Selina Brown Receives Queen's Reading Room Medal for Founding Black British Book Festival

Selina Brown, founder of the Black British Book Festival, has been honored as the UK's first National Reading Hero with the inaugural Queen's Reading Room Medal. Queen Camilla presented the award at a March reception attended by actress Sigourney Weaver and poet Sir Ben Okri. Brown, a Birmingham-based author, established the festival in 2021 as a grassroots event at the Legacy Centre in Newtown, Birmingham. It has since grown into Europe's largest celebration of black literature, now held at The Barbican in London and reaching over 100,000 people. Through her Reading for Smiles programme, Brown brings inclusive stories to primary schools in areas with low literacy rates, where teachers report increased student engagement. She has opened two community libraries and places books in unexpected spaces like barbershops and takeaways. Brown's debut picture book 'My Rice Is Best' was shortlisted for the Waterstones Children's Book Prize and British Book Awards 2026. She has partnered with publisher Pan Macmillan to publish works by black authors. Brown emphasized that black books are for everyone, showcasing diverse British experiences.