Booklove Multicultural Travelling Book Carnival arrives in Beckenham!

Looking for something to do this half term?  Then check out the  Booklove Multicultural Travelling Book Carnival taking place between Wednesday 26th October to Sunday 31st October at Beckenham Place Park, BR3. There is a pop up book shop and story reading on Friday, 29th October between 11.30 and 12.30 in the Cafe.

Run by the brilliant independent collective ‘This is Book Love’, the aim of the Carnival is to educate and celebrate multiculturalism and inclusion by showcasing the best diverse books sourced from around the world. 

To find out more check out their website by clicking here.

Diverse Book Awards 2021 - winners announced!

Congratulations to the winners and runners up of this year’s Diverse Book Awards.

All of these brilliant books are available to borrow from the EPHS Libraries.

To watch the awards ceremony, which took place last Thursday, click here.

British Library Black Literature Timeline

The British Library has created a literary timeline exploring ‘the history of Black Literature and writing in Britain through around 50 texts’ and includes ‘works by writers living and working in Britain, as well as titles first published here and authored by people who were born in former British colonies in Africa, the Caribbean and Americas’.

We have books by many of the fantastic authors and poets featured on this timeline, including Alex Wheatle, Malorie Blackman, David Olusoga , Caleb Femi and Bernadine Evaristo, which are available to borrow from the EPHS Libraries.  

Why not pick one to read and feel inspired by?

Young Minds #HelloYellow

World Mental Health Day. took place last weekend.  As part of the celebrations, Young Minds, the mental health charity for children and young people, ran a #HelloYellow campaign to raise awareness and support for young people's mental health.

Alongside the Black History Month bake sale, organised by Mr Shuttleworth and Ms Krause, Mrs McLean, organised for EPHS staff to wear an item of yellow clothing and donate to the Young Minds charity to show our support for our students' mental health and wellbeing.

Reading is a great way of supporting your mental wellbeing.  As well as a wealth of fiction, the Library has a great collection of books providing advice and guidance to help support you mental wellbeing for you to browse and borrow.

National Poetry Day 2021

Celebrated every year, National Poetry Day is an opportunity to enjoy, share and discover poems.  This year's theme is 'choice'.  Why not check out some of the choice poems by renowned poets on the National Poetry Day website by clicking here!  

As part of the celebrations, some of our brilliant Year 10 and 11 students have been performing poetry that they have written with the help of our fabulous First Story Author in Residence, Rachel Seiffert.

We have a great selection of verse novels and poetry anthologies for you to browse and borrow.  Including 'Run, Rebel' by Manjeet Mann and 'SLAM! You’re Gonna Wanna Hear This' chosen by Nikita Gill, shortlisted for the CLiPPAs (CLPE Poetry Awards) 2021.

Black History Month 2021

Today is the start of Black History Month.  We have put together a reading list on Oliver for you to browse and borrow books relating to Black History or by black authors.

As part of the EPHS celebrations, we have launched a Black History Month Convince the Critics competition.  

We are asking you to write at least one compelling paragraph, no maximum length, convincing the critics to read the Black History Month book or book by a black author that you have chosen to recommend.  

The closing date is 15th October and entries should be handed to your Librarians.  Don't forget to include your name and form and the author and title of the book.  

There are two great prizes to win for the successful entrant!  A signed copy of Adisa’s brilliant poetry book, ‘Lip Hopping with the Fundi-Fu’ for Years 7 & 8 and a signed copy of Endgame by Malorie Blackman, the last book in the iconic Noughts & Crosses series for Years 9, 10 & 11.

Banned Books Week 2021

This week has been Banned Books week, a campaign that celebrates the freedom to read. A banned book is any that have been censored, banned or where its removal or restriction has been called for from libraries, schools, bookshops or public circulation. A book might be challenged by individuals, private pressure groups or governments who disagree with its content or message and therefore wish to censor or silence the author’s voice.

To celebrate, we created a wall display and wrapped a selection of the banned books in paper, with a label explaining why they have been banned. 

The wrapped books were displayed, ready to be unwrapped and borrowed!  Our selection of books included Twilight, The Wizard of Oz, The Hunger Games and The Hate U Give.

We have had a great response from our students, who were curious about the campaign and are keen to read the books!