Jean Sprackland, shortlisted for the Whitbread poetry award last year, set up the Poetry Society’s “poetryclass” programme on teaching and writing poetry and is now researching good practice in working with writers in schools. So she is well equipped to offer a “Rough Guide to Poetry”. This is one of the workshops at the Faber Poetry Reader’s Day - celebrating 75 years of Faber poetry publishing - at Manchester Metropolitan University, from 12-5.30pm on Saturday October 15, the last day of the festival, which has just opened.

Tickets: pound;7 (pound;4.50) on 0161 236 5725; pound;13 (pound;8) also gets you into a gala evening at the Whitworth Art Gallery with Carol Ann Duffy and Simon Armitage. See www.manchesterpoetryfestival.co.uk.

Down in London, the Poetry Lounge opens in the Royal Festival Hall ballroom next Friday, October 15, warming up for Poetry International week, October 23-30. In the Lounge, see writing by children in care, parents from Larkhall primary school in the London borough of Lambeth and young performance poets. More information at www.rfh.org.ukpoetryint. Box office: 0870 1900222