Episode 92 —Turning Pages: An Insider’s Look Into Derby Book Festival with Sian Hoyle

In this episode, Pete and Laura head over to The Writers’ Room to chat with Sian Hoyle—Derby Book Festival.

We are back in the writers’ room and we have a guest in our hot seat this week! Sian Hoyle from Derby Book Festival.

For over 30 years, Sian worked in Marketing and Communications in London, before relocating to Derby to be closer to family. In 2012, she took voluntary redundancy from Derby City Council and worked as a freelancer until 2015, when she co-founded the Derby Book Festival with her friend Jenny Denton.

Despite having no prior experience in publishing, the pair were keen readers and believed they knew the sort of events that would appeal to the people of Derby. Derby Book Festival was born! They ran the event as volunteers for the first year, then with some Arts Council funding and local business sponsorship, they took on paid roles. In 2020, during the pandemic, Sian took over as Director and has since organised two festivals each year since 2021, along with an ever-expanding community program. Turning the Derby Book Festival into an important community experience for the people of Derby.

Pete and Laura ask Sian:

• Tell us more about yourself and your work with the Derby Book Festival. When did you first fall in love with books?
• We know how important reading is, but let’s talk about this some more. Part of the festival’s aim is to celebrate the joy that books and reading bring to our lives. So for you, Sian, why is reading so important?
• Two questions here really: First, how do you decide what a ‘good book’ is? And how do you decide which authors to bring to the festival?
• What practical advice could you offer to our listeners to help them get the most out of attending the book festival?

For more information on Derby Book Festival, check out:

Website: https://www.derbybookfestival.co.uk/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/DerbyBookFestival/

Twitter: https://twitter.com/derbybookfest

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/derby_book_festival/

Sian mentions the following books:

Trespasses: A Novel by Louise Kennedy

We Need to Talk About Kevin by Lionel Shriver

To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee

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Thanks for listening!