Bernardine Evaristo and Margaret Busby appointed Patrons of the Black British Book Festival

The Black British Book Festival (BBBF) has appointed Booker Prize-winning author Bernardine Evaristo and pioneering publisher, editor and writer Margaret Busby as Patrons.

The appointments mark an important milestone for BBBF as it expands beyond its flagship annual festival into a year-round organisation. Its work creates opportunities for Black writers, develops new generations of readers, improves access to Black-authored books and builds platforms for Black literature across the UK.

Evaristo made history in 2019 when Girl, Woman, Other made her the first Black woman to win the Booker Prize. An acclaimed author, poet and critic, she has played a leading role in raising the profile 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 and is one of the publishing pioneers we'll be spotlighting this month as part of our 'Breaking Barriers to Publishing Futures' campaign. In 1967, she co-founded Allison & Busby, becoming Britain's first Black woman publisher and, at the time, the country's youngest publisher.

Over more than five decades, she has championed writers from Africa and the African diaspora while advocating for greater representation throughout publishing and the wider literary world.

Founded in 2021, BBBF has grown into a major literary and cultural organisation working across festivals, schools, libraries, community programmes, writer development and publishing partnerships.

Its flagship Black British Book Festival has sold out every year since its launch and become Europe's largest celebration of Black literature, bringing together thousands of readers, writers, publishers and cultural audiences.

BBBF's wider work includes community libraries, initiatives for young readers and emerging writers, programmes delivered with schools and communities, and partnerships that increase the reach and visibility of Black-authored literature.

Reflecting on her appointment, Bernardine Evaristo shared:

"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."

A Landmark Moment for the Future

Selina Brown, Founder and CEO of the Black British Book Festival, described the appointments as a landmark moment in the organisation's evolution:

"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 at this stage of our 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 coincide with the sixth edition of BBBF's flagship festival, held at London's Barbican Centre on Sunday 4 October 2026.

BBBF 2026 brought together more than 80 authors and cultural figures for over 35 events spanning literature, publishing, poetry, music, science and culture.

photo credit: Roger Tagholm at Publishing Perspectives