Vintage to donate 300 books to Free Books Campaign

Vintage will partner with the Free Books Campaign for the second year in a row, donating 300 books over the course of 2023.

The Free Books Campaign is an initiative set up by Sofia Akel, which aims to get physical books by authors of colour to those who cannot access them, for free.

The Penguin imprint will donate 300 titles to the campaign this year, starting with Rukmini Iyer’s India Express (Square Peg). Books by Warsan Shire, Diana Evans and Nana Kwame Adjei-Brenyah will also be among the 300 titles, as will debuts from Jacqueline Crooks and Ore Agbaje-Williams.

The renewal of the partnership will be celebrated with an all-day event, taking place at the 2000 Community Action Centre in Deptford on 15th April 2023. This event will include talks, panels, and workshops for all ages, with Diana Evans, Dipo Faloyin, Deepa Anappara, Claire Ratinon and Colin Grant all scheduled to take part, as well as other Vintage authors and writers based in the local area.

Akel said: “Vintage Books and the Free Books Campaign share the same ethos – to make literature accessible. So to be able to have an in-person completely-free launch in the heart of Pepys Estate is just one iteration of that, we’ll have people there from all across the industry, including authors, and of course loads of free books. Access to literature includes access to knowledge – how to get published, how it all works, how to secure a job in the industry. We want this event to be more than simply a panel talk, or book signing, we want this to be a real opportunity to break down the power dynamics and lack of access traditionally not afforded in elite spaces such as publishing. So if you’re a local aspiring writer, an avid reader or someone looking for something to do for free this weekend, we have a place with your name on it!”

Vintage added: “We are thrilled to be supporting the Free Books Campaign for another year and donating books by trailblazing authors from genres across the full range of Vintage’s publishing. 

“In the face of the pressures on libraries, community centres and families across the UK in the cost-of-living crisis, Sofia’s work to make books more accessible is vital. We couldn’t think of a better place to celebrate our renewed partnership than the 2000 Community Action Centre, with a day-long, family friendly programme of talks and workshops. It is great to be working with the community centre team, Sofia and authors and colleagues across Vintage to put together an event where everyone feels welcome and can take home a free book by an author of colour.”  

The full list of featured titles for 2023 will be:

• February – India Express (Square Peg) by Rukmini Iyer 
• March – Bless the Daughter Raised by a Voice in Her Head (Chatto & Windus) by Warsan Shire
• April – Fire Rush (Jonathan Cape) by Jacqueline Crooks
• May – A House for Alice (Chatto & Windus) by Diana Evans
• June – Africa Is Not A Country (Harvill Secker) by Dipo Faloyin
• July – The Three of Us (Jonathan Cape) by Ore Agbaje-Williams
• August – The Late Americans (Jonathan Cape) by Brandon Taylor
• September – Chain-Gang All-Stars (Harvill Secker) by Nana Kwame Adjei-Brenyah
• October – Unearthed (Chatto & Windus) by Claire Ratinon 
• November – Novelist as Vocation (Harvill Secker) by Haruki Murakami
• December – Decolonising my Body (Square Peg) by Afua Hirsch