Manchester has been unveiled as one of cities taking centre stage in a summer tour to celebrate the Black British Book Festival this year.
In its third year the Black British Book Festival is Europe’s largest celebration of black literature and a fast-growing and a widely acclaimed event showcasing black authors and providing a platform for established and up and coming writers across the country.
Championing emerging talent, hear from leading voices in Manchester Central Library on Sunday 17 September and discover your new favourite Black authors at this family festival that aims to banish barriers to entry.
Storytelling, workshops and talks, from key black authors including Manchester based poet Jackie Kay and author Kehinde Andrews, British academic specialising in Black Studies, will be part of the festival event taking place in Manchester Central Library.
Authors Ore Agbaje-Williams and Lola Jaye will lead workshops, and children and adult and children's authors Ella Phillips and Kimberley Whittam and Jaqueline Roy will also take part in the planned events.
Manchester Libraries & Archives and Read Manchester will also promote their See Myself in Book collections on the day, which ensure books are racially inclusive.
Tickets for the event are free and will be available soon at https://blackbritishbookfestival.com/ .
Councillor John Hacking, Executive Member for Skills Employment, and Leisure said:
" We have a wealth of interesting and creative talent in Manchester across diverse communities, so I am particularly pleased that we are hosting this family friendly festival, of established and emerging black British authors representing all literature genres, in Manchester Central Library. We need to be able to reach out to all communities to make literature more accessible and engaging and break down barriers to inspire a love of reading and light the spark for future generations in the city. This is a step in the right direction.”
The festival has partnered with major publishers including Pan Macmillan, Hachette, Penguin and SAGE.