Maura Dooley: ‘ABECEDARIUM’

Inspired by Article 26 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, Maura Dooley created this poem for inclusion in A Poetic Declaration, commissioned for the Ripples of Hope Festival at HOME in Manchester.

P.A. Bitez: ‘The Naked Eye’

Inspired by Article 11 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, Princess Arinola Adegbite created this poem for inclusion in A Poetic Declaration, commissioned for the Ripples of Hope Festival at HOME in Manchester, in September.

Lemn Sissay on his new memoir ‘My Name Is Why’

Lemn Sissay, award-winning and internationally acclaimed poet, was stolen from his birth mother and given to a foster family. He was thrown out by his foster parents at the age of 12 and sent to several children’s homes. He has written a memoir to tell his story of loss and healing, and he spoke to […]

‘Our Sam – The Middleton Man’: Community needed to help bring Middleton’s most famous son back to life

“In ten minutes from the commencement of the havoc the field was an open and almost deserted space. The sun looked down through sultry and motionless air. Several mounds of human being still remained where they had fallen, crushed down and smothered. Some of these still groaning, others with staring eyes, were gasping for breath, […]

Who Let Grenfell Burn ?

Manchester poet Tom Skinner wrote this two days after the fire in Grenfell Tower. “It was a response to seeing the government trying to dodge the guilt of what they have allowed to happen”, says Tom. It’s based on Bob Dylan’s song Who Killed Davey Moore. Who let Grenfell burn, Who’s to blame, what can we […]

‘The Meteor Has Landed’ – and wants to hear from you

The Meteor: Manchester’s Alternative Media held its first public event on 24 Feb 2017. Bringing people of Manchester together around films, spoken word and music, the night blended both ancient and modern forms of storytelling to explore media related issues from global to local. A counterweight to mainstream media The Meteor, which is the official […]