SPOKEN WORD AND POETRY EVENTS IN MANCHESTER
SPOKEN WORD AND POETRY EVENTS IN MANCHESTER
Most Popular Spoken Word and Poetry Events in Manchester
Sat 31 Oct - Sun 1 Nov 2026
Jack Rooke
Friday 4 - Saturday 5 September 2026
BAFTA-winning writer and recovering spoken-word artist Jack Rooke (Creator of Hulu / C4's Big Boys) brings back his debut comedy-theatre show 'Good Grief', a decade on from it launching his career. Featuring the original show (co-written w...
Tom Read Wilson
Sunday 13 September 2026
Songs, sonnets and stories from television presenter, author, actor, and singer Tom Read Wilson. The A - Z of Me is an irreverent, whistle-stop tour of the alphabet. The alphabet reveals the revue - and Tom - letter by letter, word by wor...
Tom Read Wilson
Thursday 17 September 2026
Songs, sonnets and stories from television presenter, author, actor, and singer Tom Read Wilson. The A - Z of Me is an irreverent, whistle-stop tour of the alphabet. The alphabet reveals the revue - and Tom - letter by letter, word by wor...
Vinny Peculiar
Thursday 17 September 2026
Described as 'The Tony Hancock of pop' by UNCUT magazine, Salford-based singer-songwriter and poet Vinny Peculiar (aka Alan Wilkes) grew up in Worcestershire and trained as a nurse before signing to Manchester cult label Ugly Man records. ...
HEARD Live
Friday 18 September 2026
Heard Live is the true spoken storytelling event that lifts unheard voices to create real, positive change. A specially curated lineup of everyday people with stories that will stay with you, sharing their experiences unfiltered and in...
Scratch
Tuesday 22 September 2026
With networking and live jazz, Scratch is Shakespeare North Playhouse's quarterly platform for creatives to share, experiment, and connect. This is your chance to present work in progress or showcase completed pieces to a supportive audien...
The Laurel Prize - Panel & Prizegiving
Friday 25 September 2026
Established by Poet Laurette Simon Armitage, The Laurel Prize for Poetry is an annual award for the best collection of nature or environmental poetry to highlight the climate crisis and raise awareness of the challenges and potential solu...
John Cooper Clarke In Conversation with Simon Armitage
Saturday 26 September 2026
John Cooper Clarke shot to prominence in the 1970s as the original "people's poet". His unique poetry and delivery style was recorded and put to music by legendary producer Martin Hannett and a band of Mancunian stars, including Buzzcocks ...
BBC Radio 4 The Verb
Saturday 26 - Sunday 27 September 2026
Join Ian McMillan at Radio 4's home of poetry, for a russet-toned adventure into verse, and into making poems - poems that make you feel, smell and breathe autumn. He'll be joined by some of the best-loved poets of our age. ...
BBC Radio 4 Beyond Belief
Sunday 27 September 2026
Join Giles Fraser and the panel for Beyond Belief, Radio 4's long-running series exploring the place and shape of faith in today's world, as they explore taboo texts, sacrilegious language and blasphemy, asking where the boundaries of reli...
Poetry Across Borders - 10 Years of the British Council
Sunday 27 September 2026
We may speak different languages, but people everywhere have more or less the same dreams. For the past 10 years the British Council has supported international poetry exchanges with Contains Strong Language. Take a tour of the world throu...
Tim Key
Monday 12 - Thursday 15 October 2026
Comedian and poet Tim Key (Alan Partridge, The Ballad of Wallis Island, Tim Key's Late Night Poetry Programme) again pops his suit on, plods about, in a brand new show, Loganberry. Bit gutted he's old. Guzzling continental lager. Magnet...
Itch - Spoken Word Night
Tuesday 13 October - Tuesday 24 November 2026
Itch is Shakespeare North Playhouse's monthly spoken word night. It is an inclusive, welcoming community space for both performers and audience alike. If you are a performer and are looking for a performance opportunity get in touch. You m...
Antony Szmierek
Friday 23 October 2026
Manchester spoken word and indie hip-hop artist Antony Szmierek has a distinctive way of mixing introspective and poetic lyrics with cool nostalgic beats which have seen him compared to Mike Skinner and The Streets. "He is being lauded as ...
Lemn Sissay
Saturday 31 October - Sunday 1 November 2026
Spend an evening with a master of the spoken word, BAFTA award-winning author, activist, performer and Sunday Times number one bestseller, Lemn Sissay OBE as he returns to the stage with this acclaimed show. Every morning for 10 years L...
Dr. John Cooper Clarke
Friday 20 - Saturday 21 November 2026
Literary phenomenon John Cooper Clarke is a British cult hero. Known as the 'Godfather of Punk Poetry' and the original people's poet, John's cultural influence spans literature, music and fashion. From creating some of the most iconic ...
Henry Normal
Tuesday 24 November 2026
"Henry Normal - COLLECTED POEMS and other landfill" is the very latest and greatest poetry of the BAFTA-winning Nottingham-born writer, poet, TV & Film producer, founder of the Manchester Poetry Festival (now the Literature festival) and c...
Yippee Ki Yay
Saturday 5 - Wednesday 23 December 2026
Written and performed by Richard Marsh Acclaimed retelling of classic film Die Hard from Richard Marsh - Fringe First-winner, London poetry slam champion, BBC Audio Drama Best Scripted Comedy Drama award-winner and New York cop (on...
LYR
Tuesday 8 December 2026
LYR (Land Yacht Regatta) is Huddersfield author and current British poet laureate Simon Armitage, Grammy-nominated singer-songwriter Richard Walters and multi-instrumentalist producer Patrick Pearson (a former member of Liu Bei). Describe...
