A new book festival is being launched in Stoke-on-Trent to encourage more people to read and help improve literacy levels.
Stoke Book Festival will run between 3-10 October and include talks by authors, workshops and performances.
Simon Drakeford, festival director, said they wanted to promote books by supporting the brilliant literacy work already going on and by having authors come to Stoke.
Data has shown that only 70% of Stoke-on-Trent children meet the expected level of reading by the end of Year 6, compared with 75% nationally, making the city the lowest ranked across the whole of the West Midlands.
“Why shouldn’t we have our own book festival, we’ve got a load of homegrown talent, it’s a great place to come,” said Drakeford, whose day job is the community and arts manager at Stoke Minster.
The small team organising it share a passion for books and bringing good things into the city, he added.
They want the festival be to be accessible to all, so it will include both affordable and free events aimed at all age groups and at a range of venues including Stoke Minster and the city’s libraries.
Amy Capewell, senior librarian for Stoke-on-Trent libraries, said it was a “dream come true.”
Organising the festival has highlighted how much talent and drive there is locally, said Capewell, adding that connecting with reading “opens new doors and brings new worlds to life.”
Bringing authors into the city and showcasing those already here “creates that little bit of magic for people,” she added, and that it was “vital” to talk about books.
Dave Proudlove has written six books, based around both Stoke-on-Trent and his love of football and its links to industrial communities, and will be talking about his work at the festival.
“Books allow you to dream and to aspire, which is really important in a city like this,” said Proudlove.
He added that the festival will give the many authors in the city a platform and shine a light on them.
Author and illustrator Kate Leake is creativity laureate for Stoke-on-Trent and will be running a free workshop at Stoke Market encouraging people to write letters to their future self.
She said she wanted to “help spread kindness and that sense of community in the city”, as well as celebrate a love of reading and writing.
“I’m really excited about it,” she added.
Credit: BBC
