The Manchester Man: bookseller John Morten
When I was a teenager and discovered poetry, I dreamed that, one day, I would run the first...
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Author: Henry Normal
‘I love that we are tolerant without even thinking about it’
Some English supporters at the recent international match were booing the Andorran national...
Read MoreWhy I bloody love libraries: Henry Normal writes for Northern Soul
My favourite place in Manchester is the Central Library. To me, it is the very heart of the North West. The domed ceiling in the main reading room, with its high windows, gives it the air of a cathedral. A cathedral of learning,...
Read MoreHow I learned to love London: Henry Normal writes for Northern Soul
While writing The Royle Family up in Manchester with Caroline Aherne and Craig Cash, some days, just for a joke, Caroline would announce “it’s raining in London” and we would all cheer. When I was young, in the 60s and...
Read MoreCan poetry save theatres? Henry Normal writes for Northern Soul
When a theatre shuts its doors, it’s called ‘going dark’. During the COVID-19 lockdown, that darkness has felt like an endless void. But theatres will start to reopen soon and, to begin with, the shows will...
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