Poetry...

Check out my review of the Carcanet New Poetries event at Manchester Literature Festival 2015 here. It were proper good.

Fashion dahlinks...

Only forgot to tell you about the Elsa Schiaparelli and 1930s fashion show in Platt Hall, didn't I? Well, you can check out my review here.

Food, glorious food

Recently had a rather lovely meal at what is fast becoming one of my favourite Manchester eating and watering holes: Volta on Burton Road in West Didsbury. You can read a proper review over at Creative Tourist here. Not sure it's fashionable to say 'nom' any more, but so what, it's not really fashionable to have a blog any more: NOM.

Back once again...

Just like a renegade master (whatever that is) Verbose is back once again, on Monday 28 September. The seventh outing of the prose and poetry night features a stellar line-up from the Centre for New Writing and The Manchester Review at the University of Manchester: Ian McGuire, John McAuliffe and Geoff Ryman. These guys are my old tutors! And I've managed to convince them to come and read in Fallow, to launch this year's edition of The Manchester Anthology (the 2014 version of which I edited - remember?). More details on the Facebook event page here - do say you'll come, oh do! 

Verbose was mentioned in this month's issue of The Skinny as one of the best spoken word nights in Manchester while the Manchester Evening News said: “From literary heavyweights to emerging talents, this monthly night has them all." Oh aye - come and see for yourself!

Flash light

If you're at a loose end on Saturday 12 September, 11am-1pm, head down to the great-looking new library and council complex in Rochdale, Number One Riverside (pictured), for a flash fiction workshop with myself and Les Malheureux partner in crime David Gaffney. The event, part of Rochdale Literature & Ideas Festival, is free, but book your places via Eventbrite; full details here.