An innovative literary festival is taking place in north Manchester that aims to challenge the skewing of cultural events south of the city.

The inaugural Prestwich Book Festival began this week and continues into next month. It celebrates the authors who live in or have connections with the area – novelists Alexandra Singer, Emma Jane Unsworth, Sherry Ashworth and Gill James, writers Kate Feld, Benjamin Judge, Claire Massey, Sarah Clare Conlon and Aaron Gow are also taking part.

Performance poet Longfella, also known as Tony Walsh, will perform Vocabaret with poet Jo Bell at the Church Inn on 14 June. Both poets have been poets-in-residence at the Glastonbury festival.

Alexandra Singer's debut novel, Tea at the Grand Tazi, was published to critical acclaim earlier this year. On 31 May, she will host a literary evening at Time for Tea with homemade cakes and hot drinks.

Emma Jane Unsworth will take part in two sold-out readings at the celebrated restaurant Aumbry, which will re-create the dishes from her first novel, Hungry, The Stars And Everything, published last year.

On the evening of Wednesday 23 May, Sherry Ashworth and Gill James read from their latest work for young adults and answer questions at a free event at Prestwich Library.

The festival's organiser, Ebba Brooks, tells me that Prestwich, like other areas, has suffered in recent years and has been very much overshadowed by south Manchester.

"Recently there's been a new feeling in Prestwich that a lot is happening," she says. A lot of enthusiastic small businesses have got involved with the festival.

"We wanted to do readings in other places, not just draughty community halls. The idea of the festival came to me last summer when I started realising that there were a lot of local authors."

On 7 June, a creative writing workshop led by Brooks takes place at Ellie Magpie – a craft, haberdashery and home decoration shop. Tickets must be booked in advance, with further details on the festival site.

For more on the genesis of the Prestwich literary festival, read this excellent blog post here.

Brooks speaks of the pride in the neighbourhood "in the face of a dilapidated high street and dog poo strewn pavements." As a book lover, she always wanted a literary festival on her doorstep "so I thought I'd better make it happen."

Brooks is hopeful it will become an annual event. It is anticipated that next year's festival will include a story writing competition for young people and performance poetry.

She wants the 2013 event to also celebrate the Jewish community in Prestwich and to be a celebration of Jewish authors.