Manchester Literature Festival 2011 gets under way on Monday and runs until 23 October, with so many events it’s hard to choose between them. A number of recurring themes weave throughout festival fortnight, from literary tours and prizes to special storytelling events for youngsters, so to help guide you through this year’s massively varied programme, members of the MLF team pick out some of their favourites.

Digital Marketing Assistant Sarah-Clare Conlon
The strong strand of modern European writing has really caught my eye at Manchester Literature Festival this year. I’m a huge fan of short fiction, so the European Short Stories event (Tuesday 18 October, 6pm, International Anthony Burgess Foundation, £5/£3 concs) has found itself firmly at the top of my list of must-sees. With critically acclaimed Norwegian writer Bjarte Breiteig and Thijs de Boer, a rising star on the Dutch literary scene, this should be a real treat.

The day before sees Crime In A Cold Climate (Monday 17 October, 7.30pm, International Anthony Burgess Foundation, £5/£3 concs). As a bit of a Kurt Wallander aficionado, I’m really looking foward to these readings and discussion.

I’m also hoping to pop in to the Latvian & Macedonian Poetry evening (Wednesday 19 October, 6pm, International Anthony Burgess Foundation, free, but do book) and the European Poetry Night (Friday 21 October, 6pm, International Anthony Burgess Foundation, £5/£3 concs), both of which feature award-winning writers.

Festival Director Cathy Bolton
I’m always drawn to literature that provides empathetic insights into unfamiliar cultures and landscapes and, after my visit to the Jaipur Literature Festival earlier this year, I’m particularly excited about our series of events showcasing South Asian writers.

Sunday 16 October has two events featuring women writers from India, Pakistan and Bangladesh: Tahmima Anam and Dipika Rai, in conversation with The Guardian’s literary editor Claire Armitstead, then Kishwar Desai and Moni Mohsin, in conversation with journalist Anita Sethi (1pm and 2.30pm, Manchester Town Hall – these events are £5/£3 concs each or you can take advantage of our special 241 ticket offer and get tickets for both events for just £5/£3 concessions by phoning 0843 208 0500 and quoting “MLF 241” at the time of booking). These are followed the next day by Navtej Sarna and Shrabani Basu (6pm, Waterstone’s Deansgate, £5/£3 concs; available for groups of four or more at the special rate of £3 per ticket).

I’m intrigued to know how these six authors manage to weave reflections on complex moral and political issues into entertaining, character-driven stories. All three events promise to be really interesting.

Festival Coordinator Jon Atkin
Inspired by the piano-playing Filip Topol at the International Anthony Burgess Foundation at last year’s Festival, I’m really looking forward to the musical-themed events again this time round.

Sarah Dunant (Sunday 16 October, 7.30pm) has collaborated with early music group Musica Secreta on a semi-dramatised version of her atmospheric novel Sacred Hearts, about cloistered nuns in 16th-century Ferrara. The choir, dressed as nuns, sing some of the actual music that visitors to the convent would have heard, while Dunant and a couple of actors narrate the story, and the setting of Manchester Cathedral should add to the mood. Tickets are £12/£10 concs (if you book four or more tickets together, our special MLF Reading Group Ticket Offer is available for £10 each – book online or through the Box Office on 0843 208 0500).

The day before, MLF presents another event featuring a melding of spoken word and music. Portrait of Words and Music (Saturday 15 October, 7.30pm, Royal Northern College of Music, £10) is a wonderful collaboration between local poet Michael Symmons Roberts and Manchester Camerata, who were looking to find new ways to present music to local audiences. Michael will be reading some new poetry that he has written in response to the specific programme for the evening, which includes Mozart and Benjamin Britten. With the combination of a top poet and a leading orchestra, it sounds to me like an event no one will want to miss!

For full details of all events at MLF 2011 and how to book, visit the website at www.manchesterliteraturefestival.co.uk