Booker Prize-winning author Bernardine Evaristo joins acclaimed screenwriter Russell T Davies for a special evening at Manchester Literature Festival 2026.
Evaristo is one of the most influential Black British writers of her generation. Her novel Girl, Woman, Other won the Booker Prize in 2019, making her the first Black woman to receive the award.
The novel follows the interconnected lives of 12 predominantly Black British women and explores race, gender, sexuality, family, class and identity across different generations.
Evaristo’s wider body of work includes novels, poetry, essays and memoir, and she has played a major role in campaigning for greater representation of Black writers within British publishing.
Her memoir Manifesto: On Never Giving Up reflects on her own journey through literature and the long struggle to create space for writers whose stories have historically been marginalised.
She has also been deeply involved in developing opportunities for writers of colour and challenging the lack of diversity within publishing.
At Manchester Literature Festival, Evaristo appears alongside Russell T Davies, one of Britain’s best-known television writers.
The conversation brings together two major figures whose work has helped expand the range of identities and experiences represented within contemporary British culture.
For Black History Month audiences, Evaristo’s presence makes this a particularly significant literary event, offering an opportunity to hear directly from a writer whose career has transformed perceptions of Black British fiction and whose influence extends far beyond her own books.
An Evening with Russell T Davies & Bernardine Evaristo takes place at the Royal Northern College of Music in Manchester on Sunday 11th October 2026 at 7:30pm.
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