Record audience at Black British Book Festival

Over 3,000 people attended the second Black British Book Festival in Manchester!

The festival took over Central Library on Saturday 29th March, with four areas of workshops, author talks, discussions, story times and cake decorating! We also had over 40 stallholders promoting a wide range of diverse books and publishers.

Here’s some of the highlights below…

Writing Black Lives Author Panel: Tales of Resilience and Identity with Kit de Waal, Lizzie Damilola, Blackburn Jeffrey Boakye and Cebo Campbell. You can watch the whole panel discussion here.

Poetry in Motion: Unleashing Creativity with Joseph Coelho. Watch the whole event here!

Behind the Decks: DJ Paulette’s Beats, Battles, and Triumphs. Watch DJ Paulette’s in conversation here.

Rewriting the Narrative: Pan MacMillan Publisher Panel

Malcolm X: The Radical Vision Reclaimed” with Kehinde Andrews.

Unveiling History: Writing Stories of Courage and Legacy with Ola Awonubi.

Some magical children’s events with Effua Gleed, Steven Bryant, Kimberly Whittam, Abiola Belo and Chibundu Onuzo Mayowa and a really busy exhibition area of 40 stallholders and publishers!

Councillor John Hacking Executive Member for Skills, Employment and Leisure (pictured here with Selina Brown, CEO of the book festival, Councillor Lee-Ann Igbon and The Lord Mayor, Councillor Paul Andrews) said “We are proud of our year-round diverse cultural programme, and the work Read Manchester has done to ensure our residents can see themselves in the books held in libraries. “We are so pleased the Festival is returning to Central Library.”

Selina Brown CEO of The Black British Book Festival said. “We had an incredible time in Manchester at #BBBFManchester! Huge thanks to everyone who brought the day to life – from the amazing authors, to the vibrant community of readers, publishers, and book lovers who joined us. It was unforgettable and we will definitely be back!”