Manchester Literature Festival

Manchester Literature Festival has grown considerably in size and stature since it debuted back in 2006. Held annually in October, it’s now known as one of the north’s leading festivals for book-lovers.

Many of the biggest names in literature have appeared on its stages over the years including Margaret Atwood, Seamus Heaney, Martin Amis,  Zadie Smith, Armistead Maupin . . . the list is long and impressive.

Add to that thought-leaders such as Angela Davis, Gloria Steinem, and Vivienne Westwood, plus hugely popular commercial fiction writers such as Neil Gaiman and Val McDermid, and you get a sense of the kind of quality it attracts.

There’s also a lively programme of events for children and families including activity days, workshops, shows and storytelling.

Events take place in a variety of venues, mainly in the city centre, with some further afield.

Manchester Literature Festival 2026

The main festival will take place from 9-25 October 2026. The programme will be announced in August.

In the meantime, Manchester Literature Festival is delivering a series of spring and summer events featuring internationally acclaimed writers.

Douglas Stuart, Tuesday 26 May, 7pm, CONTACT – limited ticket availability

Booker Prize-winning novelist Douglas Stuart will introduce his profoundly moving new novel John of John set on the Isle of Harris. This tender, immersive and unflinching book explores the weight of family expectation, the compromises demanded by love and the devastating cost of lives constrained by silence. 

Tayari Jones, Tuesday 2 June, 7pm, Central Library

Tayari Jones, one of the warmest, wisest and most irresistible voices in contemporary fiction, discusses her highly anticipated new novel Kin.  An international bestselling author of four novels, including An American Marriage (winner of the Women’s Prize for Fiction 2019) and Silver Sparrow. She will be in Manchester to discuss mothers and daughters, lifelong friendship and the truths that shape us. 

Asako Yuzuki, Friday 12 June 2026, 7pm, CONTACT

An electrifying evening with Asako Yuzuki, bestselling author of global phenomenon Butter. Asako returns to Manchester Literature Festival to discuss her gripping new novel Hooked in her only UK event outside London.  This darkly compelling exploration of obsession, friendship and control centres on Eriko, a woman whose perfect life conceals a profound loneliness. When she becomes fixated on Shoko, a housewife blogger whose chaotic domestic world both fascinates and unsettles her, admiration begins to slide into something far more dangerous.

Natalie Haynes, Monday 15 June, 7pm, Central Library – limited ticket availability

Festival favourite, bestselling author and broadcaster Natalie Haynes returns to Manchester on 15 June to discuss her powerful new novel No Friend to This House – an extraordinary reimagining of the myth of Medea.   

Andrew Sean Greer, Tuesday 23 June, 7pm, Waterstones Deansgate

Pulitzer Prize-winning novelist Andrew Sean Greer introduces his dazzling and witty new novel Villa Coco in Manchester on 23 June.  

Mieko Kawakami, Tuesday 25 August 2026, 7pm, Central Library

An unmissable evening with one of Japan’s most celebrated young novelists, the Booker-shortlisted author of Heaven and Breasts and Eggs. Mieko Kawakami makes a rare visit to the UK to launch Sisters in Yellow, a gripping, stylish noir set in Tokyo’s shadowy underbelly.  Dark, hypnotic and utterly compelling, Sisters in Yellow confirms Mieko Kawakami as one of the great writers of her generation and discusses sisterhood, betrayal and the stories that haunt us.

Bookend event: Marina Hyde, Monday 28 September 2026, RNCM

A pre festival treat, Britain’s favourite columnist and bestselling author Marina Hyde celebrates her new book What a Time to Be Alive! Scenes from a Strange Age. This wildly funny collection showcases the award-winning political commentator at her sharpest, taking readers on a journey through the absurdities of modern political life to the wonders of pop culture.