BBC Northern Ireland and Libraries NI announce biggest ever Book Week for 2021

BBC Northern Ireland and Libraries NI are announcing their biggest ever Book Week, running from Monday 18 October to Sunday 24 October.

Book Week is a joint initiative that celebrates the pleasures and benefits of reading and the role that libraries play in community life. It will involve features and reports across the BBC's local services and a wide range of library-based events - several of which will also be available online. And there will be a big emphasis on encouraging people to pay a visit to their local library on Love Your Library Day on Wednesday 20 October.

The overall theme of Book Week 2021 is Read All About It! and there'll be a different focus for each day - from children's books and fiction to current affairs and poetry.

HRH The Duchess of Cornwall, is one of many well-known people taking part in Book Week 2021, having launched her own book club 'The Duchess of Cornwall's Reading Room' on Instagram last year. Her Royal Highness has written an article about the importance of reading and made some book recommendations, details of which will be published at 7am on 18 October on the BBC's dedicated Book Week website bbc.co.uk/bookweekni

Her Royal Highness writes: "I am delighted to take part in this year's Book Week Northern Ireland and to join you in celebrating the pleasures and benefits of reading. This is certainly a cause close to my own heart, and one on which I have been positively proselytizing over the past eighteen months... When we read, we enter more fully into our shared humanity - and we make lifelong friends."

BBC Northern Ireland has commissioned a series of short Read All About It! films for television and BBC iPlayer. These include local personalities talking about their reading memories and the book that they think others might enjoy as part of Book Week. Those taking part include: Stephen Nolan, Emma Vardy, Koulla Yiassouma, Paula McIntyre, Tim McGarry, William Crawley, Tara Mills, Declan Harvey and Denis Murray. Blue Peter's Adam Beales has also got involved.

Book Week Ambassadors will also be helping to facilitate a big, community-wide conversation and books, reading and libraries - and encouraging everyone to join in. These Ambassadors are drawn from across public life and include Executive Ministers, the Head of the Northern Ireland Civil Service, Paddy Raff, Lynette Fay and Marie-Louise Connolly.

Communities Minister Deirdre Hargey says: "I am absolutely delighted to be a Book Week Ambassador for this year's Book Week campaign. The pleasures and benefits of reading, whether it be alone or with others, enable us to learn, bond with others, and relax. I encourage everyone to participate in Book Week by sharing their experience and love of reading at #bookweekni. I also encourage everyone to visit their library and avail not only of the reading material there but to access the wide variety of valued services they provide to local communities."

BBC Northern Ireland will be hosting a special 'virtual' conversation with William Sieghart, author of The Poetry Pharmacy collections and a new edited anthology of poems for children. He will be chatting with the BBC's Ireland Correspondent, Emma Vardy about the importance of poetry and his work to promote it and also the ways in which it can help us deal with different life experiences. This event will be available on the BBC's dedicated Book Week website at: bbc.co.uk/bookweekni. William Sieghart will also be hosting some special Poetry Pharmacy sessions at Belfast Central Library.

Book Week will also see the return of BBC Northern Ireland's short story competition for children back for a fourth series. Launching on The Lynette Fay Show on BBC Radio Ulster on Tuesday 19 October this year's competition of Two Minute Tales is asking all children between the ages of five and 16 to get creative by writing a fictional short story based on the theme 'A Wish For Christmas'. More details can be found at bbc.co.uk/twominutetales

Libraries NI are also hosting events across the week beginning on Monday 18 October with author Séamas O'Reilly in conversation with music legend and BBC Radio Ulster presenter Mickey Bradley from 6.30pm in Derry Central Library. BBC presenter Emma Vardy will be interviewing Irish authors Louise Nealon and Niamh Campbell in Omagh Library from 1pm on Wednesday 20 October. Marie-Louise Muir from BBC Radio Ulster's The Culture Cafe will be interviewing book critic John Self in Tullycarnet Library from 6.30pm on Thursday 21 October.

Closing the week of events will be the 'Voices in the Library' Poetry Event with local poets Damian Gorman, Niamh McNally, Maureen Boyle and Matthew Rice in conversation with host Scott McKendry in Belfast Central Library on Friday 22 October at 1pm. During this event, the poets will talk about and give readings from their collections. These events will also be streamed online, the exception being the 'Voices in the Library' Poetry Event on 22 October. Further information of virtual and in library events in your local areas can be found at www.librariesni.org.uk/book-week-ni

Audiences can get involved in Book Week on social media by posting #bookweekNI and tagging @LibrariesNI and @BBCnireland on Twitter, @LibrariesNorthernIreland and @BBCNI on Facebook and @librariesni and @bbcni on Instagram.

Throughout the week, BBC Northern Ireland and Libraries NI will also invite people to hashtag #bookweekNI to share details of their favourite books, their book recommendations, favourite authors, literary characters, book spaces and libraries.

BBC Radio Ulster will be celebrating books and reading across the airwaves all week.

• The Lynette Fay Show will be chatting to Pete Johnson, ex film-critic for BBC Radio 1 and author of the Louis The Laugh book series for children.
• Gardeners' Corner will be reviewing In Kiltumper: A Year In an Irish Garden - a record of how deeply life can be lived within a garden's walls and chatting to its authors, Niall Williams and Christine Breen.
• Kerry McLean is planning a special on songs inspired by classic novels.
• Sportsound Extra Time will be talking to Irish Rugby Legend, Willie Anderson about his Autobiography, Crossing The Line.
• Culture Café - Marie-Louise Muir will be interviewing Roddy Doyle and Paul Muldoon.
• The Vinny Hurrell Show will feature children whose poems were published as part of an initiative organised by Aware NI and judged by magician, Joel M.
• The Mickey Bradley Record Show - Mickey is planning a Book / Reading themed playlist for the week and featuring music with a poetic element for Poetry day.
• Thought For The Day A themed week of contributions from Monday to Friday based on the presenter's favourite fictional character.
• Blas On Tuesday 19 October presenter Dáithí Ó Muirí and some young readers review a selection of the best recent releases as Gaeilge for both children and young people, including the recent winner of An Gradam Reics Carló, "Cluasa Capaill Ar An Rí".
• Blas On Thursday 21 October Caoimhe Ní Chathail and contributors take a look at the burgeoning audiobook market and discuss what "talking books" have been tickling their earbuds of late.
• The Stephen McAuley Show - on Monday 18 October Stephen will be chatting to Will Sergent from Echo and the Bunnymen on his memoir. Throughout the week Stephen will be joined by leading figures from the local music community recommending their favourite book.

On Your Behalf will look at classes/zoom classes run by Libraries NI which help library users to stay safe as consumers.

Coverage of Book Week will continue on BBC News NI's output. This will include interviews and reports on Good Morning Ulster with Sarah Brett, Joel Taggart and Chris Buckler; discussions on TalkBack with William Crawley; and book recommendations from Declan Harvey and Tara Mills on Evening Extra. There'll also be coverage of Book Week on BBC News NI's website and BBC Newsline with special reports.

Peter Johnston, Director, BBC Northern Ireland, says: "We're so pleased to be working with Libraries NI on this initiative and to have the support of our Book Week Ambassadors in helping to get everyone involved in a big BBC conversation about books, reading and libraries. We want as many people as possible to get involved and have some great programmes for audiences to look forward to. Book Week is fun with a serious purpose and it's a useful reminder that reading is for everyone."

Jim O'Hagan, Chief Executive, Libraries NI says: "We are delighted once again to partner with BBC Northern Ireland for Book Week. This year there will be a range of events in libraries both in person and online, including an opportunity for children to have their favourite jokes published in an upcoming book by author Pete Johnson and a library open day on Wednesday 20 October entitled Love your Library Day. For Love your Library Day, Libraries NI are asking customers, stakeholders and all members of the community to join us in celebrating all that is wonderful about our local libraries so please call in and show your appreciation for the library and the services they provide."

For further information on Book Week NI, please visit librariesni.org.uk and bbc.co.uk/bookweekni

MD