Susan Ferguson

Nov 23, 2024 | northernsoul.me.uk | Eileen Jones |Helen Nugent |Amy Stone |Susan Ferguson

The team at Manchester Literature Festival does a heck of a good job. The cynical might think it’s about shifting a load of hardback books, but MLF puts a great deal of thought into its authors and event hosts. Tonight was no exception.

May 19, 2024 | northernsoul.me.uk | Andy Murray |Robert Hamilton |Amy Stone |Susan Ferguson

I don’t know if it’s just me but, six months ago I’d never heard of Percival Everett. Suddenly he is everywhere. A friend recommended his book The Trees, a satirical novel (which narrowly missed out on the Booker prize in 2022) about lynching. On paper, it doesn’t sound good, but it’s brilliant.

Oct 27, 2023 | northernsoul.me.uk | Andy Murray |Desmond Bullen |Susan Ferguson

It’s only three-years-old but the British Textile Biennial has woven its place into the fabric of mill towns across Lancashire. The theme of BTB23 is the Politics of Cloth, but let’s start with the politics of transport. While those without a car may struggle to visit all on offer, with such a rich and varied set of exhibitions, seeing everything may not be possible.

Jul 8, 2023 | northernsoul.me.uk | Susan Ferguson

Sometimes it seems that Liverpool struggles with culture, not least after its UNESCO World Heritage Site status, awarded in 2004, was rescinded in 2021. Perhaps against the odds, Liverpool Biennial has been going for 25 years. The pandemic shifted the 2020 edition to a socially distanced reduced version in 2021. What would this twelfth edition offer?

Feb 27, 2023 | northernsoul.me.uk | Susan Ferguson

House of Books & Friends is no ordinary bookshop. Its mission is stated plainly and boldly on its website: to combat loneliness, one book at a time. We went to have a look. The shop is located on the ground floor of a Grade II listed building, originally built in 1871 to house Manchester’s Reform Club. Membership numbers plummeted in the mid-20th century so it merged with the Engineers’ Club in 1967 and even allowed women to become members in 1980. But it was too late.