| Black British Book Festival BBBF | |
|---|---|
| Status | Active |
| Genre | Literature |
| Frequency | Annually, in October |
| Location | England |
| Inaugurated | 2021 |
| Organized by | Selina Brown |
| Website | blackbritishbookfestival |
The Black British Book Festival (BBBF) was launched in 2021 with a mission "to create a space where Black British authors were celebrated, not sidelined". [1] Held annually, the one-day BBBF has been described as Europe's largest Black literature event. [2] [3] The festival's founder is Selina Brown, a British author of Jamaican heritage. [4]
Founder and CEO Selina Brown was inspired to start the Black British Book Festival (BBBF) after she successfully self-published her first two books – Before Breath (2015) and Nena: The Green Juice (2020) – following disappointing experiences when she had tried to interest existing publishers. [5] [6] The BBBF was created to celebrate emerging Black British authors across all genres. [7]
First held in October 2021 in Birmingham, north England, the BBBF drew 800 attendees in its inaugural year, attracting twice that number in the next year. [5] Notable speakers included David Olusoga, Lenny Henry, Jasmine Richards, T. L. Huchu, with headline sponsorship from Pan Macmillan, Penguin Random House and BookTrust. [5] [8]
In 2023, the BBBF moved to London, where it took place at the Southbank Centre, featuring appearances by Joseph Coelho, Gary Younge and Dawn Butler. [9] [10] In 2024, the festival was held at the Barbican Centre, with high-profile speakers and panellists including Diane Abbott and Charlene White. [11]
In 2025, the festival was again held at the Barbican Centre, where the headline speakers included Denise Lewis, Lenny Henry, June Sarpong, and Jordan Stephens. [12] A new community-led publishing model was announced between the festival and four-year-long sponsors Pan Macmillan. [13] [14]
In 2023, the BBBF toured the UK, with some 60 authors going to seven cities. [5] [15] The festival has also showcased the work of black writers in partnership with major cultural and literary initiatives such as the Hay Festival, [16] the Cheltenham Literature Festival [17] [18] and the Glastonbury Festival. [1] [19] [20] The BBBF has organized "takeovers" of Manchester Central Library, with 3,000 attendees at the March 2025 event, featured authors including Kehinde Andrews, Joseph Coelho, Kit de Waal, Jeffrey Boakye, and DJ Paulette. [21] [22]