#ReadWithEurope: The Day of European Authors, to be celebrated on 27 of March 2023 for the very first time, is a new initiative led by the European Commissioner Mariya Gabriel and co-organised by the EWC and EUPL, to reconnect younger generations with book reading and to help them discover the diversity of European literature. Authors – writers, translators, visual artists – and schools will connect on this special day. The European Writers’ Council (EWC) is co-organising, together with the Consortium FEP and EIBF of the European Union Prize for Literature (EUPL), the member organisations of the EWC, and the Commission, a reading tour of altogether nearly 100 writers and translators in all EU27 countries, and takes part at the Conference in Sofia / Bulgaria.

Brussels, 19 March 2023

Activities organised during the Day of European Authors

The first edition of the Day of European Authors is taking place on 27 March 2023.

There are 3 parallel activities organised during the Day:

Reading sessions in schools

Secondary schools across the EU are invited through the eTwinning community and other channels to organize reading aloud sessions with European authors. Read more in the website of the European Commission.

27 of March Tour by European authors

The Commission organises a tour of European authors together with the EWC, and the EUPL Consortium. The nearly 100 writers and translators will visit schools, libraries and bookstores, read a piece of their works, and encourage students to discover European authors. Check Twitter, Instagram and Facebook with the hashtag: #ReadWithEurope

Check out the EWC authors on Tour: Go!

27 of March: A conference on reading promotion in Sofia / Bulgaria

In the frame of the first edition of the Day of European Authors, the Commission is organising on 27 March 2023 a one-day conference in Sofia on reading promotion, gathering Member States’ representatives of the ministries of Culture or Education, relevant public institutions and national NGOs active in this field as well as organisations representing the book and cultural sectors at European level.

The conference will be an opportunity to share examples and practices on how the education system and the book sector are collaborating to implement reading promotion actions in schools at local, national and European level.

The EWC will be moderating the workshop “Back to School” together with CEATL.

DRAFT PROGRAM of the Conference

• Opening of the conference by EU Commissioner Mariya Gabriel and Bulgarian author Georgi Bardarov.

First panel – Promoting reading at national level
How reading promotion strategies at national level are designed and successfully implemented. The panel discussion includes case studies from different countries.

• Nicolas George ‐ Director for book and reading, Ministry of Culture, France
• Elaina Ryan ‐ CEO Children’s Books, Ireland
• Joachim Kaufman ‐ managing Director of Carlsen Verlag – To be confirmed
• Maria Deskur ‐ President, Universal Reading Foundation, Poland
• Moderator: Ton Van Vlimmeren ‐ president, EBLIDA – European Bureau of Library, Information and Documentation Associations

 

Second panel – Going across borders in reading promotion
How European cooperation can help to spread good practices and open minds.

• Katja Kac ‐ Project manager of the Creative Europe project Our Little Library and head of foreign rights departments, KUD Sodobnost International, Slovenia
• João Paulo Proença ‐ adviser and trainer for the National School Libraries Programme Ministry of Education and partner of the Creative Europe project READ ON, Portugal
• Carmen-Mirela Butaciu ‐ co-founder of the Erasmus project Champion of the world and teacher at Liceul Atanaie Marinescu, Lipova , Romania
• Moderator: Daan Beeke ‐ Lezen Stichting, and EURead member

 

Third panel – Focus on Bulgaria
Panel discussion on the diversity of initiatives from Bulgaria such as Erasmus project(s) and initiatives organised by the members of the panel:

• Dessi Alexieva ‐ president of the Bulgarian Book Association
• Spaska Tarandova ‐ Global Libraries Bulgaria Foundation
• Valentina Stoeva ‐ Founder and chairperson of the Detski Knigi Foundation
• Moderator: Representative of the Bulgarian Erasmus national agency

 

Parallel working group sessions

Back to school
How to involve authors, translators and book professionals in reading promotion activities organised by or for schools? Which format to choose/use? (Reading aloud, reading in silence, competitions, prizes, debate and meeting) How to select and remunerate participants?

• Nina George ‐ European Writers’ Council (EWC)
• Shaun Whiteside ‐ CEATL – Conseil européen des associations de traducteurs

What about screens?

How to use digital technologies (social networks, new book formats, streaming platforms of audio books, gamification) to make the action more impactful and durable?

• Ulla Lehtinen ‐ Book Influencer, Content Creator & Book Enthusiast

Literature is for everybody

How to make sure that reading promotion actions are fully inclusive and reach out to all children? Are children’s book representative enough of children diversity? Which books to select? How to use role models outside the book sector?

• Yannick Geens ‐ grants Manager Drama & Fiction and Coordinator of Creative Europe project Every Story Matters
• Karin Plötz, Director ‐ Lit Cam – to be confirmed

 

Presentation of results

• Closing remarks by representative of the Ministry of Culture and Sport, Spain.