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Stormzy Champions Quick Reads as UK Celebrates National Year of Reading
Rap superstar Stormzy has thrown his weight behind the Quick Reads initiative, calling reading a superpower as the UK marks its National Year of Reading and the programme celebrates its 20th anniversary with its most ambitious expansion to date.
Six new accessible titles are being released in April 2026, including one from Stormzy's own #Merky Books imprint, with half a million copies to be gifted to prisons across the UK and audiobooks launching for the first time in the programme's history.
Background
Quick Reads, run by The Reading Agency, produces short, digestible books by bestselling authors specifically designed for non-readers, lapsed readers, people with short attention spans, and neurodivergent readers. Since its launch in 2006, the programme has distributed over five million books, collaborated with more than 30 publishers, and generated over six million library loans. Nearly half of adults in the UK do not identify as readers, a challenge the initiative directly addresses.
Key Developments
Stormzy's #Merky Books imprint is publishing Hunger Pains by Derek Owusu as one of the six 2026 Quick Reads titles. Owusu, who did not read a book until age 24, has praised the programme's accessible and affordable approach. The other titles include The Last Bench by Carmel Harrington, The Girl in the Picture by Rachel Hore, The Woman Next Door by Louise Jensen, Sweet Charity by Rosie Goodwin, and Cell One by Leye Adenle. All titles are sold for £1 each.
The Reading Agency has announced a major new partnership to be revealed on World Book Night (23 April), alongside the launch of Quick Reads as audiobooks for the first time. The half-million prison book donation is part of a broader effort to reach readers who face barriers to accessing books.
Stormzy has stated that reading helped him when he was young and still does today. He has framed his involvement as an extension of his broader commitment to social change through his #Merky Foundation, which was established in 2020 to support racial equality and justice reform.
Why It Matters
The National Year of Reading 2026, led by the Department for Education in partnership with the National Literacy Trust and The Reading Agency, aims to reverse declining reading habits across the UK. Research by The Reading Agency indicates that consistent reading can improve mental health, social mobility, and overall life prospects — making the initiative a public health and social mobility intervention as much as a cultural one.
What's Next
The six Quick Reads titles are available now from bookshops and libraries across the UK. The audiobook launch and the World Book Night partnership announcement are expected on 23 April. Read The Guardian's interview with Stormzy.
