Literacy Live - The Book Revolution.

Aim

Literacy Live is a creative event, bringing diverse books & authors to an area with one of the lowest literacy rates in the UK.

Literacy Live saw the first ever book stage at Victorious Music Festival last year. Readers listened to a full agenda of author talks and took part in Q&As sitting on hay bales in front of our stage and lingered over new reads in deckchairs. Visitor's loved this laid back addition to the festival and its popularity assured us of the culture hungry audience, giving us a stepping stone to launch Literacy Live 2019 with more impact, as well as the ability to strategise to ensure our message leaves 2019 visitors buzzing and our supporters gaining maximum benefits. In it's second year, we are showcasing and raising visibility for diverse, working class, and minority authors, and books that pack powerful messages, but we need your support to raise the volume. This is the book revolution for the next generation.

Books will only ever survive if we nurture the next bookish generation. Did you ever read a book, young or old that inspired your lifelong love of reading, propelled you into a writing career or opened your eyes to a life changing direction? The written word is powerful and it's for everyone. That's why we chose to present books with a modern twist. At a festival. Victorious is a unique family festival attracting thousands of visitors, set in Portsmouth. Portsmouth has one of the lowest literacy rates among children in the country. It’s certainly no Hay-on-Wye. But actually that’s the whole point of this event. Literacy Live aims to be an invitation into books for anyone. We want to nurture those who love books, encourage those who are held back for any reason and spread the word that there is a book out there for everyone to enjoy. We don't concentrate efforts on one niche or specialised area, we want to showcase them all. 

Literacy Live 2019 will be packed with two full days of author talks, including Yvonne Battle-Fenton talking about her book Remembered (Dialogue Books) that was long-listed for The Women's Prize 2019, Hazel Clarke, YA author of Nightmare Scenario (Salad Pages) explores the stigma around mental health and Astra Bloom, contributor of Common People (Unbound) will talk about what it means to be a working class writer in a world piled high with middle class books. There'll be poetry readings from Ana Sampson Laughlin, anthologist behind feminist poetry She Is Fierce (MacMillan) and Cath Lloyd talks about her book, When Dad Became Joan (Librotas), which tells the moving story of her life with a transgender parent. Portsmouth Library are also involved, adding their own agenda of children's storytelling and book character visits.

"So lovely to have books at a music festival."    -   "A brilliant addition, see you next year."   -  "An oasis of calm & culture at this amazing festival."

Why Support Us?

If the above hasn't propelled you into action already, we want you to be aware that we receive no festival funding or profit to host this event, and in order to increase our ability to bring books to the people, we need serious literary lovers like yourselves to help, and in return, we want to help you. Take a look at our rewards to find something that suits you and your budget.

• As part of the event, we are aiming to give away free books to some of the thousands of children who attend the festival and struggling schools and children's centres nationwide. These books will offer children the opportunity to discover a love of reading and creative arts no matter their circumstances. Your donations will help us offer books to a child at the festival, donate bundles to schools and create an inviting environment to encourage the next generation of bookworms.  If you have ever enjoyed a story and would like to increase the number of free books and literary information getting to children and families, join us and DONATE.

• Book events such as this are few and far between, and not always approachable to everyone. Publishing and reading has long held an intellectual stereotype. Our event offers a platform to expose books and literature in a new and visually exciting way. Books are for everyone and we want to showcase this incredible art form and increase diverse literacy awareness.

Up the book revolution!

2019 Author Agenda

Cath Lloyd (Librotas)  |  Karen Ball (Head of Zeus)  |  Helen Whitaker (Trapeze)  |  Will Carver (Orenda)  |  Mandy Morton (Prelude Books)  |  Nicola Upton (Faber & Faber)  |  Hazel Clarke (Salad Pages)  |  Natasha Carthew (Quercus)  |  Mark Thompson (Red Door)  |  Astra Bloom (Unbound)  |  Ana Sampson Laughlin (MacMillan)  |  Holly Worton (Tribal)  |  Yvonne Battle-Fenton (Dialogue Books)  |  Melissa J Davies (Unbound)  |  David Kendrick  |  Ian Price (Pearson)

2018 Author Agenda

Hattie Edmonds  |  Doug Johnstone  |  Phoebe Morgan  |  Ferdinand Addis  |  Daisy Buchanan  |  Kirsty Stonell-Walker  |  Siobhan Curham  |  Melissa Davies  |  Astra Bloom  |  Matthew Sperling  |  Irenosen Ajokie  |  David Kendrick  |  Lisa Hill

This project successfully funded on 14th August 2019