While Manchester’s long-established music conference In The City is booking Jarvis Cocker to talk about lyrics in popular song, down the road in Salford a new music event is adding its own finishing touches.

With the tagline ‘Music and Pies’, Un-convention is evidently a two-day, three-night conference with a difference: it’s designed to debate the future of DIY labels, self-releasing bands, promoters, agents, entrepreneurs, innovators… basically all aspects of independent music.

But, before all non-industry types log off, it’s also complemented by a showcase of bands, with familiar names such as Down The Tiny Steps, Stranger Son of WB, Denis Jones, Sophie’s Pigeons, John Stammers, Cats in Paris and Toolshed scheduled to appear during the evening showcases at the ever-excellent Sacred Trinity Church on Chapel Street.

The daytime programme includes panels devoted to independent labels, live music, getting exposure and innovation. These two seven-hour sessions - also at the church - will be broken up by acoustic showcases featuring the likes of Magic Arm.

Those involved - either in organising, chairing panels or just attending - include Radio 1’s Huw Stephens, Red Deer Club’s Duncan Sime, BBC Manchester’s Chris Long, Melodic Records’ David Cooper, Switchflicker/Club Brenda’s Jayne Compton, Club Fandango’s Matt Johnson… something of a who’s who of the city’s independent music scene.

At its most DIY and independent level, the music industry - in Manchester at least - is very friendly. But it’s great to see that some locals are thinking about more than just their next show or release. The event runs from Sunday until Tuesday evening and ticket prices vary, from £7 for an evening showcase to £25 for a full pass. Check out the Un-convention blog for more information.

Kate announced the shortlist for this year’s Manchester Blog Awards earlier today:

We had 107 separate nominations this year, coming in from as far away as San Francisco. There was such a wealth of great stuff that it was harder than ever to do the shortlisting, particularly in the Best Writing on a Blog category (by far our most nominated-for).

Best New Blog:

Dear Kitty
Coco LaVerne
Follow The Yellow Brick Road
14sandwiches

Best Writing on a Blog:

Diary of a Bluestocking
Every day I lie a little
Nine chains to the moon
Chicken and Pies

Best Arts and Culture Blog:

Scatterdrum
Quit This Pampered Town
Northernnights
Max Dunbar

Best Personal Blog:

Travels with my baby
Single Mother on the Verge
Follow the Yellow Brick Road
40three

Best Neighbourhood Blog:

Hyde Daily Photo
Mancubist
Lady Levenshulme
Manchester Bus

There are plenty of good blogs in the shortlist - and loads of new names too, which is obviously great to see. I’ll be checking out my competition in the new neighbourhood category over the next couple of days… (thanks for the nomination).

Judges this year are the MEN’s online editor Sarah Hartley, MDDA’s Dave Carter and Chris Killen, who writes Days of Moustaches and runs No Point in Not Being Friends.

The Manchester Blog Awards event takes place on Wednesday 22 October, again at Matt & Phred’s on Tib Street. If you like music and literature with just a hint of geekdom, do come down.

There’s an unusual initiative launched in today’s Metro by default vodka brand Smirnoff:

Smirnoff Original Nights is proud to present Night Vision – a groundbreaking new initiative to discover, support and celebrate aspiring nightlife promoters of all kinds, from live music to clubs via cabaret and arts-based nights.

Night Vision operates on two levels:

• A hub on Facebook for advice and information from our expert partners
• A bursary scheme; the chance to apply for funding towards your night

So if you’re a talented promoter or simply have an idea for a great night, go ahead; think big. Be original. Make it happen.

The bursary scheme is particularly appealing - four awards of up to £10,000 are available to anyone in Manchester who wants to set up ‘themed nights, concept clubs or pop-up parties in out-there places’. Judging the entries are two of the city’s biggest clubbing names - Unabombers and the Warehouse Project - plus Urbis and Northern Quarter-based arts mag Flux.

There are also 10 monthly awards of £2,000 available to anyone in the UK.

The deadline for Manchester Night Vision submissions is Friday 3 October, so if you’ve had an event idea at the back of your mind for a while, now’s the time to get it out. Visit the Facebook page for more information.

So last night was great - just the right mix of people, music, alcohol, readings… even the lighting was perfect. Personal highlights were Sally Cook’s first ever reading (it didn’t show at all), Socrates Adams-Florou and his laptop, Richard Barrett’s hilarious (in the right way) poems, John McAuliffe’s David Gaffney’s anti-PowerPoint short stories (done incredibly creatively on PowerPoint) and Tao Lin’s video readings. Well done Sally and Chris, and bring on October’s installment.

Things seem to be picking up in the Manchester literature world even before the literature festival begins on 16 October. This Saturday, for example, the Friends’ Meeting House next to Central Library hosts this event:

Inspiring workshops and panel discussions about the short story and all its forms with guests author and screenwriter Frank Cottrell Boyce, writer and poet David Constantine, author and playwright Elizabeth Baines, publisher and short story specialist Ra Page and producer/director Polly Thomas, who commissions short stories for BBC Radio.

Anyone who loves to read short stories or would like to know more about writing for publication or radio is welcome.

The event, supported by local publisher Comma Press and the National Story Campaign, runs from 1-5pm and tickets cost £8 - call Rose or Libby on 0161 234 1317 or email r.ryan@manchester.gov.uk if you’re interested. You can also download the full programme and booking form here.

‘There’s no point in not being friends with someone if you want to be friends with them.’ It’s a mantra I first spotted on Facebook, and I assumed it was a campaign against denying friend requests on various social networking sites. Hey, maybe it is?

Either way, it’s also the fullest name of No Point in Not Being Friends, a monthly literature (that’s poetry and prose) event that takes place at the Deaf Institute. Here’s more about the 23 September event, tomorrow:

The third night is in the Upstairs Music Hall of the Deaf Institute (new Trof), off Oxford Road. Joe Stretch, David Gaffney, John McAuliffe, and Jenn Ashworth will be reading, along with lots of other scheduled and open-mic readers, and the American writer Tao Lin will be doing the ‘video reading’.

Stretch - singer in local electro band Performance and writer-in-residence at Manchester University’s Centre for New Writing - has had plenty of exposure lately, and Lin’s video reading should be interesting.

The event is inspired by New York’s underground literature scene and there’s a big lit-blog connection too - including through organisers Sally Cook and Chris Killen, Ashworth, who reviewed July’s event, and the event’s own dedicated blog. It’s also on MySpace, so practically every base is covered.

No Point in Not Being Friends kicks off at 8pm and is free. Check out Katie Popperwell’s article on the new-look CityLife website for more information and an interview with Cook.

And while we’re on the subject of Manchester lit, today’s Metro flagged up a free showcase of work by the Centre for New Writing’s PhD students, which takes place in the Committee Room of the Central Library at 1pm on Wednesday 24 September.