Shared Reading Podcast - Festival Special Episodes

Claudia Hammond, Joanna Cannon, Patrick Gale, Bee Wilson and other Festival guests feature in three podcast specials recorded during Derby Book Festival’s Summer Edition. Listen to the complete series and discover how you could help the podcast return for this November’s Autumn Edition.

Looking for something thoughtful to accompany an autumn walk? All three Festival Special episodes of A Shared Reading Podcast by Derby Book Festival are now available to enjoy.

Recorded at events across the Summer Edition in May, the episodes bring together authors, Festival visitors, Shared Reading volunteers and members of the Derby Book Festival team. At the heart of the series is one deceptively simple question: How does reading bring people together?

Across the three episodes, Shared Reading volunteer hosts Ellie and Steve explore the many ways that books and stories help us understand ourselves, connect with other people and see the world from a different perspective. The conversations move from wellbeing, creativity and childhood reading to family memories, friendship, nature and cold-water swimming.

Festival Special Episode One

The first episode features psychologist and broadcaster Claudia Hammond, who reads from her book Overwhelmed and shares practical thoughts about worry and wellbeing.

Children’s author Ben Davis talks about creativity, storytelling and writing for younger readers, while Vanessa Cameron, Derby Book Festival’s Children and Young People’s Co-ordinator, introduces the Festival’s work with children and families, including the Children’s Book Appeal.

We also hear from Janet Tennant, author of The Refugee Countess, whose book tells the remarkable story of her mother, Marion Stein.

Listen to Festival Special Episode One

Festival Special Episode Two

In our second Festival Special, bestselling authors Joanna Cannon and Patrick Gale reflect on writing, reading and the connections stories can create.

Gilly McArthur, author of The Beauty of Cold, talks about nature, cold water and the communities that can grow around a shared passion. Derby Book Festival Director Sian Hoyle joins the conversation, alongside Festival visitors sharing their own thoughts about what reading means to them.

This episode attracted more downloads in its first 48 hours than any previous episode over the same period.

Listen to Festival Special Episode Two

Festival Special Episode Three

The final episode begins with food writer Bee Wilson, who talks about The Heart-Shaped Tin and the memories and meaning held by everyday objects in our kitchens.

Crime writer Sarah Hilary, author of The Drowning Place, discusses reading and her Peak District-set detective series. The episode also features Sally Coulthard, author of A Brief History of the Coast in 100 Objects, and Rachel Trethewey, author of Muv.

Shared Reading volunteer Jeremy reflects on his experience of bringing people together through reading, while Festival visitors add their own answers to the series’ central question.

Listen to Festival Special Episode Three

Local voices, shared stories and real connection

A Shared Reading Podcast by Derby Book Festival grew out of our year-round Shared Reading programme. In Shared Reading sessions, poems, stories and other texts become starting points for relaxed, open conversations about memories, emotions, friendship, creativity and life.

The podcast allows us to share some of those conversations more widely, while giving a platform to Shared Reading volunteers and participants, local writers and Festival guests.

All three Festival Specials are available through Podbean, Spotify, Apple Podcasts and other major podcast platforms. Listeners can enjoy the full collection, follow the podcast and share their favourite episode with someone who might appreciate it.

Explore all episodes of A Shared Reading Podcast

Could you help the podcast return this autumn?

Tickets are on sale from 28 September for the Autumn Edition of Derby Book Festival, taking place this November. The Shared Reading team would love to capture more of the conversations, ideas and atmosphere of the Festival in a new podcast episode, but sponsorship is needed to make that possible.

Explore the Autumn Edition programme and book tickets

The team is seeking £600 to support the recording and production of an Autumn Edition episode. This could be provided by one sponsor or shared between two or more organisations.

Supporting the episode would help bring authors, volunteers, readers and Festival visitors together, creating something that people can enjoy long after the Festival itself has ended. The team would be pleased to speak to interested businesses and organisations about the podcast and how their support could be recognised.

To discuss sponsoring the Autumn Edition episode, please contact Katie at shared.reading@derbybookfestival.co.uk.