Events took place on campus at the Martin Harris Centre, including an in-conversation with former Green Party leader Caroline Lucas, an evening with award-winning cook and food writer Meera Sodha, and a very special appearance by poet Jackie Kay who read from her latest collection. 

Over at Central Library, Scottish author Andrew O鈥橦agan joined us to discuss his latest novel Caledonian Road, and legendary music producer Joe Boyd celebrated his engrossing new book And the Roots of Rhythm Remain: A Journey through Global Music. 

Foreign correspondent Lindsay Hilsum joined Creative 91直播 director John McAuliffe to share some of her favourite poems and memories from her decades-long career, and Pulitzer Prize winner Richard Powers went on to bookend the Festival with his recent event on 8 November in support of his new novel. 

HOME was host to David Peace, discussing his gripping new novel Munich, and to George Monbiot鈥檚 event, hosted by Professor of New Writing Jeanette Winterson, in support of his passionately argued new book, The Invisible Doctrine: The Secret History of Neoliberalism (& How It Came to Control Your Life). 

Prolific designer Thomas Heatherwick joined Ella P. Wakatama at Contact to talk about his book Humanise: A Maker鈥檚 Guide to Building Our World and putting the human emotion at the heart of building design. At John Rylands Research Institute and Library, former National Poet of Wales Gillian Clarke ran a highly anticipated poetry workshop, then went on to deliver the annual Rylands Poetry Reading to a sold-out crowd. 

Festival attendees at the Royal Northern College of Music enjoyed an audience with bestselling global sensation and Yellowface author Rebecca F. Kuang, hosted by broadcaster, producer and Chair of Manchester City of Literature Katie Popperwell. 

For more information about the festival, visit the .

鈥� the University鈥檚 creativity-championing research platform 鈥� hosted five workshop sessions in partnership with the , , and .

鈥榃riting for Wellbeing鈥� took place at Tameside, Rochdale and Bury Libraries on 13 - 15 June. Facilitators Rebecca Hurst, Tessa Harris and John McAuliffe worked with participants to explore the benefits of creative writing on personal wellbeing. 

One attendee commented:

鈥楾asting Children鈥檚 Literature 鈥� An Edible Readathon鈥� returned on Friday, 14 June with two sessions: a private workshop for Reception children at St. Andrew鈥檚 C of E Primary School Levenshulme, held at Arcadia Library, and a public session at 91直播 Central Library. Children enjoyed a storytime session with play food, colouring activities, and fruits to eat.

The Linguistic Diversity Collective held two well-attended workshops at The Portico Library on 12 and 14 June. The first, 鈥榃hat鈥檚 in a word and what鈥檚 in a dictionary?鈥� saw attendees take part in activities looking at how dictionaries define words and phrases. 

鈥楤lackout the jargon鈥� then invited participants to engage with scientific literature in a unique way through blackout poetry. 

Supported by , the Festival of Libraries 2024 was a testament to 91直播鈥檚 enduring commitment to literacy, learning, and inclusivity. 

Find out more about the Festival of Libraries .

From 12-16 June 2024, Greater 91直播 will once again celebrate the Festival of Libraries 鈥� which promises a rich tapestry of vibrant events for all ages and interests.

Authors, poets, performers, artists and historians will share their love for libraries and literature across the region鈥檚 libraries. The Festival of Libraries programme is brimming with imagination and attendees can expect exhibitions, author talks, performances, installations, live music, workshops, and international collaborations. 

These free events highlight the diverse offerings of libraries, showcasing their role as service, learning and creativity hubs which are open to all.

is delighted to be offering a series of workshops for the Festival of Libraries celebrations, partnering with the , and .

All workshops are free to attend but booking is required due to limited spaces.

This session delves into the meanings of everyday words and idiomatic phrases, offering insights into how dictionaries define words and how language learners acquire vocabulary. Run by the . 

• Wednesday, 12 June 2024, 3pm - Portico Library

Facilitated by professional writers from the , these workshops explore the positive effects of creative writing on mental health and wellbeing. 

• Thursday, 13 June 2024, 6pm -  
• Friday, 14 June 2024, 1pm 鈥� Heywood Library
• Saturday, 15 June 2024 鈥� Ramsbottom Library

Participants will engage in blackout poetry, finding meaning in scientific texts by selecting certain words and redacting the rest to create literary and visual works of art. Run by the . 

• Friday, 14 June 2024, 3pm - Portico Library

An immersive experience and read-a-thon of classic and contemporary children鈥檚 literature aimed at young children aged 0-8. Run by the staff and students. 

• Sunday, 16 June 2024, 1pm - Central Library

An immersive audio experience allowing listeners to walk in the footsteps of those with the misunderstood condition of chronic cough. Run by the project. 

• Wednesday, 12 June 2024, 12pm, 2pm and 6pm 鈥� Longsight Library
• Thursday, 13 June 2024, 12pm and 2pm 鈥� Longsight Library

More information on the Festival of Libraries 2024, including the full programme, can be found on the website. 

This year will be the 8th International Mother Language Day observed in 91直播, a celebration of the cultural diversity and the near 200 languages spoken across the city.

Creative 91直播 has coordinated with partners and colleagues from the , , and the to present events including:

• Wednesday 21 February, all day - at Sheffield Hallam University
• Wednesday 21 February, 1pm-2pm 鈥� at 91直播 Museum
• Wednesday 21 February, 1pm-4pm -

Running alongside the Comics Up Close conference at Sheffield Hallam University is the 鈥楥ollectives for Change鈥� exhibition, showcasing the thriving new comic movement across the Arab world. 

We are delighted to also be hosting this exhibition here at The University of Manchester. 

You can view the exhibition in the Samuel Alexander Building glass corridor exhibition space, between 19 February-18 March 2024.

The full programme of IMLD 2024 events can be found on the website.

鈥� the University鈥檚 creativity-championing research platform 鈥� offered five workshop sessions in partnership with the , Programme in and .

鈥榃riting for Wellbeing鈥� took place at Marple and Chetham Libraries on 7 and 8 June. Facilitators from the Centre for New Writing, Dr Rebecca Hurst and Tessa Harris, worked with participants to explore the benefits of creative writing on personal wellbeing.

Also at Chetham鈥檚 Library, 鈥榃hat鈥檚 in a word, and what鈥檚 in a dictionary?鈥� saw the workshop group work with staff from the Department of Linguistics and English Language to look at how we define the meanings of words.

鈥楾asting Children鈥檚 Literature 鈥� An edible readathon鈥� ran for two sessions: a private session for EYFS children at St Andrew鈥檚 C of E Primary School Levenshulme, at Arcadia Library, and a session open to the public, at 91直播 Central Library. Children enjoyed a story time session with play food, colouring activities and fruits to eat.

The , overseen by Creative 91直播 research fellow, Dr Chad Campbell, is also currently being hosted on campus and can be found in the glass corridor exhibition space in Samuel Alexander Building.

This year鈥檚 Festival of Libraries was a huge success and has been nominated for a Saboteur Award in the category of Best Literary Festival.

Find out more about the .

Following the success of the past two years of celebrations, the 2023 festival showcases a vibrant programme of events in libraries across all ten boroughs of Greater 91直播.

鈥� the University鈥檚 creativity-championing research platform - is delighted to be offering several workshop sessions in partnership with the , and .

Writers from the Centre for New Writing will be facilitating a 鈥榃riting for Wellbeing鈥� workshop which explores how creative writing can have positive effects on mental health and wellbeing. 鈥榃hat鈥檚 in a word, and what鈥檚 in a dictionary?鈥� is a session run by the Linguistic Diversity Collective exploring the meanings of everyday words and idiomatic phrases. 鈥楾asting children鈥檚 literature 鈥� An edible readathon鈥� is presented by academics and students in the Programme in American Studies and offers an immersive experience and readathon of classic children鈥檚 literature aimed at young children and their parents.

All workshops are free to attend but booking is required due to very limited spaces.

Writing for Wellbeing

What鈥檚 in a word, and what鈥檚 in a dictionary?

Tasting children鈥檚 literature 鈥� an edible readathon

Festival of Libraries is funded by Arts Council England and enjoys the support and collaboration of authors, artists and creatives, who all believe in the vital community and cultural role of libraries.

Find out more, including the full .

Families were invited to collect their 鈥楲ooking for Languages鈥� trail sheets from members of the , find the language-related items and take part in associated activities - including writing your name in hieroglyphs, learning about palindromes and roaring like a dinosaur. Children received a 鈥榣anguage detective鈥� badge after completing the trail.

The Linguistic Diversity Collective designed the trail, in partnership with Research Platform and 91直播 Museum, to encourage children to think about their own language and explore areas of linguistics in a fun and engaging way.

鈥淲e loved hunting the artifacts, thank you,鈥� wrote Noah, who followed the trail with his brother Elias.

Parents who visited commented, 鈥淚t鈥檚 guided very well, kids were engaged,鈥� and 鈥淢y 6-year-old daughter learnt a lot through the activity sheet and was interested in how to say a word in different languages.鈥�

To keep up to date with activities run by the Linguistic Diversity Collective, which is part of the Department of Linguistics and English Language, you can .

A new video podcast exploring multilingualism and linguistic diversity across the globe has launched, as part of celebrations.

The podcast is hosted by Lecturer in Linguistics at The University of Manchester and current lead of the , . Dr Sagna has been active in contributing to, initiating and spearheading language revitalisation activities by using audio-visual media and producing literacy materials. He has previously organised and hosted a radio show in endangered language Eegimaa, and now brings his media skills to the 鈥楳ultilingual World鈥� series.

鈥楳ultilingual World鈥� features Dr Sagna in conversation with leading academics, and in future, multilingual speakers living in 91直播 will also be invited to discuss their relationship with their languages, their sense of identity and their experience learning, transmitting, and using languages in their life in the city of Manchester.

On why he started the podcast, Dr Sagna says: 鈥淲e all have one or more languages, spoken or signed, and everyone has an opinion about language. There is no education without language; no socio-economic development without language; no meaningful political stability without good language management.鈥�

Two episodes are currently available:

The podcast production is supported by the Research Platform.

You can visit and subscribe to the Multilingual World YouTube channel .

This year will be the 7th International Mother Language Day observed in 91直播, a celebration of the cultural diversity and the near 200 languages spoken across the city.

Creative 91直播 has coordinated with partners and colleagues from the , , and the to present the following events:

• 21 February, 10am-5pm -
• 12 April, 1pm-5pm -

The full programme of IMLD 2023 events can be found on the .

included a cross-disciplinary panel and marked the official launch of the Linguistic Diversity Collective. The event was well attended by University staff, students and members of the public both in-person and via Zoom.

The panel discussed key themes relating to the endangerment and maintenance of languages from a range of perspectives.

Panellists included:

• Chair: Dr Serge Sagna, Lecturer in Linguistics at The University of Manchester
• Julia Sallabank, Professor of Language Policy and Revival at SOAS
• John Claughton of the initiative
• John Wilson of and Head of Modern Languages at Cheadle Hulme School
• Munira Alsusa, headteacher of Manchester Arabic School

The Linguistic Diversity Collective (LDC) is a group of academics in the Departments of Linguistics and English Language and Modern Languages and Cultures who research and champion linguistic diversity both locally and globally.

Find out more about the .

The and present a free event taking place on 19 October at 5.30pm in the University of Manchester鈥檚 penthouse event space.

鈥楽upporting 91直播鈥檚 language communities: Language endangerment and maintenance鈥� includes a cross-disciplinary panel and Q&A session, language activity stands and a drinks reception. The event is open to all University staff, students and members of the public.

This is a hybrid event and can be attended in person or via Zoom. In-person attendees will be welcomed with a wine/beer/soft drink reception, a goodie bag and the opportunity to take part in language activity stalls.

The panel will explore key themes relating to the endangerment and maintenance of languages from a range of perspectives, will discuss the importance of multilingualism and intergenerational transmission among different communities in 91直播 and will address questions including the following:

• How do languages die?
• What is lost when a language dies and why should we care?
• How can languages be maintained in traditional and in urban contexts such as 91直播?
• What is the impact of multilingualism on language endangerment and language maintenance?

Panellists include:

• Chair: Dr Serge Sagna, Lecturer in Linguistics at The University of Manchester
• Julia Sallabank, Professor of Language Policy and Revival at SOAS
• John Claughton of the initiative
• John Wilson of and Head of Modern Languages at Cheadle Hulme School
• Munira Alsusa, headteacher of Manchester Arabic School

Places are free and can be booked .

15-19 June 2022 saw the return of  Festival of Libraries. 

Following the success of last year鈥檚 inaugural celebration, the 2022 festival showcased a vibrant and varied programme of 80 events in libraries across all ten boroughs of Greater 91直播.

 鈥� the University鈥檚 creativity-championing research platform 鈥� offered seven workshop sessions in partnership with the  and the .

Professional writers from the Centre for New Writing facilitated a series of 鈥榃riting for Wellbeing鈥� workshops which explored how creative writing can have positive effects on mental health and wellbeing. 鈥楬ave you seen my duckling? 鈥� Storytime in mother languages鈥� was run by the Linguistic Diversity Collective for parents and caregivers from minority language backgrounds and their young children, encouraging shared book reading and building a narrative around a wordless picture book.

The workshops were well received and rated highly, with attendees of Writing for Wellbeing commenting, 鈥淎 really good session that got me thinking, a very good facilitator,鈥� and 鈥淚 really enjoyed the session.鈥� 

鈥楬ave you seen my duckling鈥� attracted parents and caregivers with over 12 languages spoken between them. One attendee commented that 鈥渋t was amazing to have a chat with a Professor of Linguistics.鈥� 

The workshops took place in several libraries in the Greater 91直播 area. 

Find out more

The Department of Linguistics and English Language are hosting a special conference next week: a joint event combining the 29th annual meeting of the Austronesian Formal Linguistics Association (AFLA) and the ninth edition of the TripleA workshop for semantic fieldworkers. This TripleAFLA virtual conference will take place from the 28th of June to the 1st of July 2022.

The  dates back to an initial meeting at the University of Toronto in 1994. Since then, the association has promoted the formal study of Austronesian languages, including, but not limited to, their phonology, morphology, syntax, and semantics. 

The  was founded in 2014 by linguists from Potsdam and T眉bingen with the aim of providing a platform for researchers who conduct theoretically-informed linguistic fieldwork that investigates meaning. Its focus is particularly on languages that are under-represented in the current research landscape.

You can find out more and register for free on the .

A new initiative in the Department of Linguistics and English Language has recently launched.

 The Linguistic Diversity Collective (LDC) comprises several academics in the department and aims to research and champion linguistic diversity locally and globally through research and public engagement activities.

The LDC will be taking part in two engagement activities in June, both of which are free to attend and open to the public.

Wednesday, 15 June sees a special event for multilingual parents and their young children take place as part of . 鈥楬ave you seen my duckling? 鈥� Storytime in mother languages鈥� is an interactive session which introduces ways to help parents of minority languages make the most of their local libraries.

 These sessions can be booked online or at the host library:

  On Saturday, 25 June, the LDC joins the University鈥檚 , where participants can interact with activities and explore how they use their own languages and dialects.

 To find out more about the ldc, visit our .

 You can also follow the LDC on and .