The Central Library mystery, the David Hockney show and the joy of free ping pong
An editor's edition from Sophie
Sophie Atkinson
Sophie has written cultural essays and features for the New York Times, the New York Times Magazine, Gawker, the Washington Post, the Guardian Long Read and Die Zeit, amongst others.
What went wrong at the Carlton Club?
How the Whalley Range social club reached a crisis point
Cracked kerbs and pained smiles
Sophie Atkinson discovers first-hand just how disability friendly Manchester is - or isn't
How to sell out in the ’70s
In Trevor Griffiths’ ‘Comedians’, rage is a jumping-off point
Sacha Lord’s new book is eye-opening and colourful, but what does it tell us about Manchester?
Surviving cocaine rats, a drive-by shooting and being bundled into a car by gangsters
Manchester could have been Barcelona, not Dallas
Charlie Baker on Homes for Change and the path not taken
The price of living in communal paradise: admin, absentee volunteers and cat sh*t wars
‘It would be a Stepford Wives sort of place if everyone agreed’
You will always be in love, you will always be in love with love
Gwendoline Riley’s first two novels focus on singles in your area with disproportionate romantic fantasies
We all know Levenshulme’s gentrification story. How true is it?
Sunday Times-worthy cabbage, class segregation and 'lovely' dinner parties
The forgotten novel: Why we need to revive Manchester’s ‘Madame Bovary’
Madeline Linford is remembered as the first female member of the Guardian’s editorial board. But her 1930 book is witty and devastating
Burnage Garden Village is at war - and the stakes couldn't be lower
My return to a collectivist utopia
It's vast, it's beautiful — but does anyone know what Manchester's £210m venue is actually for?
Aviva Studios is the biggest cultural investment this country has made in decades. But so far, its aims appear vague
Millions of pounds a year, queues around the block and a customer base gone neurotic: what's in Manchester's secret sauce?
Miami Crispy and the chicken shop gold rush
Growing up in the countryside, he dreamt of Manchester’s music scene. How did the reality match up?
Critic Alex Niven’s latest book explores the joys and tedium of the North
Can Keisha Thompson make weird work at Contact Theatre?
She has paused commissioning and wants to change the theatre's culture. We meet a young artistic director trying to forge her own path
The Royal Exchange’s Christmas show deserves all the praise it's getting
An unexpected music hall-inspired treat, starring Maxine Peake