Festival voices, author conversations and the joy of reading together
Welcome to the first of our special Summer Festival feature episodes from A Shared Reading Podcast by Derby Book Festival.
Hosted by Shared Reading volunteers Ellie and Steve, this episode was recorded during the Festival in May and brings together author interviews, festival reflections and audience voices gathered as part of our special podcast recordings.
Across this episode, you’ll hear conversations about reading, wellbeing, imagination, creativity and the connections that happen when people come together around books.
Author of Overwhelmed, Claudia joins us to talk about pressure, rest and wellbeing, and how we might think differently about the demands of modern life.
Children’s author Ben Davies joined us at the Festival, where he ran a writing workshop. In this episode, we hear more about his work, creativity and encouraging people to enjoy writing and storytelling.
Vanessa shares more about Derby Book Festival’s children’s programme and the Children’s Book Appeal, and why helping children access books matters.
Author of Refugee Countess, Janet talks about the remarkable life of Marion Stein and the story behind her book.
You’ll also hear from festival-goers sharing their reflections on the Festival itself, from the welcoming atmosphere to the conversations, connections and sense of community that happen when people come together around books.
Listen to the full conversations
We’ve included edited highlights in this episode, but you can also listen to the full interviews here:
Full interview with Claudia Hammond
Full interview with Ben Davies
Full interview with Vanessa Cameron
Full interview with Janet Tennant
This episode was recorded and edited by Rose Braisby.
With thanks to our Shared Reading podcast hosts Ellie and Steve, everyone who spoke to us at the Festival, and the Derby Book Festival team and volunteers who helped make these special recordings possible.
New to the podcast?
A Shared Reading Podcast by Derby Book Festival celebrates local voices, community connection and the conversations that begin when we read together.
Each episode gives a flavour of our Shared Reading programme: warm, welcoming conversations through stories, poems and other short texts. Across the series, we’ve featured local writers, Shared Reading volunteers and participants, all sharing their experiences of reading, connection and community.
You can catch up on all our previous episodes here
Could you help keep the podcast going?
We’d love to keep growing A Shared Reading Podcast by Derby Book Festival and continue sharing local voices, author conversations and stories of reading, wellbeing and connection.
To make that possible, we’re looking for support from individuals and organisations who can help us sustain the series. This could include sponsoring an episode, supporting a future season, sharing the podcast through your networks, including it in a newsletter, website or social post, or offering in-kind support such as recording space, promotion, design, photography or other practical help.
Sponsorship starts from £100 for community support, with options to sponsor or co-sponsor individual episodes and seasons.
If you or your organisation would like to support a community podcast that celebrates reading, creativity, wellbeing and connection, we’d love to have a conversation: [email protected]
Shared Reading is a simple, welcoming way to enjoy stories, poems and other short texts in a group. A trained volunteer reads aloud, then everyone is invited to chat about whatever the words bring up - memories, feelings, ideas, favourite lines, or anything else that comes to mind.
There’s no prep, no pressure and no need to be a literature expert. You can share as much or as little as you like, or simply listen.
We run Shared Reading groups across Derby and Derbyshire, including in community venues, libraries, cafés, healthcare settings and online.
Warm wishes, The Shared Reading Team @ Derby Book Festival
📑 Join a Shared Reading session near you, find out more here
📚 Volunteer with us, find out more and register your interest here
📰 Sign up to our Shared Reading newsletter here
💛 Support Shared Reading with a donation here
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