A snippet of April's Shared Reading Newsletter

Hello everyone and welcome to your April newsletter!

This months' newsletter features some exciting news about our Shared Reading group filming, the new podcast episode and volunteering opportunities.

We hope you can find a quiet moment to enjoy this month's SharedReading Newsletter!

Our latest episode of 'A Shared Reading Podcast by Derby Book Festival' is now live, and it’s a lovely one.

Hosted by our wonderful volunteers Ellie and Steve, this episode explores the theme of friendship through a mini Shared Reading style discussion. We’re joined by two guests, Sam Warburton (local author/illustrator & sketchnote artist) and Lucy Prior (Shared Reading volunteer). Together we share readings from Sam’s debut illustrated book 'The Dog, The Bird, The Book' and chat about the moments, words and feelings the text brings up, it's the kind of warm, open conversation you’ll recognise from our sessions.

If you enjoy listening, please do download the episode, follow/subscribe, and share it with someone who might like it - those small actions make a big difference in helping more people discover our Shared Reading community programme.

And one more thing… we’ll be recording some special feature episodes at Derby Book Festival in May, capturing festival voices and atmosphere. We can’t wait to share them with you.

Could you help keep the podcast going?

We’re currently looking for episode sponsors to help us sustain and grow the series. If you or your organisation would be interested in sponsoring an episode, we’d love to have a chat, email: katie@derbybookfestival.co.uk

Shared Reading Groups

We’ve recently been filming a couple of our Shared Reading group sessions, so if you’ve ever been curious about what a session actually looks like (and what makes it feel so welcoming), keep an eye out - we’ll be sharing some short clips and videos very soon.

In the meantime, if you’re thinking about coming along for the first time, returning after a break, or you’re simply not sure which group might be the best fit, please do drop us a message at shared.reading@derbybookfestival.co.uk. We’re always happy to answer questions and help you find a session that feels right for you.

We update our website and social media weekly with details of our Shared Reading group locations and timings - so do take a look to see what’s coming up near you!

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Thank you for reading. If today’s updates have inspired you, please do get in touch (shared.reading@derbybookfestival.co.uk), explore our website, or share this newsletter with someone who might enjoy it too.

We hope you’ll join us again next month as we continue sharing stories, updates, and opportunities to get involved.