When phoning to renew her Positive News subscription, Jeanette Haigh mentioned how she puts her old copies to good use. She helps run a literacy class for adults where she lives in Derbyshire, and uses Positive News to encourage attendees to get to grips with the written word.

“These adults have, through no fault of their own, found themselves in circumstances in their childhoods which meant they didn’t learn to read or write,” says Haigh.

“All the students are a joy to teach. They’re lively, intelligent and have a wide range of skills. There are many reasons why some people cannot access education in early life.”

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Haigh, a retired primary school teacher and grandmother of four, lives in a former mining community in Bolsover. She runs the classes every week during term time, in a room at Bolsover Methodist Church. It is part of the Freedom Community Project, a charity set up in 2008 to support people in the area who are struggling with poverty. Students currently range in age from 16 to 86, and 10 volunteers help run the sessions. Each student is paired with a volunteer tutor, while Haigh plans the work and collects the resources from which students learn.
Difficulties can mean that sometimes a student may not be able to attend for up to six months. “But when they come back? That’s great,” says Haigh.

She said the group particularly liked an article in issue 88 of Positive News magazine, titled: What went right in 2016. “It’s great to be able to use relevant, interesting content that will spark their interest, and debate.

It reminds me that everyone can make a difference, no matter how little

“I first discovered Positive News when I visited my sister on the Isle of Arran four years ago. After reading the daily paper every day, it was just so heartwarming. It reminds me that everyone can make a difference, no matter how little. And I’ve learned that in this group too: sometimes, just a kind word or two can mean so much to somebody.

“Walking into the building here is like stepping into a warm bath. Everyone is totally accepted. People say that when we aren’t here, they miss the laughing coming from our room!”

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How do comics allow freedom of expression that other media forms perhaps do not?

We’ve always been a fairly niche industry, especially if we’re talking about the UK or US market. Being regarded as a bit underground, the comics world tends to attract more adventurous people to write and draw. Back in the 1960s actual underground comics, as they were termed, were the craziest, most adventurous, surreal, psychedelic, experimental comics you could possibly get. I think that has held over since. Being slightly regarded as a lower art form means we feel we can get away with a lot more.

Plus, comics generally only have a couple of people working on them: a writer and an artist. They are very much the vision of one or two people. The creative direction can be really strong and exciting because of that.

Michonne from The Walking Dead comic. Art by Charlie Adlard, colours by Cliff Rathburn

What is unique about comics’ ability to convey information in a powerful, accessible way?

Comics are essentially just another way of telling a story but are probably a lot less threatening to some people. I think this is perhaps more true for comics than novels or plays, particularly to those who might have difficulty reading. It comes from a personal place for me because my eldest son is fairly badly dyslexic. He’s 15 now and the only things he’s read willingly without us forcing him or recommending them are comic books.

There are plenty comics out there that I would argue are just as relevant and important in literature as any other great contemporary novel. On the beginnings of someone’s ‘reading journey’, comics are great doorways into other forms of storytelling.

Comics are great doorways into other forms of storytelling

Many of today’s comics pick up on current affairs in exciting ways, covering subjects such as migration and climate change. Is this new, or has it always been the case?

I don’t think it’s too different to how it was 20 or 40 years ago. There is a rebellious streak to comics, probably because of the lack of respect we’ve been given over the years! I think comics also attract the kinds of writer likely to be interested in issues such as social justice. Of course, there’s the more commercial side and the more introverted, interesting, political side that’s a really valid and important part of the industry. I’ve noticed new issues such as migration and refugees being covered but I think comics have always followed the political landscape. Perhaps people are sitting up and taking more notice of comics now. But it’s always been there.

Is there now more of an acceptance of comics as a legitimate art form?

My view of comics is that it’s an inclusive genre. It’s not just for kids or adults – it’s for everybody. Lots of people are keen to talk about improving children’s literacy with comics. That’s brilliant, let’s do that. But let’s not keep it exclusive to children’s literacy. Let’s not pigeonhole comics as being just for kids.

We need to get away from this mindset, particularly in the UK and the US. The thinking in Japan and in mainland Europe is very different. In France and Belgium, comics are regarded as the ‘ninth art’, along with painting and sculpture. They are very well regarded. We have a bit of an uphill struggle in the UK to convince our society that it’s a worthy cause. We might not, within a generation, convince the general public that comics are the ninth art, but we can convince the majority that there’s more out there than what they assume, The Dandy and Beano.

In France and Belgium, comics are regarded as the ‘ninth art’, along with painting and sculpture

What do you love about being a comics artist?

The fact I can get up what I do every morning and enjoy what I do – all day! I’ve been drawing comics since I was six or seven. I just picked up on it and never gave it up and comics were also how I did the majority of my reading. In education back then, it was considered incredibly important to read the ‘classics’. But now the thinking is that it’s just important to get kids reading, as simple as that: books, magazines, comics, anything. As long as they’re reading words. It’s a different generation, when I was a kid, no one computers, devices, mobile phones. Now the world’s changed so much. It’s great to put comics back in the mix today and saying, ‘hey – it doesn’t matter. Look – they’re reading something.’

What sorts of characters or archetypes are emerging now? There is a Native American superhero for example, and a Muslim female superhero. Is that exciting?

Even in mainstream comics, there has been always a theme of getting away from the obvious hero. Think about when Stan Lee created Spider-Man in 1962 for example. Even though Peter Parker [the high school teen behind Spider-Man’s true identity] was a white, lower-middle-class kid, he was kind of a loser, a science geek: not your obvious Hollywood hunk by any stretch of the imagination.

Marvel created Luke Cage back in the 70s, partly off the back of the ‘blacksploitation’ movies of the early part of that decade. This was an interesting popular medium creating a black character. I’ve noticed there are nearly as many female protagonists as there are male characters in comic books but that doesn’t translate into films which probably feature male protagonists 70 per cent of the time. Within the more independent comics, there’s much more experimentation. It’s certainly exciting times and it’s great to see the variety of heroes that are out there.

In The Walking Dead, Andrea (left) and Michonne (centre) are two of the main zombie-fighting heroines. Art by Charlie Adlard, colours by Cliff Rathburn

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Literacy helps us access many forms of mainstream education and is a form of creative escapism too. “Once you learn to read, you will be forever free,” US anti-slavery campaigner Frederick Douglass is quoted to have said.

But, statistics from the Progress in International Reading Literacy Study suggest that the proportion of English children with a positive attitude towards reading is significantly lower than in other countries, including Georgia, Romania and Azerbaijan. What is more, an estimated 36 per cent of adults in England do not read for pleasure and in people aged 16-24, this is even higher, 44 per cent.

With reading also linked to improved mental health and resilience against depression, these facts have not gone unnoticed. This week’s #LovetoRead weekend is part of a campaign by the BBC to put reading at the centre of their programming this autumn. Charities, libraries and publishers are also getting involved, including London-based charity The Reading Agency. The organisation helps readers of all ages improve their literacy skills, and will hold an event at the British Museum in London with BBC Radio 1 presenter Gemma Cairney this evening to encourage and celebrating the joy of reading. “I love words and their power,” says Cairney. “I love connecting people through books.”

Young readers at The Reading Agency’s Summer Challenge – Deptford Library, London. Image: Dave Warren

“We asked Gemma to take part in this year’s event for many reasons,” explains Sue Wilkinson, CEO of The Reading Agency. “She is a wonderful advocate for the power and importance of reading and we are very keen to hear her thoughts on how we might encourage more young people to read more – with all the life benefits we know that can bring. Gemma has also been active in an area which is very important to us: mental health.”

This is the fifth in a series of annual events organised by The Reading Agency that invite leading writers and public figures to share original ideas about the future of reading in the UK. Gemma Cairney follows in the footsteps of authors Jeanette Winterson and Neil Gaiman, comedian and TV personality Russell Brand, and politician and former director of civil rights campaign group Liberty, Shami Chakrabarti.

Reading takes you out of yourself and introduces you to new people, new communities and new worlds

Cairney’s new book, Open: A Toolkit for How Magic and Messed Up Life Can Be, will be released in March and aims to offer honest life advice for young people.

“We’re really interested to hear Gemma’s views on how reading can support mental health and wellbeing,” says Wilkinson. “It builds on her work on Radio 1’s [weekly advice show] The Surgery and will give people a sneak preview of what will be in her book.”

The Reading Agency runs schemes hand in hand with libraries including the Reading Well program for 13-18 year olds. Designed to help young people understand and manage common mental health issues, it gathers a list of recommended books which are then made available in local libraries. The libraries involved report the titles have been loaned out 263 per cent more frequently since the scheme was launched in April. Wilkinson suggests this demonstrates a clear need among young people for support and advice on this subject.

“We believe that everything changes when we read,” she says. “Reading takes you out of yourself and introduces you to new people, new communities and new worlds. It’s proven to be a more powerful factor in life achievement than a reader’s socioeconomic background and it is associated with higher levels of empathy and improved relationships with others. These benefits are increased if you enjoy reading, so it’s not about what you read: the important thing is that you read in a way that feels right for you, and that you enjoy it.”

This evening’s event will discuss the role reading has played in Cairney’s life, the barriers faced by those who struggle to read, and explore young people’s experiences of mental health challenges.

The event takes place at 7pm, Friday 4 November in the Conference Centre, the British Library. Contact The Reading Agency here to reserve a free place.

Find out more about Gemma Cairney’s book, Open: A Toolkit for How Magic and Messed Up Life Can Be here.

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A year-long study by world heritage organisation UNESCO found that adults and children in the developing world are increasingly reading multiple books and stories on their phones. In the past, access to reading materials meant buying books, which were often expensive and in scarce supply. However, a rise in low-cost mobile phones means that people all over the world can now access text.

“Mobile technology delivers education to those who have previously had little or no access to such resources. In areas where books cannot be distributed or where there has been political instability, mobile-learning is a way of overcoming these obstacles,” said Jordan Kay, of the World Literacy Foundation.

According to UNESCO, in Zimbabwe the cost of reading a book on a mobile is about 35p while a paperback bestseller would cost around $12 (£7).

The study, which was the largest ever conducted on mobile reading in the developing world, was conducted in partnership with Worldreader, a non-profit organisation that seeks to eradicate illiteracy in low-income countries. Data was collected from devices that use its Worldreader Mobile app, which allows people to access reading material on their mobiles.

Nearly 5,000 mobile users were surveyed in seven countries (Ethiopia, Ghana, India, Kenya, Nigeria, Pakistan and Zimbabwe). The average illiteracy rate among these nations is 20% for children and 34% for adults. Average adult illiteracy in the UK is less than 1%.

Results showed that 62% of respondents read more now that they can access materials on mobiles. One in three said they read to their children from their mobiles and 90% said they would be spending more time reading on their phones over the coming year.

UN data says more than six billion people now have access to a working mobile phone.

“As we see further technological development and an increased reduction in the price of data and smartphones, there will be greater access to this type of technology in the developing world,” said Kay.

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A raft of literary initiatives have been set up to counteract figures from the National Literacy Trust that suggest reading is going out of fashion and that illiteracy remains a prevalent problem within the UK.

According to the Trust, more than 5.2 million adults in England are categorised as functionally illiterate, meaning that they have literacy levels lower than those expected of an 11-year-old. Furthermore, the trust found that 17% of children say they would be highly embarrassed if their friends saw them with a book; more than half of the children questioned prefer watching TV than reading; and one in three children do not own any books at all.

Meanwhile the latest statistics from independent media verifier ABC, show that sales of printed books fell 12% at the start of 2012, and that magazine sales are dwindling too.

Research by the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) in 2002 found a direct link between reading for pleasure and educational success, revealing that it is more of a factor in children’s attainment than their family’s socio-economic status. Indeed, in 2003 the Department for Culture, Media and Sport stated: “People cannot be active or informed citizens unless they can read. Reading is a prerequisite for almost all cultural and social activities.”

With this in mind, a vocal community of book-lovers is refusing to let reading die. Passionate about encouraging people to absorb themselves and explore their feelings through a good book, community-led initiatives are springing up across the country, all aiming to get more people excited about reading.

For starters, how about a free book? An initiative of Healthy Planet, a charity focused on sustainability, Books for Free exists to put books that would otherwise end up in landfill or be pulped, into the hands of would-be readers, for no cost at all.

“We have over 30 centres throughout the UK, run by over 180 volunteers,” says founder Shaylesh Patel, adding that the charity has rescued over two million books in the two years it’s been up-and-running. “We’re able to do this through the support of high street locations and landlords giving us their space rent-free, as well as giving us a donation.”

Offerings range from adult and children’s literature through to blockbusters, picture books, cookery books, biographies and non-fiction, and all are hungrily devoured by visitors. “Turnover is rapid,” says Patel. “People who use the shops often return to recycle them or make donations, and we also get books from second-hand dealers. We’ve also found that many centres are evolving to become community hubs. A Books for Free shop in Upminster has even become the site of a knitting club for seniors.”

Meanwhile, villages across the UK whose library services are diminished or suspended have, with the aid of BT’s Adopt a Kiosk scheme, taken to turning old, unused red telephone boxes into much-loved community book exchanges. In the Derbyshire village of Little Eaton, for example, a public payphone purchased by the parish council for the princely sum of £1 was transformed into a mini-library and is kept stocked through local donations.

Readers without a book exchange or library in their local area aren’t missing out either. ReadItSwapIt.co.uk has over 350,000 books available for readers to swap with other members for free – only modest postage charges apply.

Those looking to escape with a book among the hustle and bustle of London are also spoilt for choice with exciting literary projects. A good start for readers wanting to dip their toes into the literary pond is The Underground Book Club magazine, which features the first three chapters of three books, giving commuters the chance to sample the latest releases.

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