Marketing Derby prepares to celebrate Derby Book Festival

Marketing Derby is throwing its weight behind this year’s Derby Book Festival by supporting a number of its events.

This year, the festival will be taking place from Friday 19 May to Saturday 27 May, with a total of 50 events hosted at 10 venues across the city.

The festival will open with an event at Derby Theatre, which will see John Forkin, managing director of Marketing Derby, interview political commentator Alastair Campbell about his new book called ‘But What Can I Do?’.

Marketing Derby has also organised an event especially for Bondholders, which will see Formula One journalist and presenter Lee McKenzie speak at Annie’s Burger Shack about her new book called Inside F1.

And Marketing Derby’s Derby City Lab will be opening its doors for donations of unwanted children’s books from Tuesday 23 May.

Mr Forkin said: “The Derby Book Festival has rapidly grown to be one of the most respected in the UK and Marketing Derby has been a supporter from day one, hosting our own business event while supporting the attraction of people like Alastair Campbell.

“We believe that the genuinely community-based nature of much of the activity can contribute to tackling the city’s social mobility challenges.

“This is why we are delighted to be hosting the Children’s Book Drop at the City Lab next week and urge people to come by with their books, which will be distributed across to families that need them.”

Funded by Arts Council England and the University of Derby, with sponsorship from a number of local businesses and individuals, this year will be the eighth Derby Book Festival.

It will begin with the session with Alastair Campbell – an author, political commentator, strategist and now, probably best known as the co-host of the chart-topping podcast, The Rest is Politics. The event is being sponsored by law firm Geldards.

Marketing Derby’s special book festival event is set to take place on Monday 22 May and will see Lee Mackenzie discuss her latest book, which gives the inside track on the careers of some of F1’s top drivers.

And from Tuesday 23 May, the doors of the Derby City Lab will be flung open for a children’s book drop.

The venue, in St James’ Street, will be accepting previously loved but now unwanted books from 12noon to 4pm each day up to and including Friday 26 May.

The donated books, which need to be in good condition, will then be distributed via local schools, nurseries and libraries to families who need them.

Liz Fothergill, chair of Derby Book Festival said: “We work closely with schools in the city to support the development of a love of books and reading and our festival activities, including our annual Meet the Author events, sponsored by Cosy, support this.

“We know that not every child is lucky enough to have books at home and by making this appeal we hope to give every child in the city a
book to take home to cherish.”

Other highlights of this year’s festival include appearances by multi-million-selling novelist, John Boyne, whose novel, The Boy in the Striped Pyjamas is now a children’s classic.

There will also be appearances by Children’s Laureate, poet and author Joseph Coelho and award-winning author Lesley Parr.

The festival will also welcome Robert Hardman, royal correspondent of the Daily Mail and formerly of the Daily Telegraph, who will talk about his definitive biography of the Queen.

Tickets for Derby Book Festival events can be obtained from box offices at QUAD, Derby Theatre and Déda for events they are hosting.

Alternatively, visit the Derby Book Festival website at http://www.derbybookfestival.co.uk .

To find out more about the book drop at Derby City Lab visit https://www.marketingderby.co.uk/derby-city-lab/ .