17 October 2024
Manchester's designation as a UNESCO City of Literature in 2017 recognised what many in the literary world already knew: this is a city with an extraordinary depth and diversity of literary culture. The partnership between Manchester City of Literature and English: Shared Futures 2022 brought that culture into direct conversation with the academic study of English, creating a programme of events that celebrated the city's writers, publishers, libraries, and community literary projects.
The fringe events, funded by Arts Council England, were designed to showcase the breadth of Manchester's literary scene, from established publishers and prize-winning authors to grassroots spoken word nights and community writing groups. For conference delegates, many of whom were visiting Manchester for the first time, the programme offered a window into a literary ecosystem that is both thriving and deeply rooted in the city's history and communities.
A City Shaped by Words
Manchester's literary heritage is long and distinguished. From Elizabeth Gaskell's novels of industrial life to Anthony Burgess's restless experimentation, from the Peterloo poets to the contemporary flourishing of poetry, fiction, and creative nonfiction in the city, Manchester has always been a place where writing matters. The city's status as a UNESCO Creative City recognises not just this heritage but the vitality of its contemporary literary culture.
The Manchester Poetry Library, housed at Manchester Metropolitan University and used as a conference venue during English: Shared Futures, exemplifies this commitment to literary culture. Opened in 2021, the library holds a remarkable collection of poetry from around the world, freely accessible to the public. During the conference, it served as a venue for salons, conversations, and the Poetry Record Club, a gathering that combined poetry reading with vinyl listening in a characteristically Mancunian blend of the literary and the musical.
Community and Connection
What makes Manchester's literary culture distinctive, several speakers at the conference suggested, is its strong sense of community and mutual support. The city's writers, publishers, and literary organisations tend to work collaboratively rather than competitively, creating networks of mentorship, support, and creative exchange that benefit newcomers and established practitioners alike.
This culture of collaboration was evident in the fringe programme, which featured events organised by a range of partners drawn from across the city's literary sector. Readings, performances, and workshops brought together academics and community practitioners in ways that enriched both. The conference's commitment to hosting events in venues beyond the university campus, including local bars, community spaces, and cultural venues, reinforced this sense of connection between the academy and the wider city. Delegates could explore the local area and its cultural highlights throughout their visit.
Literature and the Northern Powerhouse
Manchester's City of Literature designation also sits within a broader conversation about the role of culture in the economic and social development of northern cities. The literary sector, while modest in scale compared to some creative industries, generates significant cultural capital and contributes to the city's identity, attractiveness to talent, and quality of life. For English Studies, the existence of a vibrant, accessible literary culture outside London offers important lessons about how the discipline can engage with communities and contribute to place-based cultural strategies.
The partnership between English: Shared Futures and Manchester City of Literature demonstrated that academic conferences can be more than inward-looking professional gatherings. By reaching outwards to engage with the cultural life of the host city, the conference modelled a relationship between the university and its locality that is both productive and genuinely reciprocal.