Manchester Literature Festival reveals full programme for 2023

Manchester Literature Festival has revealed its full programme including a historical fiction masterclass from Kate Mosse and the launch of Arlo Parks’ poetry collection. 

Taking place across the city this autumn in venues such as the Manchester Art Gallery and Central Library, headliners were first announced in June with many other authors and artists now confirmed.

The line-up this year includes Zadie Smith, Jeanette Winterson, Lauren Groff, Deborah Levy and Max Porter. Other speakers include Karl Ove Knausgaard, Elif Shafak, Linton Kwesi Johnson, Simon Armitage, Annie Macmanus, George Monbiot, Jeremy Deller and Yanis Varoufakis among others.

Author and founder of the Women’s Prize for Fiction, Mosse will hold a special "How to Write Historical Fiction" Masterclass on 7th October and will discuss her new novel, The Ghost Ship (Mantle), and the real 18th-century female pirates that inspired her, alongside novelist Beth Underdown, author of The Key in the Lock (Viking). 

On 20th October there will be a conversation between author and TV writer Monica Heisey, of bestselling debut Really Good, Actually (Fourth Estate) and Sheena Patel, writer and director and part of the 4 Brown Girls Who Write collective, who recently won a British Book Award for I’m A Fan (Granta). 

Poetry will also feature heavily in the festival. Singer, songwriter and poet Parks will also join "for an intimate event to launch her poetry collection The Magic Border [Fourth Estate]", organisers said, as part of a preview event on 7th September.

Award-winning writer Sissay launches his latest poetry collection Let the Light Pour In (Canongate), a collection that celebrates his morning practice of beginning every day by writing a short poem.

Additionally broadcaster and writer Afua Hirsch will return to the festival to talk about her new book Decolonising My Body (Vintage) with host Jackie Kay, which offers “a radical exploration of rituals and beauty”, organisers said.

Cathy Bolton and Sarah-Jane Roberts, co-directors of Manchester Literature Festival, said: “From Kate Mosse’s swashbuckling tale of 18th-century female pirates, The Ghost Ship, to Naomi Alderman’s fast-paced, cataclysmic vision of The Future [Fourth Estate] and from George Monbiot and Gaia Vince’s radical proposals for combatting the climate emergency to Thurston Moore and Jeremy Deller’s reflections of decades devoted to art, creativity and collaborations — we’re buckled up for some fun, literary adventures.”

Gareth Gavin, director of the Centre for New Writing at the University of Manchester, said: “Once again, the Manchester Literature Festival promises to deliver a compelling and captivating programme of events. As readers, writers, students and teachers, we savour the opportunity to listen to such a rich and exciting range of authors read and discuss their work, and we look forward, too, to the ongoing conversations that the events spur.” 

Jen Cleary, director for the North at Arts Council England, said: “Manchester Literature Festival is always a highlight of the city’s cultural calendar and we’re delighted to support it as one of our national portfolio organisations. And, in its 18th year, the programme looks as exciting and innovative as ever."

The full programme will be on sale for MLF Get Closer Members on Tuesday (15th August) and on general sale on Thursday (17th August).

For more information, visit manchesterliteraturefestival.co.uk/events.