Brighton indies launch book festival to amplify “a wide spectrum of voices”

Independent bookshop owners Carolynn Bain of Afrori Books, the first Black-owned bookshop in Sussex, and Ruth Wainwright of the Feminist Bookshop, are to launch a book festival in Brighton this summer to amplify “a wide spectrum of voices” and connect readers with authors.

Comprising many events at selected venues, the three-day literary celebration will take place from June 24 to 26, showcasing our city’s literary scene.

In a joint statement, the founders said: “Our aim is to inspire and enable writers at every stage in their careers to share their work and to champion the power of the written word to enrich and change lives.

“We seek to amplify a wide spectrum of voices, to connect readers and authors in new ways and to promote compelling and challenging writing, with special attention to work that engages with pressing social issues or that might otherwise be excluded or marginalised.”

There will be panels on topics such as Masculinities and the Myth of the Mainstream, workshops including Pitching Your Novel and Adapting Book to Film, children’s book events and interactive sessions on graphic novels and creating soundtracks inspired by literature.

Pic: Carolynn Bain