Kenilworth Books in Talisman Shopping Centre will be showcasing the talents of the town’s own authors and publishers to coincide with a national week celebrating independent bookshops.
It is set to host its Indie Publisher Day on Saturday 22nd June to highlight the wide range of writers Kenilworth and the surrounding area has produced.
The event also takes place during Independent Bookshop Week – an initiative to highlight the important role independent bookshops have in their communities.
Running from 10.30am to 3pm, Kenilworth Books will host a selection of writers who have all been supported by independent publishers to make their mark in the book industry.
The event showcases local author, Anthony Ferner’s fiction title Small Wars in Madrid, a powerful, emotive story set against the backdrop of Eastern European unrest, and published by Fairlight Books.
For poetry lovers, Chris Burleigh’s Poetry book Intersecting Lines from Beercott Books explores the familiar from fresh new perspectives, while Oliver Comins will be sharing his observational poetry books, published by Templar Poetry.
Author, speaker and walking tour guide Adam Wood of Mango Publishing will be chatting about true crime and the dark deeds to be found in his book Bloody Kenilworth, Ashley Wakelin will also be joining in to talk about all things Midland Red, and Graham Gould and Peter James will launch their latest local history book A Parcel of Land.
“We’re always keen to champion our local talent,” said Charlotte Vaughan, Manager of Kenilworth Books, “and feel that making the event a part of Independent Bookshop Week this year gives us even more reason to celebrate the value of indies.
“Supporting the talent that’s right on our doorstep is a key role of an independent bookshop, and we’re lucky that we have such an incredible variety of talent around us.”
With books signings happening throughout the event, there will also be a variety of family and children’s activities, such as crafting, colouring, and story trails, led by children’s authors Julia Rawlinson author of the magical Fletcher the Fox series (Graffeg) and Emily Harper who writes children’s stories based on folklore (Cranthorpe, Milner).
As well as working with their local community, Kenilworth Books will also be giving back to the wider community by raising money for BookTrust, the UK’s largest children’s reading charity who each year get millions of children reading, especially those from low-income families or vulnerable backgrounds. Throughout the month of June all the money given for their counter top treats and locally loved fudge will be donated.
Hugo Hawkings, chief executive of Discovery Properties – the developers of Talisman Shopping Centre – said: “Kenilworth Books always goes out of its way to support its local authors and publishers, and it’s one reason why the shop is so popular in the town.
“It’s great to see the team championing the region’s writers like this once again and showing why Kenilworth Books has such an important role to play in the town.”