What a year 2022 was for independent bookshops in Birmingham!

Summer 2022 saw Birmingham play host to the Commonwealth Games and, suddenly, all eyes were on our quirky and endlessly fascinating Second City.

Then three new indie bookshops opened in Autumn 2022 and suddenly the collective of indie bookshops doubled in size almost overnight! There is a real buzz in the air around independent bookshops in Birmingham and it’s been a joy to witness.

Independent Bookshop Week is a national celebration of all that is wonderful about independent bookshops. The warm welcome you will find, and their deeprooted connection to their local communities. Each independent has its own independent character. Independent bookshops are often both a place to escape to for a moment of calm, and simultaneously the place where you can find the most interesting events and stimulating conversation. Logically it shouldn’t be possible for one place to be able to do all of this, but then independent bookshops are rather special.

So, for Independent Bookshop Week 2023, five independent bookshops in Birmingham have come together to showcase what we do by curating a fantastic and varied programme of 18 events for both adults and families. We’ve been mindful of cost and some events are free to attend. The topics covered is as wide-ranging and varied as the independent bookshops hosting these events. As you flick through the pages of this programme, we hope you will discover new books, new authors, new places and, above all else, new communities where you can belong.

We all look forward to warmly welcoming you to our bookshops and our brilliant events. Together with you, we will celebrate the power of books and independent bookshops as a force for good here in Birmingham.

With our very best wishes, Birmingham independent bookshops

As our thank you for your support we will all be giving out High 5 vouchers during Independent Bookshop Week. You can redeem these for a £5 National Book Token to spend back in an independent bookshop.

THANK YOU!

Independent Bookshop Week Birmingham wouldn’t be possible without the support of a wide variety of people. We’d like to say a huge thank you to all the authors, publishers, speakers, Booksellers Association and venue partners involved in our programme. Most of all THANK YOU for all your support of independent bookshops!