Not so dim up north

Less than a week after Guo Yue and Clare Farrow wrapped up the Manchester Literature Festival with their magical Children’s Bookshow bookend, the city isn’t ready to close its dustcovers just yet. Even The Guardian has picked up on the bookish buzz of the place with an article about Manchester’s Literary Renaissance by Manchester University lecturer and MLF trustee Jerome de Groot, which the city’s literati and Twitterati have been proudly disseminating (see The Manchizzle and The Art of Fiction blogs for starters). In it, Manchester is described as ‘one of Europe’s most creative and dynamic cities’, so it’s no surprise that even the sleepy suburbs are a hotbed of talent. (Read this article in its entirety on the Manchester Literature Festival Blog.)



Down in the south of the city, Chorlton Book Festival is now officially underway, with stacks of events lined up over the next couple of weeks to entertain even my most highbrow cravat-wearing neighbours. The Words & Fixtures social calendar is currently fuller than ever (oh, the dizzying heights of being an award-winning blogger!), but I'm going to do my utmost to squeeze something in. One definite now penned in the diary is A Writer's Guide To Social Media, just in case I don't know all the tricks to upping my online presence. If you're reading this, Mr Slatcher, you may have your work cut out. Other than that, I am of course always tempted by free cake, while the pub quiz also has a certain je ne sais quoi...



Enough from me. You decide what tickles your literary fancy. For the all-singing all-dancing whizzy Chorlton Book Festival programme in Issuu, click here.