A snippet of May's Shared Reading Newsletter

Hello everyone and welcome to your May Shared Reading newsletter!

This month we’re in the middle of Derby Book Festival’s summer edition, so it feels like the perfect time to celebrate what sits at the heart of Shared Reading: people coming together through words, stories, poems, memories and conversation.

We’re also recording some special festival podcast episodes, and we’d love to include voices from across our Shared Reading community.

So this month, we’re asking:

How does reading bring people together?

Whether you’re a participant, volunteer, partner, supporter, trustee, festival visitor or simply someone who believes in the power of stories, we’d love to hear from you.

Add your voice

As part of our special Derby Book Festival podcast episodes, we’re gathering short reflections from people connected to Shared Reading and the wider festival community.

You might want to tell us about:

• a book, poem or story that helped you feel connected to someone else
• a Shared Reading moment that stayed with you
• a conversation that started because of something you read
• why you think reading aloud together matters

Click on the link to let us know your answer to the question: How does reading bring people together?

The short form will also ask whether you’re happy for your response to be read aloud on the podcast or used in Derby Book Festival / Shared Reading publicity. If shared, responses will be used with first names only, or anonymously where no name is provided.

Volunteer Spotlight - Meet Ellie

This month, we’re shining a light on Ellie, one of our brilliant Shared Reading volunteers and podcast co-host.

Ellie first came across Shared Reading at a taster session in Derby city centre. Within ten minutes, she says she knew it was something she had a lot to offer, but also something that had a lot to offer her.

Before volunteering with Shared Reading, Ellie worked for over ten years in mental health, supporting people as they left hospital and rebuilt their lives in the community.

That experience gave her a deep understanding of how much connection, creativity and community can matter to people’s wellbeing.

Ellie has volunteered across three very different Shared Reading groups at Artcore, Kingsway Mental Health Unit and Riverside Library. Each of the groups has its own rhythm and personality, but all are rooted in creating welcoming spaces where people can share poems, stories, thoughts, memories and conversation.

For Ellie, one of the joys of volunteering is seeing confidence grow over time. She has seen participants bring their own poems, quotations and stories into sessions, and has witnessed how even one hour of Shared Reading can help someone leave feeling lighter, more connected and more able to face the rest of the day. As Ellie puts it:

“I leave every session with a feeling of fulfilment.”

Ellie was also part of the early pilot podcast work, helping explore how Shared Reading could reach more people beyond the room. Since then, the podcast has grown into A Shared Reading Podcast by Derby Book Festival, co-hosted by Ellie and Steve, sharing local voices, stories and conversations sparked by reading together.

If Ellie's story has inspired you, perhaps volunteering with Shared Readingcould be something for you too.

Our volunteers help create welcoming spaces where people can pause, reflect, talk, listen and feel part of something. You don’t need previous experience, just warmth, reliability and an interest in people, words and community. Full training and support are provided, and volunteers usually work in pairs or small teams.

You can read more about Ellie's story, and hear from other Shared Readingvolunteers, on our website.

Email shared.reading@derbybookfestival.co.uk for more information about volunteering with us.