ReadFest 2026: Tea & Talk with Industry Experts
Insight and guidance for writers with expert advice on publishing, branding, magazines, finance and cover design.
Drop into our friendly tea and talk session with industry experts offering insight, guidance and real world knowledge for writers and creatives.
Hear from Deborah Maclaren of Love Reading, the UK biggest book recommendation brand with a social purpose, Alysoun Owen (Editor of Writers’ & Artists’ Yearbook) on how to get published.
There’s more! Isabelle Knight will guide you on building your author brand, Madeleine White on what makes a magazine, Palak Tewary on money and finance for creatives and Stuart Lee on book cover design.
Come along and get the anwser to that burning question you’ve always wanted to ask. No question is a silly on!
If you have any accessibility requirements, please directly get in touch with us at pentoprint@lbbd.gov.uk
Booking is essential and you will be asked to present your booking confirmation upon arrival.
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 shall not be liable to attendees for any injury, loss or damage of or to personal equipment belonging to the attendees or any indirect or consequential loss or damage whatsoever arising out of the attendance of the event
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!
