It Started with a Seed International Storytelling Festival, or IS WAS, launches in June 2024 at Manchester Central Library.

The festival is a partnership between the MMU Arts and Humanities Faculty, MMU Poetry Library and Manchester Histories. The IS WAS Festival is a public festival that celebrates the art of storytelling in all its forms. We centre people and community first in our advocacy for storytelling and aim to push the boundaries of storytelling and the people who tell them.

Commissioned artists and students from Manchester Metropolitan University will take the stage, to unleash a wave of creativity that celebrates the 200th Anniversary of Manchester Met and promises to be nothing short of extraordinary.

Artists presenting work include:

Mila Januszova: Dive into urban resilience with a mesmerizing 3-minute filmpoem, exploring themes of belonging and identity inspired by the Sylvia Pankhurst Gender Research and Pankhurst Centre.

Josef Minta: Join this artist, poet, and workshop facilitator from Bury in exploring the history of Man Met in three interlinking poems.

Anita Ngai: Through poetry and soundscapes, Anita will tell the stories of the first Chinese (or East Asian) students of Manchester Met, their journey coming and leaving here, as well as their lives as members of the school, of Manchester’s Chinese community and of the city as a whole.

Quen Took: Engage in “Here, I Am Whole,” a multi-disciplinary project amplifying the voices and experiences of disabled staff, students, and alumni at MMU, celebrating the rich history of disability activism, politics, and art in Manchester.

Tolulope Ami Williams: Experience “Planted Not Buried,” an immersive performance installation celebrating Manchester’s diverse legacy and breaking barriers of race, gender, culture, and class.