Birmingham Author Selina Brown Named UK's First National Reading Hero

More than 100,000 people have attended events organised by Selina Brown since she founded the Black British Book Festival in Birmingham in 2021. On 25th March, that reach earned the author and literary events producer a new title: the UK's first National Reading Hero, recognised by Queen Camilla at Clarence House with the inaugural Queen's Reading Room Medal.

Brown, of Jamaican heritage, was cited for her "extraordinary impact transforming lives" through Black British literature. The festival she leads as CEO has grown into Europe's largest celebration of Black literature, expanding across London, Manchester and Birmingham. Alongside it, her "Reading for Smiles" programme places inclusive books into primary schools in areas with low literacy rates, where access to diverse stories has historically been limited.

Brown's own path makes the work personal. Raised by a British mother and Jamaican grandmother, she became Youth MP for Nottingham at 16. By 21, she held two degrees and a Masters. She subsequently lived and worked in New York, Jamaica, Kenya and Gambia before settling in Birmingham, where she has shaped the city's creative landscape for over two decades. Her children's books extend that commitment: the Nena picture book series, written during the Covid-19 pandemic, and My Rice Is Best, published in May 2025, put inclusive storytelling into the earliest years of reading.

In an emotional reaction posted on X after receiving the medal, Brown said she had "received something I will carry for the rest of my life" and dedicated the honour to Black British authors. She also reflected on her own formation as a reader: "Books changed my life long before I ever thought about changing anything else. As a young Black girl growing up in Britain, I found possibility in stories before I saw it anywhere else."

The ceremony at Clarence House was attended by King Charles, actors Sigourney Weaver and Stanley Tucci, and authors Sir Ben Okri and Jojo Moyes. A second medal, the Local Reading Hero Medal, went to Liz Waterland, whose decade of volunteer work helped save Deepings Community Library in Lincolnshire from closure and turn it into a community learning hub. Queen Camilla described Waterland's contribution as "Fantastic."

Queen Camilla also announced a BBC documentary on the transformative power of books, directed by Toby Trackman and produced by Blink Films with The Open University. Timed to mark the National Year of Reading 2026, the film will feature the Queen discussing her own reading life and will include stories from people who have used books to overcome depression or find solace in prison.

The Queen's Reading Room was founded by Camilla in January 2021 as a Covid-19 lockdown Instagram book club, became a registered charity in 2023, and now has over 15,500 followers. Nominations for the 2027 medal open on 1st June 2026.

The harder question is whether royal recognition and a BBC platform translate into sustained resources for the schools where Brown's programme operates. The Black British Book Festival reached 100,000 people without waiting for institutional backing; but closing literacy gaps in under-resourced primary schools requires more than ceremonial attention. It requires books, trained staff, and consistent funding. Brown's work has built the model; what comes next will determine whether the National Reading Hero title marks a turning point or merely a moment.