Ever wondered why Gothic fiction and nineteenth-century ghost stories were often set in old-fashioned country houses? This special event combines a short talk on Gothic architecture by researcher Dr Emma Liggins with a spine-chilling ghost story performance by award-winner writer and theatre maker Adam Z Robinson. Emma’s talk, ‘Gothic architecture and the development of the […]

WRITING THE GOTHICThis writing course offers six two-hour workshops from March to September, learning the craft of gothic fiction from author and Gothic PhD candidate Bronte Schiltz. Participants on this course will create up to three short stories (up to 5k words) over the duration of this course. Your best story will be published in a […]

, Wednesday 2 April, 12-5 pm Our friends The North West Long Nineteenth Century Network are a group of Man Met scholars and postgraduates that share interests and collaborate with Manchester Centre for Gothic Studies on aspects and topics of Victorian Gothic. Join them for the next North West Long Nineteenth Century research seminar on the topic […]

This one-day symposium organised by The Scholars of the Stones at MMU gathers Arts and Humanities academics and/or artists working in relation to Neolithic or other ancient stone structures, focusing on the themes of materiality, mythology, affect and temporality. Ritual/sacred stone structures, such as henges, dolmens and cairns of the Neolithic and Mesolithic era have […]

Free public lecture on seminal 1790s Gothic writer, Ann Radcliffe, by Dr. Deborah Russell (university of York). Ann Radcliffe (1764-1823) was “the great enchantress” of her generation, in the words of Thomas de Quincey. She changed the face of fiction in the Romantic period and shaped the development of Gothic romance. The extraordinary impact of […]

Join members of the Manchester Centre for Gothic Studies for the first of our Spring/Summer Contemporary Reading Groups for 2025. This is the first of a series of 4 reading groups (this year there are two in person and two online). These free sessions, which we run in the summer months, give us a chance […]

As part of Manchester City of Literature’s Festival of Libraries 2025, Manchester Metropolitan University presents a special edition of its Contemporary Gothic Reading Group. This event will take place at Manchester’s finest neo-Gothic library, The John Rylands. In this appropriately eerie setting, Susan Barker will be reading from her recently published novel, Old Soul, followed by […]

Join British Academy Global Professor and friend of the Gothic Centre, Maisha Wester to celebrate the launch of Coded Black, the social Justice game for the PC.

Join members of the Manchester Centre for Gothic Studies for the third of our Spring/Summer Contemporary Gothic Reading Groups for 2025. This in-person reading group takes place during our Gothic Crossroads conference at Manchester Metropolitan University. These free sessions, which we run in the summer months, give us a chance to explore the prominent role […]

Join members of the Manchester Centre for Gothic Studies for the final discussion of our Spring/Summer Contemporary Reading Groups for 2025. This is the last of a series of 4 reading groups (this year there are two in person and two online). These free sessions, which we run in the summer months, give us a […]

Susan Barker, author of Old Soul, and member of the Manchester Centre for Gothic Studies will be in conversation Elaine Castillo and discussing her novel, MODERATION. Blackwell's Bookshop, Manchester Doors: 6.30pm, starts: 6.45pm Tickets are £4. Admission is free when purchasing a copy the book. About the author: Elaine Castillo, named one of “30 of the […]

Join Manchester Gothic Centre's Co-Director, Emma Liggins, in London or live streamed online on Tuesday August 19th as she gives a Seed Talk on the topic of Gothic Fiction and the Female Writer. What do Gothic novels and the supernatural have to do with feminism? A surprising amount. Back in the 18th century, Gothic novels […]