48 Names. One Staircase. A Literary Legacy Made in Hackney

48 NAMES. ONE STAIRCASE. A LITERARY LEGACY MADE IN HACKNEY.
Children’s Black Book Fair UK transforms Dalston CLR James Library into a celebration of Hackney’s writers, poets, publishers and songwriters

London, Monday 17th August, 2026 – On Saturday 22nd August 2026, the Children’s Black Book Fair UK (CBBF UK) returns to Dalston CLR James Library in Hackney for its third year – free to attend and open to all. Now the UK’s largest annual celebration of Black children’s authors, storytellers and young literary talent, the fair is expected to welcome more than 1,500 families, educators and community figures for an afternoon of storytelling, workshops, performances and creativity. It arrives at a moment of urgent cultural significance: new data from Inclusive Books for Children reveals that just 1.9% of children’s books published in the UK feature a Black main character – a figure that has fallen by 21.5% since 2023. With 2026 named the National Year of Reading the CBBF’s theme could not be more timely: Representation Matters: We Belong In Every Story. See Us. Hear Us. Read Us.

This year, the fair has joined forces with Hackney Libraries – headline sponsor of the CBBF UK – to mark the occasion with a special installation: The Hackney Writers Legacy Steps. The main staircase at Dalston CLR James Library will be transformed into a walk through Hackney’s literary and cultural history, with the names of 48 remarkable wordsmiths displayed across its risers – authors, publishers, poets, journalists, playwrights, screenwriters, scriptwriters and songwriters who are Made in Hackney: born, raised, living or working in the borough, or with a significant connection to it.

But what makes this installation remarkable is not just who is on the staircase – it’s who came up with the idea. The Hackney Writers Legacy Steps was conceived, designed and delivered entirely by children. The CBBF UK Youth Focus Group, a collective of young people who meet monthly to shape the vision of the fair, proposed the idea, shortlisted 100 extraordinary creatives and chaired the panel that made the final selection of 48 names. What was planned as a one-weekend installation has since sparked serious discussions with Hackney Libraries about making it a permanent fixture – a legacy, in every sense, created by children for children.

Romeo Bremmer BCyA, 18, co-founder of the CBBF UK and leader of the Youth Focus Group, says:

We wanted to leave something behind that would last longer than one day. When you walk up those stairs and see the names of writers, poets and songwriters who came from the same streets as you, it tells you that your story matters too. We chose every name with care, because we wanted children like us to look up and think – if they could do it, so can I. The fact that Hackney Libraries are now considering making this permanent means everything. These steps were always meant to inspire the next generation, and now they might.

Lauryn-Rose Teixeira, 13, Chair of the CBBF Youth Panel, says:

We had so many names we wanted to include and it was really hard going through the 100 and even harder narrowing them down to just 48. But it showed us how many incredible writers and storytellers have come from Hackney, and how many more stories are still waiting to be told. I hope when children walk up those stairs they feel what I felt when we were putting the list together, that writing is for us, that Hackney is full of people who have used their voice and made a difference, and that we can do the same.

THE FIRST 10 NAMES REVEALED
Ahead of the official unveiling, CBBF UK is giving a first glimpse of some of the extraordinary names visitors will discover on the Hackney Writers Legacy Steps. They include:

• Dame Malorie Blackman DBE FRSL: the children were adamant that she was the first step because her books had such a large influence on them.
• Margaret Busby CBE: pioneering publisher, writer and editor and one of the most important figures in modern Black British publishing.
• Sir Patrick Vernon: author, former Hackney Councilor, campaigner and cultural historian whose work has helped bring Black British history and the Windrush story to wider audiences.
• Michaela Coel: award-winning Hackney-born screenwriter, playwright, actor and creator whose work has received international acclaim.
• Andi Oliver: broadcaster, writer and cultural storyteller with deep roots in Hackney.
• Leee John: Hackney-born singer, songwriter and frontman of Imagination, whose music has travelled around the world.
• Eddie Nestor MBE: broadcaster, writer and actor who was born and educated in Hackney.
• Dr Ronx Ikharia: Hackney-based doctor, author, television presenter and valued supporter of the CBBF UK, who will also host the National Year of Reading Storytelling Marathon at this year’s Fair.
• Romeo Bremmer BCyA: an award-winning young author born and educated in Hackney who represents the next generation of Hackney storytellers. Now 18, Romeo has written nine books and is co-founder of the Children’s Black Book Fair UK and has received an offer to study at Cambridge University in September 2026.
• Linton Kwesi Johnson: internationally celebrated poet and pioneer of dub poetry whose connection with Hackney includes performing and organising in the borough during the 1980s. In 1982, Johnson performed at Chats Palace in Homerton in support of the Newton Rose campaign, bringing together poetry, culture and community activism. He takes his place as number 48 on the staircase – and will open this year’s Children’s Black Book Fair UK.

The other 38 names remain under wraps until the Legacy Steps are unveiled at the Children’s Black Book Fair on 22nd August 2026.

Of course, Hackney’s literary story could never fit onto a single staircase and CBBF UK proudly recognises a wider family of writers and creatives with important connections to the borough.

Juliet Coley, co-founder of The Children’s Black Book Fair UK, explains:

If there had been more steps, we would have loved to have included the other amazing shortlisted candidates who included Talawa playwright Malakaï, along with Bernardine Evaristo, whose work includes fiction set in Hackney; novelist Dreda Say Mitchell MBE, whose writing has drawn on the borough; along with BAFTA-winning poet and writer Dean Atta; and activist, artist and writer Jacob V Joyce. They may not have a name on these stairs, but we consider them part of our Hackney family and part of the story these steps celebrate.

PAST, PRESENT, FUTURE.
The Hackney Writers Legacy Steps are about much more than celebrating famous names. They connect past, present and future generations of storytellers, giving children and families the opportunity to discover some of the people who have helped shape literature, publishing, journalism, music and culture in Hackney and far beyond.

For the young authors attending the Children’s Black Book Fair UK, the installation also carries a simple message: Great writers have come from Hackney, great writers are in Hackney, and the next great Hackney writer could be you.

Visitors will be encouraged to walk the staircase, find the names they recognise, discover those they don’t and, of course, take a picture on the CBBF UK Hackney Writers Legacy Steps. Who knows? One of the young writers climbing these stairs at this year’s Fair may one day see their own name celebrated there.

The temporary installation forms part of the Children’s Black Book Fair UK 2026 library takeover, celebrating Black children’s books, young authors, family reading, representation and the power of storytelling.