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The Guardian - UK
The Guardian - UK
Entertainment
Sarah Shaffi

Free Books Fest aims to give excluded readers their first ‘journey with a book’

An illustration commissioned for the Free Books Fest.
‘Our festival caters to people from all different backgrounds’ … An illustration commissioned for the Free Books Fest. Photograph: Nina Goodyer/Free Books Fest

A campaign set up to make books accessible to all will hold its first literary festival this weekend, including a series of free events and a bookshop where people can “buy” free books.

The Free Books Campaign was founded by cultural historian and researcher Sofia Akel as a fundraiser in July 2020. Her initial goal of £1,000, which would be used to buy books by authors of colour to donate to those who are unable to access them, surpassed expectations.

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