In 2021, Manchester Metropolitan University opened the UK’s fourth public poetry library. To celebrate this, Manchester City of Literature and Manchester Poetry Library at Manchester Metropolitan staged a special digital exhibition and a physical counterpart was held at the poetry library itself.

Thirteen cities in the UNESCO Creative Cities network were explored through their poetry, showcasing the Cities of Literature network. This year, we are delighted to add five new cities to the exhibition. (Find out more about the UNESCO Cities of Literature network on their website.)

Poetry is not advertising. Often poetry is ambiguous and might have difficult conversations about a place—but that’s the point. The following contributions give a different point of view on each of these incredible cities, doing what poetry does best: making places that seem familiar unfamiliar, or introducing you to new people and places entirely.  

Manchester Poetry Library invited each city to contribute images, book recommendations, poems and commentaries describing the work in question. Where there is no poem, don’t worry—these books will be available to read in the library thanks to the generosity of our UNESCO partner cities. We would like to thank all the cities who have taken part for making this amazing opportunity possible - and allowing us at a tumultuous time to momentarily travel beyond our current horizons.