Portico Poetry Prize 2012: prize giving.

The library is delighted to announce details of a prize giving for the Portico Poetry Prize.

The event will take place at the Mechanics Institute in Manchester on Saturday 13th October, running from 1.45-5.30pm; it will be part of an event at Manchester Literature Festival called Dickens Readers' Day. The prize giving will commence at 5pm.

The event costs £10 or £8 for concessions. To book, head over to manchesterliteraturefestival.co.uk.

Portico Poetry Prizes 2012: winners.

Portico Poetry Prize

1st: `In the Dock, Fagin Reflects' - Marion Brown

2nd: `Great Expectations' - Ian O'Brien

3rd: `The Ghost of Christmas Present' - Holly Hopkins


Portico Young Poetry Prize

1st: `Hospital Visit' - Natalie Steinhouse

2nd: `Hollow' - Eugenie Yen

3rd: `Biddy, Or Unrequited Love' - Emily Stevenson

Once again, thanks to all who entered and taken interest; the prizes have been very successful. The library would like to offer congratulations to the winners.

We're also delighted to say we are planning an anthology for the competition, which will incorporate the winners from both prizes and list of commended poets. To those who didn't win, keep an eye out as you may be published in the anthology!

Madeline Miller and The Song of Achilles

Thursday 6th September from 6.30pm

The Portico Library, Urmston Bookshop, and Bloomsbury present

Winner of the Orange Prize for fiction 2012

Madeline Miller

reading from her award winning debut novel,

The Song of Achilles

A breathtakingly original rendering of the Trojan War - a devastating love story and a tale of gods and kings, immortal fame and the human heart

On the New York Times Best Seller list and hailed to great acclaim.

The reviews say it all ...

“If I were to give a prize for the best work of fiction I’ve read this year, this would be the runaway winner.”   A N Wilson

 [This novel] “will appeal to young and old, men and women, readers of both commercial and literary fiction”   The Guardian

 "Miller's fantastic first novel – shortlisted for the Orange Prize this week – seems singular in its scope and scholarship" The Independent

“A captivating retelling of the Iliad and events leading up to it … it’s a hard book to put down, and any classicist will be enthralled by her characterisation of the goddess Thetis, which carries the true savagery and chill of antiquity.” Donna Tartt,The Times 

Tickets - £7.per person –

7.30pm start (drinks will be available from 6.30pm)

Book by ‘phone (0161-236 6785), email (admin@theportico.org.uk), in person or through Eventbrite

               

Play your part in ensuring the future of The Portico’s unique collection with our adopt-a-book scheme

Since it was built in 1806, The Portico has developed a fascinating collection of mainly 19^th century books, with subject matter ranging from Botany to Architecture, and from History to The Occult. Having been chosen over the years by its members, the collection can be said to be truly unique to the Portico, and representative of the interests of those who frequented the library in years gone by. The collection also forms a valuable aid to 19^th century studies, with researchers from across the UK and beyond consulting the many volumes on the shelves.

Yet having been built in the centre of an emerging industrial city, a combination of the resultant pollution, the mass production of paper and the use of gasoliers for lighting and heating have all taken their toll on the books. Whilst the generosity of a number of grant giving bodies and of supportive individuals has enabled crucial conservation and preservation work to be undertaken upon approximately a quarter of the Collection, there are still many books whose deterioration needs to be addressed.

The Portico needs your support to continue carrying out this vital conservation and preservation work, so that we can ensure that the books on our shelves may be read and enjoyed by many more generations to come.

Our adopt-a-book scheme is one way in which you could help. The scheme works in two ways: if you have a particular interest, you can select the author, title or subject of a book you wish to adopt, or you can simply make a donation that will help towards other priority volumes within the collection. In return for your generosity and support, a permanent bookplate will be placed within the volume/s, recording your name, date and a dedication of your choice.

Please feel free to ask a member of staff should you require any further information.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Saturday Openings from September

September 8th and 9th (Saturday and Sunday) The Portico will be having special 'open days' as part of Manchester's Heritage Open Days 2012.  Members of the public are welcome to come in and have a (free) tour of the Library. Staff and volunteers from the membership will be on hand and refreshments will be available.  This will be taking place during Stephen Fallow's photography exhibition Sidetracked: A Visual Journey from Carlyle to Manchester in the Gallery.

Following our Heritage Open Days, we will be trialling Saturday openings at the Portico - 10am to 2pm.  The first Saturday we open will be the 15th September and this will run every Saturday until Christmas closing!  Tea, coffee and cakes will be available on the Saturdays and the Gallery and Reading Room open as normal.  We are very excited for it and wondering why we haven't done this all along?! 

Portico Poetry Prizes 2012.

The 2012 Portico Poetry Prizes are now closed to entries. Thank you to everyone who entered and invested interest, it has been a fantastic success.

Keep an eye out for future updates, including results and prize-giving.

Portico Poetry Prizes.

We've had a wonderful response to the new prizes and would like to thank everyone who was invested interest in the prize.

The deadline is the 31st of July, so there's still a few days left for entries. After that, judging will commence!