LitterWritten and performed by Valerie O’RiordanSet on the Fallowfield LoopA man follows his ex-wife along a local litter-picking route, trying to make sense of the past, the future and what it means to let go. Set against the backdrop of the Fallowfield Loop, Litter is a story of disconnection, stubbornness and longing - and the way even the most familiar spaces can become sites of confrontation and reckoning.Valerie O’Riordan is a writer and lecturer in Creative Writing at Greater Manchester University. Her short fiction has appeared in Litro, The Lonely Crowd, The Manchester Review, among others.You Are Here is a podcast from Levenshulme Old Library featuring five original short stories inspired by Levenshulme’s parks and green spaces. Levenshulme Old Library is a community-led arts and culture space in South Manchester. Based in a former Carnegie library, it supports local creativity through workshops, performances and place-based storytelling projects that reflect the neighbourhood’s unique character and voices.The podcast is produced by Levenshulme Old Library, commissioned by The Space, and supported by Arts Council England.Series editor: Richard V. HirstProduction and sound design: Oscillate.Explore the full project at: levenshulmeoldlibrary.org.uk/you-are-hereWe’d love to hear what you think — share your feedback here.
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14:19
2.0 - Tripe by Verity Platt
TripeWritten and performed by Verity PlattSet in Nutsford ValeMarta walks through Nutsford Vale, her thoughts drifting between motherhood, inheritance and the body - the weight of care and the strange rituals that shape our days.Set in a park that was once a clay pit, then a tip, Tripe is a lyrical, layered meditation on usefulness, repetition and the uncanny that quietly lurks on the edges of ordinary life.Verity Platt is a writer from Manchester whose work explores the intersections of place, and memory. Her fiction draws on folklore, domestic life, and the body.You Are Here is a podcast from Levenshulme Old Library featuring five original short stories inspired by Levenshulme’s parks and green spaces.Levenshulme Old Library is a community-led arts and culture space in South Manchester. Based in a former Carnegie library, it supports local creativity through workshops, performances and place-based storytelling projects that reflect the neighbourhood’s unique character and voices.The podcast is produced by Levenshulme Old Library, commissioned by The Space, and supported by Arts Council England.Series editor: Richard V. HirstProduction and sound design: Oscillate.Explore the full project at: levenshulmeoldlibrary.org.uk/you-are-hereWe’d love to hear what you think — share your feedback here.
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5.2 - Field Notes: Knots | Form | Strut
Knots | Form | Strut (Cringle Park Soundscape)Sound design by OscillateA soundscape created using field recordings gathered in Cringle ParkCringle Park presents as a traditional Victorian park - wide paths, open spaces and quiet corners where people pass, pause and play. However at its centre sits a small stone circle whose origins are unclear but whose presence is quietly magnetic.This soundscape captures the layered sonic textures of the park: footsteps, birds and the steady hum of passing lives.Part of You Are Here, a podcast from Levenshulme Old Library featuring five original short stories, soundscapes, and audio portraits inspired by Levenshulme’s parks and green spaces.Produced by Levenshulme Old Library, commissioned by The Space and supported by Arts Council EnglandExplore the full project: levenshulmeoldlibrary.org.uk/you-are-hereWe’d love to hear what you think - share your feedback here.
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3:55
4.2 - Field Notes: Gives | Splice | Agents
Gives | Splice | Agents (Highfield Country Park Soundscape)Sound design by OscillateA soundscape created using field recordings gathered in Highfield Country ParkHighfield Country Park is one of Levenshulme’s largest green spaces - a mix of woodland, meadow, paths and water, where people and wildlife move together through the seasons.This soundscape weaves together fragments of that environment: birds, trees, quiet footfall and distant conversation - creating an immersive portrait of a space that feels both natural and lived-in.Part of You Are Here, a podcast from Levenshulme Old Library featuring five original short stories, soundscapes, and audio portraits inspired by Levenshulme’s parks and green spaces.Produced by Levenshulme Old Library, commissioned by The Space and supported by Arts Council England.Explore the full project: levenshulmeoldlibrary.org.uk/you-are-hereWe’d love to hear what you think - share your feedback here.
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4.1 - A Portrait of a Park: Highfield Country Park
Highfield Country Park – Portrait of the ParkProduced by Levenshulme Old LibrarySound design by OscilloscopeHighfield Country Park stretches across woodland, open ground and winding trails - a space for wandering, noticing and sometimes getting a little lost.In this portrait, writer Dipika Mummery shares her personal connection to Highfield, reflecting on how its landscape and wildlife shaped her story, Parakeet.Part of You Are Here, a podcast from Levenshulme Old Library featuring five original short stories, soundscapes, and portraits inspired by Levenshulme’s parks and green spaces.Produced by Levenshulme Old Library, commissioned by The Space and supported by Arts Council EnglandExplore the full project: levenshulmeoldlibrary.org.uk/you-are-hereWe’d love to hear what you think - share your feedback here.
A podcast exploring the hidden stories, voices, and landscapes of Levenshulme’s green spaces.
Each episode takes you into a different park in the area, uncovering layers of memory, imagination, and community.
Expect evocative short stories inspired by place, real voices from the people who shape these spaces every day, and immersive soundscapes created using field recordings.
Whether you know these parks well or are discovering them for the first time, You Are Here invites you to listen in a new way.
Episodes include:
Story – A newly commissioned short story inspired by the park
Portrait of the Park – Local voices
Audio Soundscape – An atmospheric journey through sound
You Are Here is produced by Levenshulme Old Library. The project was commissioned by The Space and made possible by Arts Council England.
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