Emily Rhodes
writer
I believe in the power of books to bring people together and build communities.
I'm the founder of Bookbanks - a new charity that brings books to food banks, and Emily’s Walking Book Club – a 4,000-strong community that has been meeting for monthly walks on Hampstead Heath for over a decade.
I also write about books and the arts for various publications, including the Financial Times Weekend, the Spectator, and the Guardian, and regularly interview authors and host literary events.
Here are a few of my favourite pieces:
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The Joy of Rereading (Faber Journal, 9 January 2025)
A personal piece about the books I love to reread, and why...
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The Wit and Wonder of Alan Garner (The Spectator, 10 February 2024)
A fireside chat in the extraordinary home of this wonderful writer.
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At Home with Elif Shafak (FT Weekend House & Home, 22 May 2020)
Such a treat to interview Elif Shafak in her beautiful London home. The Turkish writer was warm, welcoming, very inspiring and had the most amazing sky-high bookshelves!
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Surfacing by Kathleen Jamie (The Spectator, 2 November 2019)
An amazing collection of essays, which prompted, I think, probably one of the best bits of critical writing I've done.
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Books on the Street – The Rise of Micro-libraries (FT Weekend Magazine, 3 August, 2018)
While we bemoan the tragic dwindling in our public libraries, informal book-swaps - "micro-libraries" - are on the rise. I look at how, where and why.
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Emily's Walking Book Club
I began Emily’s Walking Book Club in 2012, and it's still going strong. We meet monthly, in all weathers, to walk and talk books on Hampstead Heath, in Regent's Park and also on Zoom. Find out more and sign up to the monthly newsletter
Author Events and Broadcasting
I enjoy participating in live events - talking about books, interviewing authors and chairing panel discussions; I’m also confident in broadcast journalism. More on that here.
I hope you enjoy the site. Drop me a line and say hello!
