Stormzy‘s award-winning publishing imprint #Merky Books has announced a two-day literature festival.
The free festival expands on the successful #Merky Books pop-up held in 2019 and will take place at Roundhouse in London on April 22 and 23 as part of In The Round Festival.
Sponsored by Netflix, the two-day event will seek to demystify the creative industries and inspire a new generation of creatives, with established authors appearing alongside up and coming voices.
The headline event on Saturday, April 22 will include a panel discussion with Wretch 32 and John Agard, followed by an opening party hosted by Sounds by No Signal. On Sunday, April 23, former Children’s Laureate Malorie Blackman will be interviewed by Vick Hope.
Other events include a spoken-word performance with Sophia Thakur, Monika Radojevic, Caleb Femi and Yomi Sode; a creative funding session with finance expert Bola Sol; a panel discussion exploring the theme of girlhood with bestselling author Candice Brathwaite and playwright and screenwriter Theresa Ikoko; and a conversation on mental health and resilience hosted by BBC Radio 1Xtra presenter Richie Brave.
In addition, there will be workshops, masterclasses and screenings taking place throughout the weekend, as well as career drop-in clinics.
We are so excited to announce the #Merky Books Literature Festival as part of @RoundhouseLDN In the Round Festival.
A celebration of creativity, culture and arts, claim your free ticket here: https://t.co/T0D8fLUcVL pic.twitter.com/HeIM2iGLFM
— #Merky Books (@MerkyBooks) February 27, 2023
The festival is free to attend but event passes will be available from Roundhouse’s website, with further sign-ups for workshops and masterclasses at the venue on the day.
Speaking about the festival, Stormzy said: “I’m so proud that we’re able to offer a free festival to inspire young creatives. This is going to be our biggest event yet for #Merky Books.”
Wretch 32 added: “I’m excited to join such an inspirational line-up from #Merky Books and Netflix. It’s so important to encourage and support young people across the full range of creative industries.”
Last year, Stormzy announced #Merky FC, a new football partnership with Adidas that is aiming to improve diversity in the sport.
Described as “a programme committed to enhancing and protecting diverse representation in the football industry”, the initiative is aiming to address “the lack of diversity off the pitch in football, and provide access to a host of multi-year, paid professional placements across the industry”.