Australian Reading Hour expands, rebrands as Australia Reads

The Australian Reading Hour campaign will expand this year to encompass 17 days of activities from 1–17 September, under the new name Australia Reads.

The campaign will be headlined by the Australian Reading Hour event on 17 September, when Australians are asked to pick up a book and read for an hour.

‘Australia Reads reflects the diverse range of activities to promote books, authors, reading and writing throughout September 2020,’ the organisers said. ‘For the Australia Reads rebrand we wanted to move towards something more flexible to appeal to kids and grown-ups alike.’

Beck Feiner has been named as the inaugural illustrator ambassador for the campaign. Feiner is joined by adult ambassador Dervla McTiernan, and children’s book ambassadors Anna Fienberg, Jacqueline Harvey, Peter Helliar and Will Kostakis.

The campaign is also ‘calling on the Australian book industry to promote the benefits of immersive reading for pleasure in these extraordinary times—to escape, develop empathy, to gain knowledge, and to keep the kids busy if the schools are closed’.

‘With thousands of Australians going into quarantine or self-isolation, Australia Reads could not be more relevant,’ the organisers said. Readers can participate remotely using the #AustraliaReadsatHome hashtag.

Australia Reads committee chair Louise Sherwin-Stark said, ‘Our aim is to get all Australians reading. And let’s get #AustraliaReadsatHome trending right now; we need to promote the benefits of reading to those stuck at home and great stories are the best way to escape from isolation.’

For more information, and to make a reading pledge, visit the website here.

Category: Local news