Manchester Poetry Library at Manchester Metropolitan University invites you to an online discussion about the future of poetry libraries, as part of Manchester Festival of Libraries 2022.

We are delighted to welcome representatives from Sims Library (Los Angeles) and the Scottish Poetry Library (Edinburgh) as well as other special guests. The discussion will be led by Dr Ben Gwalchmai, poet and Lecturer in Extended Realities with the School of Digital Arts at Manchester Metropolitan University and who is currently developing the Welsh poetry library project.

It is an exciting time for a new library to be planned. However many organisations have also suffered under the pandemic as well as being affected by the climate emergency. This discussion offers the opportunity for poetry libraries, writer’s houses, archives and other organisations and individuals to connect, to think about the possibilities and challenges of the future, and the kind of resilience that will be demanded from us.

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Visit Manchester Poetry Library during Manchester Festival of Libraries 2022: Manchester Poetry Library is Manchester’s newest library, and we are open to the public. Throughout the festival, we will be running 20 minute introductory tours of the library Wednesday to Saturday at 1pm. There will also be a late tour on Wednesday at 6pm (booking is advised). Family activity packs will be available, so please come explore our children’s section. The Poetry Library is currently hosting Abigail Reynolds’s Elliptical Reading project as part of the British Art Show 9. We stock an extensive collection of poetry journals and books in different languages. You are also welcome to explore our poetry on vinyl collection. So, if you’ve not visited us yet, why not come along during the Festival of Libraries 2022 to find out about membership, our programme and what’s on offer. We are open to all. https://www.mmu.ac.uk/poetrylibrary/