Speaking in the historic reading room of the Rylands, publisher Michael Schmidt and archivist Jessica Smith bring to life the ways in which archives are created, collated and used.

Chaired by Professor John McAuliffe, Michael and Jess will examine what material from the Carcanet archive discloses about Sinéad Morrissey, a poet who sent her first work, written in her teens, to Manchester publisher, Carcanet, and whose writing has subsequently won major prizes around the world; and they will talk about Thomas Kinsella, whose letters in the archive disclose one poet’s response to the destruction of downtown Manchester, including Carcanet’s offices, by an IRA bomb.

This event is presented by The University of Manchester's John Rylands Research Institute and Library, Centre for New Writing and Creative Manchester.

This event has been pre-recorded, a link to view it will be sent out to those registered, closer to the event. The recording can also be accessed via the John Ryland’s Research Institute and Library youtube channel: John Rylands Research Institute and Library - YouTube

For any queries, please email: creative@manchester.ac.uk