Meanwhile, in Manchester...

Hello. Goodness, there's all sorts of fascinating and fun things going on in our city at the moment. I may have dropped out of society into a strange, semi-darkened world of milk, muslins and back-to-back episodes of House, but the rest of you guys are still out there doing cool stuff and plotting interesting events that I can't go to. Damn you all.

This cultural bounty really comes as no surprise: after all, it's F-bomb time. No, not that kind of F-bomb. October is when the Festival bomb lands on Manchester, dropping the likes of the Literature Festival, Science Festival, Food and Drink Festival and Comedy Festival on us within a few short weeks. Plus this year we get AND too. Usually I pick out a few highlights from each one but as this would only depress me, you're on your own this year (Go See This and Creative Tourist should be able to help with some inspiration.)

And speaking of Creative Tourist, The Manchester Weekender - their bountiful smorgasboard of cultural goodness - takes over the town this weekend. Go sort yourself out here.

I'm also very disappointed to be missing A Haunting of Nightjars, readings organised by author/publisher Nicholas Royle as part of the Didsbury Arts Festival. In keeping with the Nightjar Press flavor, expect dark & disturbing readings from Conrad Williams, Claire Massey, Stephen McGeagh, Tom Fletcher, Graeme Shimmin, Socrates Adams-Florou and Terri Lucas. They've just published two new chapbooks as well, which I look forward to reading. The event takes place this Wednesday evening from 7-9pm at Northern Lawn Tennis Club, Palatine Road, West Didsbury. It's free.

Also, if you love The Wicker Man like I do (and of course you do), you'll want to check out The Lowry's brilliant Sing-a-long-a Wickerman screening Saturday Oct 9.

Finally, I have been observing with great satisfaction the lush growth of charity calendar project Beards of Manchester, after hearing about it at the slightly mad idea stage from the prodigiously bearded Chris of Mancubist a few months back. Go check it out and appreciate some 200 fine examples of the tonsorial achievement that lives among us. The launch party is at Common Oct 21.