BERNARDINE EVARISTO AND MARGARET BUSBY APPOINTED PATRONS OF THE BLACK BRITISH BOOK FESTIVAL
Two pioneering figures in British literature and publishing join the organisation championing Black writers, readers and stories year-round
London, 24 September 2026 — The Black British Book Festival (BBBF) has announced that Booker Prize-winning author Bernardine Evaristo and pioneering publisher, editor and writer Margaret Busby have been appointed Patrons of BBBF.
Their appointment marks a significant moment for BBBF as it continues to grow beyond its flagship annual festival into a year-round organisation creating opportunities for Black writers, developing readers, increasing access to Black-authored books and building new platforms for Black literature across the UK.
Bernardine Evaristo became the first Black woman to win the Booker Prize when Girl, Woman, Other won the award in 2019. An acclaimed author, poet and critic, she has played a major role in expanding the visibility of Black British writing in the UK and internationally. She served as President of the Royal Society of Literature from 2022 to 2025 and is Professor of Creative Writing at Brunel University London.
Margaret Busby is one of Britain’s most influential publishing pioneers. In 1967, she co-founded Allison & Busby, becoming Britain’s first Black female publisher and, at the time, the country’s youngest publisher. Across more than five decades, she has championed writers from Africa and the African diaspora and advocated for greater representation across publishing and the literary world.
Founded in 2021, BBBF has developed into a growing literary and cultural organisation working across festivals, schools, libraries, community programmes, writer development and partnerships with the publishing industry.
Its flagship event, the Black British Book Festival, has sold out every year since its launch and has become Europe’s largest celebration of Black literature, bringing thousands of readers, writers, publishers and cultural audiences together.
The organisation’s wider work includes community libraries, programmes supporting young readers and emerging writers, work with schools and communities, and partnerships designed to increase the reach and visibility of Black-authored literature.
Reflecting on her appointment as Patron, Bernardine Evaristo commented:
“It is a great honour to become a Patron of the Black British Book Festival. BBBF has created a vital space for Black writers and readers to come together, celebrate our stories and recognise the extraordinary breadth of Black British literature.
“At a time when we are thinking deeply about our literary past, present and future, it is especially important to support organisations that are not only celebrating what has been achieved, but creating opportunities for the generations still to come.
“I am delighted to be joining BBBF alongside the extraordinary Margaret Busby, a true pioneer of Black publishing in Britain.”
Margaret Busby added:
“I am delighted to become a Patron of the Black British Book Festival and to support its important work in championing Black writers, books and readers.
“The literary landscape has changed enormously over the decades, but creating meaningful opportunities, widening access and ensuring that a diversity of voices can be published, read and valued remains essential. BBBF is contributing to that work in exciting and ambitious ways, both through its annual festival and its year-round programmes.
“It is a pleasure to join Bernardine Evaristo as a Patron and to support BBBF as it continues to develop and grow.”
For Selina Brown, Founder and CEO of the Black British Book Festival, the appointments represent a major milestone in the organisation’s development:
“This is a landmark moment for BBBF. Bernardine Evaristo and Margaret Busby have both changed British literature in different but extraordinary ways. They opened doors, challenged the industry and created possibilities for generations of Black writers, publishers and readers.
“When I founded BBBF, the ambition was never simply to create an annual festival. It was to build an organisation and an ecosystem around Black literature — one that creates opportunities for writers, gets books into the hands of readers, works with children and communities, builds meaningful industry partnerships and gives Black literature the scale, visibility and investment it deserves.
“To have Bernardine and Margaret standing alongside us as Patrons six years into that journey is incredibly significant. It speaks to how far BBBF has come, but more importantly, to how much further we intend to go.”
The appointments come as BBBF prepares for the sixth edition of its flagship festival at the Barbican Centre in London on Sunday 4 October 2026.
BBBF 2026 will bring together more than 80 authors and cultural figures across more than 35 events, spanning literature, publishing, poetry, music, science and culture.