‘He’s sprayed, snorted, smoked, sworn, cut, punched, run, jumped, crashed an Escort, smashed up a shop, trashed a house, broken a nose, stabbed his stepdad’s finger, but it’s been a while since he’s crept. Stressful work.’

Meet Shy, a teenage boy in trouble, trying to figure out his life. Through his inimitable style, cult author Max Porter brings Shy to life, allowing us to enter his head and see what lies beneath. In a very special event, Max will perform a dramatic abridged reading from his new novel Shy with a live electronic score by musician Roly Porter. This will be followed by a conversation about his work.

Max is the author of four bestselling novels including Grief is the Thing with Feathers, which won several prizes and was adapted for the stage in a critically acclaimed solo performance by Cillian Murphy, and Lanny, which was longlisted for the Booker Prize. Presented by Manchester Literature Festival in partnership with Contact, Centre for New Writing and Creative Manchester.

If you have any access needs you want to discuss with the venue, please call the Contact Box Office (open Tuesday – Saturday between 12-10pm) on 0161 274 0600. Alternatively, you can email them: boxoffice@contactmcr.com