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Andrew O'Hagan features in Bookbanks' new author series
Bookbanks, the charity that brings books to food banks, has announced a programme of relaxed and inclusive author events inside UK food banks.
The first event, on 11th March, will be a talk by Bookbanks ambassador Andrew O’Hagan, at St Jude & St Paul’s food bank in Newington Green, London.
The author will read from his new novel, Caledonian Road (Faber). He said: “I’m thrilled to be giving one of the inaugural Matthew’s Talks for Bookbanks. We often think of reading as a solitary pleasure, but I firmly believe that books can also bring people together and I hope that this new series of events will become a much-needed means of doing just that, for people who could use a little more support.”
Named in memory of Matthew McFadden, and supported by his family and friends, these events will now take place quarterly, across the food banks with which Bookbanks partners.
Also in March, the charity’s other sites in London and Norfolk will host Matthew’s Talks with the authors Hugh Aldersey-Williams and Helen Whitaker – both current volunteers with the charity and familiar faces to its guests. They will read from their books as well as talking to, answering questions from, and exchanging ideas with food bank guests.
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Copies of each author’s book will be displayed and distributed for free at the Bookbanks stalls in the weeks leading up to each event – allowing guests to own and read it before meeting the author, as well as having their copy signed on the day.
Bookbanks founding director Emily Rhodes says: “We are incredibly excited about this chance to bring books to life. If you are a writer, publisher or agent who is interested in getting involved, we’d love to hear from you.”
A registered charity, Bookbanks partners with existing food banks, setting up pop-up book stalls inside them. Each stall is stocked with an enticing and varied selection of titles, free for guests to browse, borrow or keep.
Books are donated by organisations such as bookshops, libraries, prizes and publishers; some are also given by individuals, including food bank guests.
Stalls are staffed by volunteers with professional experience in books and a passion for broadening access to them. This helps to ensure that they become spaces for conversation, community and inspiration, for those that need it most.
Over 3% of UK individuals are using food banks. Meanwhile more than one in 12 UK children do not own a single book of their own, and a DWP study shows that being read to at the age of five is “an important protective factor against poverty at the age of 30”.
For more information, visit bookbanks.co.uk.
