Our Power of Reading Impact Report 2025 is now live! Discover how evidence-informed, book-based teaching boosts attainment, narrows gaps and helps children see themselves as readers and writers. Read more: https://clpe.org.uk/research/power-reading-impact-report-2025

What a joy to see our @rsliterature.bsky.social President Elif Shafak deliver the National Humanities Lecture at the School of Advanced Study @sas-news.bsky.social. A beautiful reflection on and defence of the long form of literature, and many other things too.

If you are in the UK The Librarians is avaliable on the iplayer, under the Storyville banner. Well worth a watch.

Last month I heard the wonderful Joan Winterkorn lecture on Collecting and Preserving Archives. She included lots of the fascinating, telling, glorious details you only get from archives - and a bigger story about how she changed the UK's treatment of archives, especially those of living writers.

What a brilliant idea: Give all newborn babies library cards automatically www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...

Huge congratulations to Elif Shafak, newly elected President of the Royal Society of Literature. A powerful advocate for free expression and the unifying force of storytelling. We celebrate this well-deserved recognition!. www.theguardian.com/books/2025/d...

Elif Shafak named new president of the Royal Society of Literature

Look at our incredible news! I am so excited to work with Elif

Come to our free webinar on this⬇️-9th Dec, 16.45-5.30 ⬇️

Great culture can save lives. Literally. Amazing letter in today’s @thetimes.com about Tom Stoppard

We had such a fantastic @rsliterature.bsky.social celebration of Maureen Duffy at the @britishlibrary.bsky.social on Sunday. Here is the wonderful founder of the Pioneer Prize, Bernardine Evaristo, handing it to Maureen Duffy's agent, Nemonie Craven Roderick, with our wonderful panel alongside

We’re holding an event to mark this year’s RSL Pioneer Prize and you’re invited! Swipe to see the line-up 👉 Tickets are available now: https://events.bl.uk/events/rsl-presents-the-pioneer-prize

What a joy to hear the readings from the shortlist and to see the winner announced: 'And the Walls Became the World All Around’ by Johanna Ekström and Sigrid Rausing, translated from Swedish by Sigrid Rausing and published by @grantabooks.bsky.social. I can't wait to read it.

This is an amazing opportunity. Please consider applying for the Community Panel - they are the heart of the project

Fantastic to see @ukparliament.parliament.uk launching an inquiry into children's reading for pleasure, in advance of the National Year of Reading. Submissions by 9th January, details here committees.parliament.uk/call-for-evi... There are such important questions in the terms of reference.

Yesterday was the award ceremony for the Queen's Commonwealth Essay Competition at St James's Palace. The four winners, all between 14 and 17, were outrageously impressive - you can read their winning pieces here www.royalcwsociety.org/post/meet-th...

We’ve got great news for writers across the UK and RoI – the 2026 RSL Ondaatje Prize is now taking submissions! 🥳 Applications are open until 5pm on 12 December 2025. Apply now: https://rsliterature.org/rsl-ondaatje-prize/

Keep it short and find what you enjoy: how to start reading for fun

Come and be part of queer feminist literary history & future, and see Maureen Duffy get her 💐💐💐💐💐

On Sun 30th Nov we will be celebrating the @rsliterature.bsky.social Pioneer Prize, so generously founded and funded by Bernardine Evaristo. The inaugural winner is Maureen Duffy. Join us @britishlibrary.bsky.social or online to celebrate her work: events.bl.uk/events/rsl-p...

It was amazing to be there in person to see so many people excited about six incredible books.

This is an incredible move by some visionary funders to support the literary arts in the US.

Something very exciting has arrived at our office here in Somerset House 👀 Join us for our Pioneer Prize event at the British Library on 30 November to honour Maureen Duffy's impact and legacy: https://rsliterature.org/whats-on/rsl-presents-the-pioneer-prize/

Join us for the launch of the RSL Pioneer Prize, a new initiative which will spotlight and celebrate writers who have been trailblazers in their field. 📅 Sunday 30 November, 2:30pm 📍 The British Library/Online 🎟️ £15 in-person/£5 online, FREE for RSL Members/Fellows https://ow.ly/uVRX50X3AwC

Last night this powerful film had its UK premiere, hosted by @bodleian.ox.ac.uk, with courageous librarians like @librarianjones.com there too. Alongside we awarded @richove.bsky.social the @rsliterature.bsky.social Benson Medal. What a privilege to share the stage with them. See it if you can.

Congratulations to the winner of the inaugural RSL Pioneer Prize, Maureen Duffy 🎉 Duffy received news of her award earlier this month when Evaristo visited her at home. Watch the full video here: youtu.be/9ZB_AHdm4ts?...

This is a wonderful story! Bernardine Evaristo is SUCH a force for good, not only writing brilliant books & teaching students of writing but also uplifting other writers all over the place. And Maureen Duffy is a great choice to receive this prize. 📚📚📚

And to say once again: Maureen is co-responsible for the existence of both PLR & ALCS, so every writer in the UK & Ireland should give her 💐💐💐. And read her books!

The incredible Bernardine Evaristo has used her @womensprize.bsky.social Outstanding Contribution Award to create a new @rsliterature.bsky.social Prize. For the next decade, we will be celebrating pioneering women writers, starting with Maureen Duffy www.theguardian.com/books/2025/s...

A very special day today, when my lovely former colleagues @theul.bsky.social have digitised the founding documents of @rsliterature.bsky.social to celebrate the 200th anniversary of the signing of our Royal Charter. My favourite line: "We have become a People of Readers"

Please spread the word: Are you working on your first commissioned work of non-fiction for a general readership? (You can have previously published for an academic audience). We’ve extended the deadline of the wonderful Giles St Aubyn Awards, three prizes £2.5k-£10k rsliterature.org/rsl-giles-st...

The incredible @jonathanwatkins.bsky.social has directed a glorious, witty, sad and hopeful adaptation of Christopher Isherwood’s novel A Single Man into a contemporary ballet. I loved it. It’s been sold out but they seem to have just released Saturday matinee tickets www.rbo.org.uk/tickets-and-...

A little slice of Somerset House and the Inua Ellams / Fuel Theatre exhibition The 419. Playful, moving, told in sonnets and photographs, and it’s free and only on until Sunday. www.somersethouse.org.uk/whats-on/the...

It must be the end of summer, because the kids have been breaking in their new school shoes as they walk to the library to finish the @readingagency.bsky.social Summer Reading Challenge

CFP: Thinking of the Children: Book Bans, Censorship and Literature for Young People An online conference hosted by the University of Münster 11-12 February 2026 Abstracts due 11:59pm on 31 August! Full CFP and to submit: indico.uni-muenster.de/event/3505/ Please share!

Please spread the word: Are you working on your first commissioned work of non-fiction for a general readership? (You can have previously published for an academic audience). We’ve extended the deadline of the wonderful Giles St Aubyn Awards, three prizes £2.5k-£10k rsliterature.org/rsl-giles-st...

First week @rsliterature.bsky.social. London has been looking glorious from my commute!

I took a small fairy and wizard to Rough Magic at The Globe today (no humans allowed!). It’s hilarious and so engaging. On for another week www.shakespearesglobe.com/whats-on/rou...

Because as we know, women very rarely have pockets 😢@theulspeccoll.bsky.social 1928.6 178 and 1928.6.179.

Recharging in the Kent countryside. (Proper camping plus onsite pizza chef…)

We are hosting the UK premiere of the powerful documentary, ‘The Librarians’, directed by Kim A. Snyder. Come and join us @bodleian.ox.ac.uk for the screening, a panel discussion, and drinks! Co-organised with @rsliterature.bsky.social visit.bodleian.ox.ac.uk/event/sep25/...

End of an era @theul.bsky.social @jessicagardner.bsky.social I will miss you all so much. Also here commemorating the single time my desk has looked like this in 11 years.

After 11 years at the UL, @lauragreenfield.bsky.social, Director of Services and Engagement, leaves today to become Director of the @rsliterature.bsky.social. We'll dearly miss Laura's rare combination of vision, leadership, humour and compassion, but can't wait to see what she does next!

What a joy to finish my five years of facilitating @theul.bsky.social Really Popular Book Club discussing Terry Pratchett’s ‘Guards! Guards!’ with @unamccormack.bsky.social. I’ve only got two days left at the UL…

This will be my last event for Cambridge University Library! So looking forward to talking to Una about whether Terry Pratchett was “guilty of literature”, orangutang librarians, and dragons

First day of the school summer holidays

This article, by Oxford's @richove.bsky.social, may be the most important article you read about NARA, IMLS, LC, ...all of it. observer.co.uk/news/interna...

What an absolute joy to be at the @rsliterature.bsky.social Summer Party this evening, to see these incredible people inducted as Fellows and Honorary Fellows rsliterature.org/announcement... I was lucky enough to see the list before hand, and have had a lovely time reading my way through their work

This really is the hire of the decade. Well done, Mellon. “For generations, libraries, archives, and cultural institutions have been the guardians of knowledge and the catalysts for human progress,” said Dr. Hayden. www.mellon.org/news/mellon-...

Mellon Foundation announces appointment of Dr. Carla Hayden as Mellon Senior Fellow 📚📜 librarytechnology.org/pr/31511