyage that will lead them into unknown and dangerous waters - from the barren, wind-whipped marshes of the Carmargue to the crumbling walls and blood-drenched arenas of a decaying Rome, from brutal hand-to-hand conflict, to vile treachery and betrayal. And as Miklagard echoes to the sound of sword and axe and spear, Raven and his fellow adventurers will pay a high price for the fame they seek...

The author...

Having Viking ancestors himself, Giles Kristian believes that the story of Raven has always been in his blood. Inspired by both his family history and his storytelling heroes, Bernard Cornwell and Conn Iggulden, Giles began writing this thrilling tale of an English boy’s coming of age amongst a band of marauding warriors from across the grey seas. Raven: Blood Eye was published to great acclaim and two further adventures have followed. Giles lives in Leicestershire where he writes full-time.

The saga...
...Odin's Wolves is the third installment in the Raven saga.
 


The critics...
Kristian can really write...his battle scenes are bone crunchingly good, his descriptions of the Viking world bright and evocative...a great storyteller.
- BEN KANE, author of The Forgotten Legion

If this is the last we see of Raven Bloodeye - and I really hope it's not - this is a storming, magnificent end to what has been one of the best Viking series of all time. Authentic, bloody, visceral action, a beautiful, lyric prose that sweeps off the tongue like the old norse sagas, this is tale-telling at its rip-roaring best.
- M. C. SCOTT

Wallander's last case...the trailer

As HUGE fans of Scandanavian crime novels we just can't wait to get our hands on the new and last Wallander mystery by Henning Menkell and this trailer has only added to the anticipation/obsession...



If you haven't read any Books by Henning Mankell they come highly recommended by Manchester Library staff. Browse a list of all the Henning Mankell novels we have in Manchester Libraries via the online catalogue - reserve any book for free.

We also have more Henning Mankell titles available to download as ebooks and audiobooks, compatible with most ereaders (except Kindles, annoyingly)plus iphones, androis phones, blackberries and iPads.

Flash Mob brings flash fiction to Chorlton Arts Festival for the first time

Flash Mob is delighted to announce its participation in this year’s Chorlton Arts Festival. This will be the first-ever flash fiction writing competition and event in the festival’s ten-year history and the group behind the idea are looking forward to working with the festival team.

The five published flash fiction writers and award-winning bloggers behind the successful bid are: Sarah-Clare Conlon, of arts blog Words & Fixtures, awarded Best New Blog at the 2009 Manchester Blog Awards; Ian Carrington, aka Blogger Of The Year 2010 Fat Roland; Tom Mason, whose collaborative flash fiction site 330 Words scooped Best New Blog in the 2010 Manchester Blog Awards; Screen 150's David Hartley and Benjamin Judge of short story website Roy Keane's Lucky Scarf.

All five regularly read their works of flash fiction (also called micro fiction or short short stories) at literary events and open mic nights in Manchester, and have performed as part of Manchester Literature Festival as well as appearing as a pop-up literary salon at Manchester Twestival 2011.

As a result of working on stories and reading as a collective, the group decided to submit a proposal to run a writing competition and event as part of Chorlton Arts Festival 2011. Sarah-Clare Conlon says: “We really wanted to introduce a new kind of literary event to Chorlton Arts Festival and, as we all write flash fiction, we came up with the idea of running the Flash Mob Writing Competition followed by a special evening for announcing the winners, doing some readings and just having some fun. We were absolutely made up when we found out that our proposal had been accepted for this year's programme.”

The Flash Mob Writing Competition is now open for submissions with the closing date set for Friday 29 April. Stories are invited from anyone over the age of 18, be they published authors or first-time storytellers. Entry is free and the only rule is that stories must not exceed 500 words.

All entries will be judged anonymously and the shortlist will be announced on Friday 13 May. The winner will be revealed in a glittering awards ceremony and fun-filled literary evening set to take place during Chorlton Arts Festival on Thursday 26 May at a soon-to-be-revealed venue. Full details of how to enter the competition can be found on the website at flashmobmcr.wordpress.com with updates via Twitter @FMWComp. The group can be contacted via flashmobwritingcompetition@yahoo.co.uk

Chorlton Arts Festival is one of the largest multi-arts events in the north of England and a showcase for visual and performing artists, with record attendance figures in 2010 of over 25,000 people. This year runs Chorlton Arts Festival runs from Thursday 19 May to Monday 30 May; more details can be found on the website at chorltonartsfestival.com.

Ceredigion poet Kaite O'Reilly wins Ted Hughes Award

Judges Gillian Clarke, Stephen Raw and Jeanette Winterson have awarded the 2010 Ted Hughes Award for New Work in Poetry to Kaite O’Reilly for her retelling of Aeschylus’ play, The Persians.

Now in its second year, the Ted Hughes Award for New Work in Poetry is awarded annually to recognise excellence in poetry. It is one of the only awards to acknowledge the wide range of work being produced – not just in books, but beyond.

“Poetry crosses time, the old play becomes the new poetry. Here’s the truth of language colliding with the clichés of politics and the advertisement of war. This verse play is entertainment, challenge and a lie detector.” – Judges of the Ted Hughes Award

The Persians is a beautifully poetic version of Aeschylus’ tragic play. Kaite O’Reilly's masterly retelling of this 2500 year old story focuses on how war destroys people’s identity and her use of language is contemporary but never loses any of the historical context.

O’Reilly’s work has been performed nationally and internationally. She was recently awarded an Unlimited Commission to develop The ‘d’ Monologues as part of the Cultural Olympiad, celebrations for the London Olympic Games 2012.

O’Reilly was presented with her prize of £5,000 by Carol Ann Duffy at an award ceremony at the Savile Club on Thursday 24 March 2011, alongside the winner of the National Poetry Competition.

Read more on this story at the BBC website

Chorlton Players to stage Orwell's 1984

The Chorlton Players drama group are currently making the final preparations for one of the most challenging shows they’ve performed in their 40-year history – the theatre adaptation of George Orwell’s
terrifying prophecy, “1984”.


Most people are familiar with the story’s basic premise of a brutal totalitarian regime, but director Mick Bowden is placing a different emphasis on the  Players’ production:

“To me, ‘1984’ is a simple story of love. Winston Smith and Julia are caught up in a world not of their own making and ultimately have to face paying a terrible price for daring to think and act as individuals. My hope is that our audiences will be moved, as I am, by the timeless simplicity and sheer power of the storyline.”


The Players are well known for the innovative approach they take to their productions and the on-stage acting will be complemented with a large video screen, film clips, audio effects and a striking set design. The seating area is being decorated to make the audience feel like they’ve stepped straight into Orwell’s nightmare world when they arrive.


The effects-laded show will run each evening between 31st March - 2nd April at the Church Hall on St
Werburgh’s Road in Chorlton (M21 0TL) starting at 7.30pm. Doors open each evening at 7.10pm. Tickets are £6.00 (£4.00 concession) and will be available on the door or from the group’s website:www.chorltonplayers.com. Local interest in the show is very high and advance booking is recommended.

Winners of the £15,000 National Poetry Competition announced

The winners of the 2010 National Poetry Competition were announced at a prize giving ceremony on 24 March 2011. First prize went to Paul Adrian, for Robin in Flight.



You can find more details of the winners (as chosen by judges Sinéad Morrissey, Deryn Rees-Jones and George Szirtes) below. Click on the links to visit the Poetry Society website and read their poems and the poems of the seven commended poets. The top three winning poems will also be published in the spring issue of Poetry Review.

First Prize: ‘Robin In Flight’ by Paul Adrian
Joint Second Prize: ‘Wish' by Josephine Haslam, ‘A History of Glassblowing’ by Matthew Sweeney
Commended Poems:
‘Visiting The Country of My Birth’ by Carmen Bugan
‘juju baby’ by Caroline Carver
‘Boy With A Knife’ by Vicki Feaver
‘The Sleep of Wasps’ by Giles Goodland
‘Joy’ by Ann Gray
‘Tonguesplay’ by David Thorley
'Stubble' by John Wedgwood Clarke

Could this new book kill the Kindle?

It's small, light and portable – and it doesn't need charging. So could the new 'flipback' book be the next big thing in publishing?   I want one! What do you think? Read more over at The Guardian.

The loyalty of book fan communities...

What do fans do between books by their favourite authors now that they're able to meet up and create communities more easily than ever? Or when series have finished? How do stories and worlds begun in books develop in the hands of fans? What happens to the audience when the lights go out? For authors like J.K. Rowling, George R.R. Martin and China Miéville, active fan communities are hard at work, keeping their worlds fresh, whether or not they ever return....read more at The Literary Platform

The library service is asking for your views about its future. Find out more and have your say.

Manchester residents are being asked for their views on potential plans for the city’s library service. The council has to save £109m this year rising to £170m next – 25% of its whole budget. All areas of the council must look at making savings, including the library service. Proposals have now been drawn up to make savings, which are now subject to consultation.

The Council is asking residents to tell it what they think about the service they get from Manchester’s libraries, and what they think about the savings proposals. The proposals include the closure of some of the smaller and less well-used libraries, a review of opening hours and a review of the mobile library service.

Councillor Mike Amesbury, Executive Member for Culture and Leisure at Manchester City Council, said: "We don’t want to close any library, cut any service or reduce any opening hours, but we have no choice but to consider these options. What I can promise is that even if we take these measures, we will still have a first-class library service which all Mancunians can be proud of. Ninety five percent of Manchester residents live within a mile of a library, and we are still investing in the service.”

The libraries being considered for closure are: Rack House Library in Wythenshawe, Barlow Moor Library on the Merseybank Estate (between Chorlton and Didsbury) and Clayton Library. All of these libraries are small and not as well-used as the other libraries in the city. They are also close to other better provision.
The closure of East City Library is also included in the proposals, although it was only ever intended to be a temporary library until the brand-new Beswick Library opened.

Manchester’s libraries have seen significant investment in recent years through an ambitious programme of construction, modernisation, replacement and refurbishment. New libraries have opened in the city centre, Harpurhey, Beswick and Brooklands. Libraries in Wythenshawe, Moss Side and Longsight have been completely remodelled and major refurbishment has been carried out in Withington, Chorlton, Levenshulme, Burnage, Didsbury, Fallowfield, Gorton and New Moston.

A new library is also planned to open later this year in Higher Blackley and the reopening of Central Library in 2013 will be accompanied by a brand new city centre lending library. The building improvements have also been supported by better systems, new technologies and a range of service improvements to make library use easier and more convenient than it has ever been.

Councillor Amesbury added: "Libraries sit at the heart of our communities and we believe strongly in having a fantastic library service, as all of the recent improvements have shown. Our commitment to libraries remains, despite the challenging circumstances.”

The consultation runs from Monday 14 March until midnight on Sunday 5 June. To participate, log on to www.manchester.gov.uk/libraryconsultation. If you don’t have a computer, you can access the internet at your local library, where staff will be on hand to provide assistance.

A budget day top ten of political bestsellers...

As the Chancellor delivers his budget statement we're sharing with you a list of the most popular political books in Manchester Libraries at the moment...borrow them from the library and you'll save yourselves £110!

Whitehall : the Street that Shaped a Nation
Colin Brown
Reserve it!








The Silent State : Secrets, Surveillance and the Myth of British Democracy
Brooke, Heather
Reserve it!

The New Machiavelli
Powell, Jonathan
Reserve it!









Politics and Governance in the UK
By Moran, Michael
Reserve it!

The Third Man : Life at the Heart of New Labour
Peter Mandelson
Read it as an ebook or reserve it!

Going Rogue
Sarah Palin
Reserve it!

Campbell, Alastair
Diaries Part One: Prelude to Power
Reserve it!

A View from the Foothills
Chris Mullin
Reserve it!

Climbing the Bookshelves : the Autobiography of Shirley Williams
Reserve it!

Letters to my Grandchildren
Tony Benn
Reserve it!

Poetry at City Library: Donna Pucciani & Joan Poulson

Donna Pucciani’s poetry has been published on four continents, set to music, displayed nationally in libraries and won awards. Her collections include The Other Side of Thunder (Flarestack Poetry, 2006). This reading is to celebrate her brand new collection To Sip Darjeeling at Dawn (Virtual Artists Collective).

Joan Poulson is a prolific poet and children’s writer. She has done readings and residencies all over the world, and collaborated with musicians, a sculptor, a modern dance company, painters and other writers. Joan is the author of onetree singing (Blackthorn Books, 2001) and onetree journal (Flarestack, 2008). A welcome return visit to the library for this much-loved duo!

Friday 8 April 1-2pm
City Library
Becker Room, First Floor
Elliot House, 151 Deansgate
Manchester M3 3Wd
Contact Libby Tempest 0161 234 1981/07535 426678 or email l.tempest@manchester.gov.uk

Artists recreate classic Mills and Boon covers

Artists Oli and Alex recreate classic Mills and Boon covers on their website http://www.oliandalex.com/mills-boon/

From the website: 'Sometimes we sit for hours staring at a sea shell. Other times he'll hold me by the neck in front of the Pyramids. But there's nothing we like more than NEARLY kissing each other near some horses. I always try to look hot in front of him so he doesn't leave me.'

Ooh these are spooky!  I'm off to the library shelves to source some classic M&B covers...

We've published some more corking covers from the last 100 years of Mills and Book on our Facebook page (and you don't have to be a facebook member to have a look).

Julian Barnes awarded David Cohen Prize for Literature

The David Cohen Prize for Literature 2011 has been awarded to the English novelist, essayist and short story writer, Julian Barnes, for his lifetime’s achievement in literature. Past recipients of the £40,000 prize, described by judges as the UK's Nobel Prize for Literature, include Harold Pinter and Doris Lessing. The biennial lifetime achievement award went to Seamus Heaney in 2009.

The winner is selected by a panel of judges comprising authors, literary critics and academics. The prize, worth £40,000, was presented by the chair of judges Mark Lawson at a gala ceremony hosted at the British Library on 17 March.

Reserve Flaubert's Parrot and England, England,  and more from the library catalogue or download/reserve Arthur & George in ebook format.

Julian Barnes official website http://www.julianbarnes.com/
Huffington post story http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2011/03/18/julian-barnes_n_837697.html
More on the Beeb http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/entertainment-arts-12782831

A treat for Wallander fans...

Read an extract from Henning Mankell's new (and last, sniff sniff)  Wallander mystery 'The Troubled Man',
plus there's an interview with the author too. Henning Mankell will also be appearing at the Hay Festival in June. You can borrow books by Henning Mankell from Manchester Libraries in a variety of formats including, paperback, hardback, audiobook and ebook. Take a look at all our Henning Makell titles on the online catalogue and reserve or download for free.

Palaver: celebrating languages taught and spoken at The University of Manchester

A theatre festival which celebrates the languages taught and spoken at The University of Manchester is entering it’s fifth year with a week of performances in March. The Palaver Theatre Festival, jointly organised by the University’s School of Languages, Linguistics and Cultures and the young people's arts organisation Contact takes place this week between 21 and 26 March.

University students will stage the plays in Hebrew and Arabic, French and German, showcasing three foreign language plays. Middle Eastern Studies Arabic and Hebrew students present “The Stalker” by Ruti Worrall in Arabic, Hebrew and English, a play about Jewish-Arab differences produced by lecturer Sophie Garside.
German Studies will perform the darkly comic “King Kongs Töchter” by Theresia Walser. And French Studies will devote their talents to Eugène Labiche’s classic farce “Edgar et sa bonne”.

Throughout the festival week, an exciting programme of music and performance will run alongside the plays with events ranging from music concerts to a Hispanic Flash Mob.

Thomas Despositos, language tutor in the University’s German Department and organizer of Palaver, said: “Palaver is going from strength to strength and we are delighted to be entering our fifth year. Palaver offers a unique opportunity to see fresh new productions of foreign language plays and catch some great tunes – do not miss it."

For bookings and more information visit Contact’s website www.contact-theatre.org/whats-on/events/777/palaver-2011.htm or download the flyer from the School of Languages, Linguistics and Cultures website www.llc.manchester.ac.uk/

Puppywolf publish to Kindle

Puppywolf have been experimenting with modern technology and their most recent book, Cathy Bryant's excellent collection of poetry "Contains Strong Language and Scenes of a Sexual Nature", is now available for the Kindle eBook Reader and it's only 97pence! You can order it for your Kindle and get it delivered in seconds: http://goo.gl/fLjUv  and of course you can still buy the print edition http://goo.gl/mdTKn.

Puppywolf was founded in 2010 with a simple mission: to publish the very best poetry originating in Manchester, United Kingdom. Puppywolf is an entirely independent company run by Keir Thomas, a poet, award-winning author and literary editor. You can click here to learn more about him.

Orange Prize for Fiction longlist announced

The Orange Prize for Fiction, the UK's only annual book award for fiction written by a woman, has announced the 2011 longlist. Celebrating its sixteenth anniversary this year, the Prize celebrates excellence, originality and accessibility in women's writing throughout the world:

Lyrics Alley by Leila Aboulela (Weidenfeld & Nicolson)
Sudanese; 3rd Novel
Jamrach's Menagerie by Carol Birch (Canongate)
British; 10th Novel
Room by Emma Donoghue (Picador)
Irish; 7th Novel
The Pleasure Seekers by Tishani Doshi (Bloomsbury)
Indian; 1st Novel
Whatever You Love by Louise Doughty (Faber and Faber)
British; 6th Novel
A Visit from the Goon Squad by Jennifer Egan (Corsair)
American; 4th Novel
The Memory of Love by Aminatta Forna (Bloomsbury)
British/Sierra Leonean; 2nd Novel
The London Train by Tessa Hadley (Jonathan Cape)
British; 4th Novel
Grace Williams Says it Loud by Emma Henderson (Sceptre)
British; 1st Novel
The Seas by Samantha Hunt (Corsair)
American; 1st Novel
The Birth of Love by Joanna Kavenna (Faber and Faber)
British; 2nd Novel
Great House by Nicole Krauss (Viking)
American; 3rd Novel
The Road to Wanting by Wendy Law-Yone (Chatto & Windus)
American; 3rd Novel
The Tiger's Wife by Téa Obreht (Weidenfeld & Nicolson)
Serbian/American; 1st Novel
The Invisible Bridge by Julie Orringer (Viking)
American; 1st Novel
Repeat it Today with Tears by Anne Peile (Serpent's Tail)
British; 1st Novel
Swamplandia! by Karen Russell (Chatto & Windus)
American; 1st Novel
The Secret Lives of Baba Segi's Wives by Lola Shoneyin (Serpent's Tail)
British/Nigerian; 1st Novel
The Swimmer by Roma Tearne (Harper Press)
British; 4th Novel
Annabel by Kathleen Winter (Jonathan Cape)
Canadian; 1st Novel

Jane Rogers and Rachel Genn: Are writers born or made?

Are writers born or made? Can creative writing be taught?

Rachel Genn’s first novel The Cure is about to be published by Constable and Robinson. She worked on it for an MA at Sheffield Hallam University under the tuition of Jane Rogers, whose eighth novel, The Testament of Jessie Lamb, has just been published by Sandstone Press.

Rachel and Jane will talk about the student/teacher relationship for writers, looking at the ups and downs of taking a writing course, the shared enthusiasms, the issue of influence, and how a course can help a writer to achieve publication. They will both read from their new novels, and sign copies.

Tuesday 12 April 6pm
City Library
Becker Room, First Floor
Elliot House, 151 Deansgate
Manchester M3 3WD

For more information contact Libby Tempest 0161 234 1981/07535 426678 or email l.tempest@manchester.gov.uk

The UK's most borrowed ebooks

Hop over to Ebook Magazine for the UK's most borrowed ebooks listings. Here's the adult fiction category and there's more on the site:

1. A Tiny Bit Marvellous, by Dawn French
2. The Help, by Kathryn Stockett
3. Wolf Hall, by Hilary Mantel
4. The Alchemist’s Secret, by Scott Mariani
5. The Finkler Question, by Howard Jacobson
6. The Brightest Star in the Sky, by Marian Keyes
7. Heresy, by S. J. Parris
8. Hot Ice, by Nora Roberts
9. Homecoming, by Cathy Kelly
10. Freedom, by Jonathan Franzen

You can now borrow ebooks for free from Manchester Libraries. Visit our Download> service for more information.

2011 Arthur C. Clarke UK Sci-fi award finalists announced

The finalists for the 2011 Arthur C. Clarke Award have been announced. The award honours the best science fiction published in the U.K:

* Zoo City by Lauren Beukes
* The Dervish House by Ian McDonald
* Monsters of Men by Patrick Ness
* Generosity by Richard Powers
* Declare by Tim Powers
* Lightborn by Tricia Sullivan

Read more at the Arthur C. Clarke award website http://www.clarkeaward.com/

Shaping our Future - Options for Manchester’s Libraries

Public Meetings – March 2011

The City Council needs to find significant financial savings and the Library Service needs to consider its contribution. We are considering the future of Barlow Moor, Clayton, Rack House and East City Libraries; reviewing our opening hours and reviewing other services, including the mobile libraries.

Come and meet library managers, find out more about these proposals and about ideas for alternative ways to deliver library services in the city.

City Library, Elliot House, 151 Deansgate, Manchester M3 3WD
6.30pm, Tuesday 15 March 2011

Rack House Primary School, Yarmouth Drive, Manchester M23 0BT
6pm Wednesday 16 March 2011

Forum Library, Forum Square, Wythenshawe M22 5RX
6pm Thursday 17 March 2011

Barlow Moor Community Centre, 23 Merseybank Avenue, Manchester M21 7NT
6pm Friday 18 March 2011

Longsight Library, 519 Stockport Road, M12 4NE
6pm, Monday 21 March 2011

Beswick Library, 60 Grey Mare Lane, Manchester M11 3DS
6pm, Tuesday 22 March 2011

North City Library, Rochdale Road, at corner of Moston Lane, Harpurhey M9 4AF
6pm Wednesday 23 March 2011

A public consultation period begins on Monday March 14 and runs until Sunday June 5. Visit our website from Monday March 14 to learn more detail about the proposals and have your say.

Directory of open Access Journals - free access to over 6000 journals

The Directory of Open Access Journals is dedicated to increasing the visibility and ease of use of open access scientific and scholarly journals. This comprehensive website covers all open access scientific and scholarly journals that use a quality control system to guarantee the content. In short a one stop shop for free, full text, quality controlled scientific and scholarly journals.

The Directory includes all subjects and languages and there are now 6262 journals in the directory including 388 journals covering language, literature and linguistics.

You're able to search by article and the Directory also provides a daily, weekly or monthly RSS feed which you'll find on the 'New Titles' page.

Visit the Directory of Open Access Journals at http://www.doaj.org/

How to publish a fiction book - a four minute video tutorial

Hop over to GalleyCat for a  new video tutorial on how to publish a fiction book - covering every step from manuscript editing to publicity. Mediabistro instructor Lauren Lipton gives you the complete rundown on how to get your fiction project published — in just about four minutes. You’ll learn about finishing your manuscript, getting an agent, finding a publisher, and getting publicity for your completed book.

Have you thought about publishing your novel as an ebook? Here's an interesting article -  The Economics of Self Publishing an E Book from The Next Web. 

Cinnamon Press - poetry@city library

Anne Caldwell - Talking with the Dead
Anne is a poet based in Hebden Bridge. This is her first full length collection. She works for NAWE and teaches at Bolton University. Her favourite place to think and write is outside walking in the woods.

Judy Kendall - Joy Change
Judy leads the Creative Writing programme at Salford University and is an award-winning poet. Joy Change is her latest Cinnamon collection - a voice from within and about Japan.

Gail Ashton - Ghost Songs
Gail has co-edited two anthologies, Only Connect, with Jan Fortune-Wood (2007) and In the Telling, with Susan Richardson (2009). Ghost Songs is her first individual collection. 

Cinnamon Press is a young, but fast-growing independent press specialising in innovative poetry and fiction by emerging and established authors. You can find out more about Cinnamon Press at www.cinnamonpress.com

Thursday 10 March  6.00pm
FREE
City Library, Becker Room, First Floor, Elliot House, 151 Deansgate
Manchester M3 3WD

Contact: Libby Tempest 0161 234 1981
email: l.tempest@manchester.gov.uk

Oddest Book Title of the Year - shortlist announced

A inspirational guide to Managing a Dental Practice: The Genghis Khan Way is emerging as the early favourite to win this year's Diagram Prize for the Oddest Book Title of 2010.

The shortlist was announced on February 18 and this years contenders are a Mills & Boon bonkbuster, an examination of the ongoing debate surrounding organ procurement, and the bookies favourite - a guide to managing a dental practice as a Mongol warlord.

The Shortlist

8th International Friction Stir Welding Symposium Proceedings
Various authors (TWI)
The Generosity of the Dead
Graciela Nowenstein (Ashgate)
The Italian's One-night Love Child
Cathy Williams (Mills & Boon)
Managing a Dental Practice the Genghis Khan Way
Michael R Young (Radcliffe)
Myth of the Social Volcano
Martin King Whyte (Stanford University Press)
What Color Is Your Dog?
Joel Silverman (Kennel Club)

Previous winners of the coveted prize include American Bottom Archaeology, and Highlights in the History of Concrete.

Find out more about the prize at Wikipedia.

Get Busy at Brooklands Library

Spring is in the air and things are getting very creative over at the brand new Brooklands Library with free Saturday afternoon craft workshops. Create home made beauty products, learn origami, sew your own phone cases or design unique textile accessories. For full listings and dates download Full Volume.

Crafting is chic! The individual, hand-made look is in,and it’s one of the most relaxing and rewarding ways to spend your free time. Find inspiration and get started at these free workshops at our newest library, courtesy of our friends at Wythenshawe Youth Arts Network, in association with Manchester City Council.

Origami with Caroline Coates
Brooklands, Saturday 5 March, 1-3
Learn the ancient art of Japanese paper folding to create both traditional and contemporary designs. Caroline works with all ages and skill levels, from learning basic folds to how to turn models into mobiles and even jewellery.

Bath bombs with Chris Webb
Brooklands, Saturday 12 March, 1-3
Learn how to make beauty products, bath bombs and other pampering goodies. Treat yourself or make some really lovely hand-made gifts for others.

Textiles I with Jane Dennerley
Brooklands, Saturday 19 March, 1-3
Using simple patterns and hand sewing techniques, Jane shows you how to make purses, iPod holders, camera cases etc. At this workshop, fabric, buttons and beads come together to create something useful and unique.

Textiles II with Jane Dennerley
Brooklands, Saturday 26 March, 1-3
More simple textile work using scraps of material - including gorgeous Harris tweed - to make corsages and other must-have accessories.

For more information ring Brooklands Library on 0161 245 7087. For maps, opening hours and more information about Brooklands Library visit our website.

For more events in libraries during March download Full Volume - our monthly what's on guide.