Thursday 20 September 2012

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!


Monday 3 September 2012

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