Online ReadFest 2026: Debut Writers Finding an Identity
Four debut writers talk to Lucy Popescu about their novels and the stories that shaped them, exploring identity, trauma, race and belonging.
NB: You can also book to attend in-person at Barking Learning Centre.
Debut writers Connor Hutchinson, Kuba Shand‑Baptiste, Lisa Smith and Richard Tyrrell talk to Lucy Popescu about their debut novels and the stories that helped shape them.
Connor explores masculinity and working-class communities, Lisa investigates race and class, Kuba confronts belonging and the politics of visibility, while Richard follows one man’s journey of self-discovery.
Together they consider how fiction can illuminate the different nuances of identity, challenge them, and explore new possibilities.
If you are no longer able to attend a Pen to Print online event or have found yourself booking more than once for the same event – please use the ‘cancel my ticket’ option instead of ‘request a refund’ before the event is due. By doing so, an automatic refund will apply.
If you have any accessibility requirements, please directly get in touch with us at pentoprint@lbbd.gov.uk
Booking is essential. Pen to Print and our partners reserve the right to remove participants who are found not to have booked a place for a session
We encourage all participants to keep their cameras on during the session
Pen to Print and our partners reserve the right to remove participants who are disruptive to a session
NB: May feature content that some people may find upsetting, uses language or depicts scenes reflecting attitudes that are no longer seen as acceptable
Pen to Print reserves the right to cancel, delay or postpone the event for any reason, including adverse weather conditions, an emergency situation or unforeseen or unavoidable circumstances out of its reasonable control. In such cases, the event organiser will endeavour to inform participants as quickly as is possible
Barking and Dagenham Libraries and Pen to Print are proud to present the fifteenth annual literary festival, running from Saturday 12 September to Saturday 19 September.
This year’s festival offers a vibrant mix of in‑person, online and hybrid events, celebrating the power of storytelling and the joy of reading, as part of our contribution to the National Year of Reading.
This festival is proudly supported by the London Borough of Barking and Dagenham and Arts Council England, funded by the UK Government.
The National Year of Reading 2026 is a UK-wide campaign designed to inspire people to make reading a regular part of their lives.
We all understand the benefits of reading and how it expands our minds, builds confidence and fuels creativity, yet fewer people are doing it. With growing distractions and limited time, reading for pleasure is declining across many groups.
This national campaign aims to change this by reconnecting reading with everyday culture. It is not about guilt or obligation, it is about showing that stories, ideas and imagination have a place in everyone’s daily life. Click here to find out more!
