Black Ballad Weekender hosts hundreds at books events in collaboration with Penguin Random House

Hundreds of people gathered over the August bank holiday weekend to attend events at Black Ballad Weekender, which was held in collaboration with Penguin Random House.

Readers packed out book events hosted by Black Ballad, the media platform for Black women, featuring Diana Evans, Bola Sol, Charmaine Wilkerson and many more at the first ever festival, a two-day event at Islington’s Business Design Centre.

Sell-out audiences packed into the Penguin-branded Book Room for most events, which included Ishi Robinson, Charmaine Wilkerson and Rosanna Amaka in a discussion on Caribbean writing and Penguin professionals Riannah Donald and Sahina Bibi chatting with novelist Rufaro Faith Mazarura about what aspiring writers need to know about the publishing business, among others.

The PRH social impact team was also on hand to distribute information on their programmes including Lit in Colour, its campaign to diversify the schools curriculum, and offer advice on careers in publishing.

According to Black Ballad, the bookshop, staffed by Round Table books, was busy throughout the weekend with queues for book signings and a steady stream of customers in between events.