Hay Festival is championing the importance of reading for pleasure in a new campaign with TES, calling for the public to share their most inspirational reading recommendations for young people with #BooksToInspire.
Coinciding with the release of the free Hay Festival Programme for Schools, the #BooksToInspire campaign seeks to create reading lists that will inspire the next generation of world changers.
The reading lists – one for primary schools, another for secondary schools – will comprise 32 books each, to mark the festival’s 32nd year, drawn from public nominations at hayfestival.org/books-to-inspire, with prizes to be won. All genres, fiction or non-fiction, old or new, are welcome for submission, with the final selections revealed in May and amplified through festival partners.
Aine Venables, Hay Festival Education Manager, said: "We are delighted to announce the 2019 Hay Festival Programme for Schools and celebrate the role literature plays in inspiring the next generation of world-changers with #BooksToInspire. Our programme for 2019 includes a stellar line-up of speakers offering a diverse range of events for pupils in Key Stages 2, 3 and 4. Opening access to inspiring opportunities for young people is a core part of our mission, here and around the world, and we can’t wait to throw our doors open for these free sessions."
Hay Festival Programme for Schools and #BooksToInspire projects are part of the festival’s wider education work and commitment to young people that also includes Hay Compass, Hay Academy, Hay Levels, free tickets for students in tertiary education, Hay Festival Scribblers Tour, and the Beacons Project, a free workshop residency for 16-18-year-olds interested in writing (details on how to apply here).
Find out more here.