This September, Hackney Libraries are celebrating residents of Hackney and London through the ages, with a spotlight on some of our favourite poetry and plays.

We are proud to present the very first Great Hackney Libraries Quest! Here are some of our favourite carnival-themed books to inspire reading for all ages...

From 18 July to 18 August, Hackney Libraries are celebrating South Asian Heritage Month. This year’s theme, ‘Free to Be Me’, encourages us to share similarities and honour our differences, and highlights diverse voices while acknowledging that not everyone feels free to be themselves.

A reading list curated by Hackney Libraries

@hackneylibraries in collaboration with Project Indigo and the Proud Hackney network.

To honour the first Trans+ History week in 2024, Hackney Libraries are celebrating trans+ authors across the borough and beyond.

We are celebrating Trans+ histories both real and fictional, figures who made it and those who are making it right now!

To celebrate Spring 2024, we have put together some of our favourite contemporary folk tales – from modern retellings of classics, to recent flights of magical realist fantasy!

London’s longest-running literary festival features Jewish themes and writers and is open to everyone. Here is our list inspired by the festival’s writers and heritage!

March is women’s history month, but here at Hackney Libraries we are thinking about visions of the future dreamt up by women over the years.

This February, we are celebrating love in all its forms!
Foregrounding familial love, queer love, platonic love and more, our choices span graphic novels, poetry collections, memoir, essays and – of course – the classic romcom!

Holocaust Memorial Day (HMD) takes place every year on 27 January. It is a day for everyone to remember the millions of people murdered in the Holocaust under Nazi Persecution. Hackney Libraries have put together this list to honour those who lost their lives and to tell the stories of those who survived.

This December, Hackney Libraries are focusing on the power of kindness and compassion across every aspect of our service.

Islamophobia Awareness Month aims to showcase the positive contributions of Muslims as well as raise awareness of Islamophobia in society. Here is a selection designed to educate and inspire.

Here are Hackney Libraries’ top ten Booker winners – the crème de la crème of Booker Prize history!

We celebrate Black History Season with some of our favourite contemporary authors – Saluting Our Sisters

Click through to see the Hackney Libraries’ 2023 anti-racist reading list