Christopher Isherwood: An illustrated talk by Andrew Biswell Did you know Christopher Isherwood came from Stockport? Come and find out more in this Festival of Literature talk.

In June, Andrew Biswell will be giving an illustrated talk on Christopher Isherwood.

You can find out more and book your tickets here:

www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/christophe...

Elemental: Manchester Poetry Library Summer Exhibition, Curated by Jean Sprackland, 20 Apr - 31 Oct 2026 Exhibition, Manchester Poetry Library

Summer Exhibition at Manchester Poetry Library opens today - curated by Jean Sprackland.

www.mmu.ac.uk/poetry-libra...

Happy publication day!

The Holy Blood and the Holy Grail Anthony Burgess on a controversial bestseller

In this week’s newsletter, Anthony Burgess (author of A Clockwork Orange) reviews the controversial bestseller The Holy Blood and the Holy Grail, which posits that the descendants of Christ exist in the European nobility.

Subscribe for FREE: anthonyburgessfoundation.substack.com/p/the-holy-b...

Delivery Robot, maimed outside LIDL A Friday poem

New poem for Substack. It’s about delivery robots being beaten up. I make most of my content on Substack free but hugely appreciate paid subscribers where people are able to donate. Thank you to everyone who reads! open.substack.com/pub/helenmor...

Closing today - please repost!

This is a really wonderful piece by @helenmort.bsky.social

Happy publication day!

Take Your Research Public Take Your Research Public is a free practical course aimed at academic researchers (from mid-PhD onwards) who want to develop writing for magazines, social media, podcasts, radio or the broad trade…

Just a few more days to apply to this year’s Take Your Research Public course - an introduction to public writing, social media, podcasting and more for academics new to this work. Guests include @drsurekhadavies.bsky.social and @estelleprnq.bsky.social. Free, online, over four Tuesdays in June.

Hey! Festival Hey! Festival is a FREE festival of talks, workshops, song and community building.

Coming on 23rd April:

Hey! Festival - a festival of workshops, talks, song and community building.

www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/hey-festiv...

Could this help you take your research to a wider audience?

Goyle, Chert, Mire A book-length sequence of poems about place, time, illness and recovery Each of the three sections in Goyle, Chert, Mire focuses on one of the distinctive elements characteristic of the Blackdown Hil...

This week sees the release of Jean Sprackland's new poetry collection, Goyle, Chert, Mire:
www.penguin.co.uk/books/471971...

Poetry for the Planet - University of Birmingham Award-winning University of Birmingham poet Isabel Galleymore leads this evening of eco-poetry and solar-inspired art.

This World Earth Day - Wednesday, 15th April - Jean Sprackland is reading poetry with @calebparkinpoet.bsky.social & Isabel Galleymore in Birmingham.

www.birmingham.ac.uk/events/poetr...

Tonight in Birmingham!

Call for Papers - Performance Research We invite contributions to the conference ‘Between Then and Now: Performing Archives’ at Manchester’s Royal Exchange Theatre on 23-24 June 2026.

- performanceresearch.mmu.ac.uk/call-for-pap...
The Performance Research Group are inviting contributions to the conference and sharing event ‘Between Then and Now: Performing Archives’ which will take place at Manchester’s Royal Exchange Theatre on 23-24 June 2026.

Hey! Festival Hey! Festival is a FREE festival of talks, workshops, song and community building.

Coming on 23rd April:

Hey! Festival - a festival of workshops, talks, song and community building.

www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/hey-festiv...

Call for Papers - Performance Research We invite contributions to the conference ‘Between Then and Now: Performing Archives’ at Manchester’s Royal Exchange Theatre on 23-24 June 2026.

- performanceresearch.mmu.ac.uk/call-for-pap...
The Performance Research Group are inviting contributions to the conference and sharing event ‘Between Then and Now: Performing Archives’ which will take place at Manchester’s Royal Exchange Theatre on 23-24 June 2026.

Tonight in Birmingham!

Goyle, Chert, Mire A book-length sequence of poems about place, time, illness and recovery Each of the three sections in Goyle, Chert, Mire focuses on one of the distinctive elements characteristic of the Blackdown Hil...

This week sees the release of Jean Sprackland's new poetry collection, Goyle, Chert, Mire:
www.penguin.co.uk/books/471971...

Poetry for the Planet - University of Birmingham Award-winning University of Birmingham poet Isabel Galleymore leads this evening of eco-poetry and solar-inspired art.

This World Earth Day - Wednesday, 15th April - Jean Sprackland is reading poetry with @calebparkinpoet.bsky.social & Isabel Galleymore in Birmingham.

www.birmingham.ac.uk/events/poetr...

Let's announce the shortlistees for the 2026 Observer Burgess prize. Over the next hour, we will reveal SEVEN names, in random order.

Our first shortlistee is... Ciarán O’Rourke for their review of Miguel Conner’s biography The Occult Elvis: The Mystical and Magical Life of the King

Could this help you take your research to a wider audience?

Workshops The public engagement team offers training and awareness sessions throughout the year, bespoke to your team, topic, career stage, and engagement goals.

Engage offers workshops and funding for staff & doctoral researchers @manmetuni.bsky.social to take their work into the public realm.

www.mmu.ac.uk/research/pub...

BBC Radio 4 - Free Thinking, Weapons, real and symbolic Matthew Sweet and guests explore what weapons mean - in the past and now.

And on Friday 1 May I’ll be on Radio 4’s Free Thinking to discuss weapons real and symbolic with @drmatthewsweet.bsky.social.

The Firearm Revolution 29 April 2026, 2pm

Coming up I have an event on Wednesday 29 April at the Royal Armouries in Leeds (both in-person and online), book here to get your free ticket or link.

Congratulations Catherine @catherinefletcher.info on the publication of this new book The Firearm Revolution!

Catherine is speaking at the @royalarmouries.bsky.social (online & in-person) about her work and research at the end of the month too.

Out today!

Anjuman: A New Mushaira Anjuman is a new, inclusive mushaira created by multilingual poet, scriptwriter and performer Anjum Malik

Later this month, @anjummalik.bsky.social is starting a new, inclusive (& hybrid) mushaira - Anjuman.
Anjuman means a gathering, a shared space for reflection, focus and celebration with poetry.
Launched in collaboration with SASS (South Asian Student Support).

www.eventbrite.com/e/anjuman-a-...

Sally Barrett And Lydia Unsworth - Double Book Launch - 30/04 – Rare Mags The first book event in our shop of 2026 and it's a double whammy! On Thursday 30th April come and celebrate the launch of The Remains (pub. JOAN publishing) and Stay Awhile (pub. Knives Forks And Spo...

At the end of April, Sally Barrett And Lydia Unsworth will be reading their poetry as part of a Double Book Launch at Rare Mags in Stockport.

raremags.co.uk/collections/...

Artworks - The Last Sweeping Beams - BBC Sounds Helen Mort explores the allure of the lighthouse as their sweeping beams are modernised.

Helen Mort's radio programme is also still available to listen to - celebrating lighthouses - The Last Sweeping Beams.

@darkskyintl.bsky.social www.bbc.co.uk/sounds/play/...