08:25, 05 July 2024
Words by Cheyanne Bryan, Editorial and Campaign Marketing Executive, London
Readers and story-enthusiasts alike will want to hear about this Free Book Festival!
Gracing our communities again, Free Book Campaign is back for another year of doing one’s bit for underserved communities and we had the pleasure of catching up with Sofia Akel, Founder of The Free Books Campaign again (read our previous article on the FBC here) to hear what new plans are coming to this year’s festival.
“Our programming is entirely centered around storytelling in all of its different forms. You don't have to be an avid reader, nor do you have to have ever read a book in your life to come and enjoy the festival.” says Sofia.
The closure of libraries nationwide sparked Sofia’s campaign to address the obstacles of accessing reading materials. This year’s festival takes place in Hackney from the 19th to 21st July, for which tickets are available online. The festival will be completely free to attend, with the aim that every attendee will be able to take a free book with them at the end. To quote Sofia, "We want our attendees to enter the space and not have to think about money."
This may seem like an ambitious project but Sofia aims to raise £20,000 pounds to make this happen. All donations will be used to fund the free bookshop, ensure the festival is more accessible to people living with disabilities, such as hiring sign language interpreters, and covers all the resourcing costs for the festival.
“The way that I approach community events is that they should be high level, high impact, and full of really amazing activities, workshops, talks, you name it, and that everything should be free for our community.
She continues: “My thought process is, why is it that the exclusive events and the workshops and the author talks and film screenings and all these kinds of things, why are they always reserved for the classes of people that do have access to these things, or the influencer class, or the middle classes? Why is it that we can't bring those into our communities? So what's really important for me is, you know, using my network to create a community of people that can come together and support the wider community of Hackney.
Each year, the Free Book Festival happens in a different London borough. Community engagement is a key pillar in the work Sofia and other volunteers do for the festival. We asked her how the Free Book Festival creates a lasting impact after the festival has passed.
“It's important to make sure that we have that authentic engagement with people who actually live there, who know the kind of ins and outs of living in Hackney, the struggles that people might be facing, and all of that. So it's really wonderful to be able to work closely with the college [BSix College] to make this happen.”
Sofia envisions the festival as a platform for people to have fun, acquire free books, and potentially introduce and highlight storytelling to those who prefer other mediums of storytelling.
She tells us: “Literature festivals typically require that you've read a book, you know that you are an avid reader, in fact, and that you have the resources to kind of fund that hobby, whereas for us, we believe that storytelling in all its different forms are equally as important. “
For this year’s event to happen, help is still needed. If you can, please donate to FBC’s fundraiser page here, or share their social media content on Instagram or sign up to be a volunteer using this form.
At Smiley Movement, we like to elevate the work of charities across the world. Here are three charities whose causes align with the themes in this article.
Create. This charity is the UK's leading charity empowering lives, reducing isolation and enhancing wellbeing through the creative arts. Support them here.
Theirworld. This is a charity that is focussed on ending the global education crisis. They work to make sure children’s education is not disrupted due to conflict, climate crises or emergencies. Find out more here.
The Switch. This charity helps young people meet their potential via highly-effective programmes and facilitating positive engagement. Support them here.
