Derek Owusu, a British writer of Ghanaian heritage, and Nigerian crime writer Leye Adenle are among six authors selected for Quick Reads 2026, the UK’s National Year of Reading flagship campaign!

Owusu’s Hunger Pains is published through Stormzy’s #Merky Books imprint at Penguin Random House, while Adenle contributes Cell One from Simon & Schuster. The Reading Agency’s Quick Reads program, now in its 20th year, distributes short, accessible books to non-readers, lapsed readers, and neurodivergent readers through libraries, prisons, community groups, food banks, and charities. For the first time, all titles will be available as audiobooks, and half a million copies will be gifted to UK prisons.

Owusu won the Desmond Elliott Prize for his debut That Reminds Me, the first fiction title from #Merky Books, and was named on the Granta Best of Young British Novelists list in 2023. His second novel Losing the Plot, inspired by his mother’s journey from Ghana to Britain in the 1980s, was longlisted for the Dylan Thomas Prize and Jhalak Prize. He was raised in foster care in Suffolk until age eight, then moved to North London to live with his biological parents. “Having never read a book until the age of 24, I wish I had come across Quick Reads sooner,” Owusu said.

Adenle’s Cell One is a Lagos-set thriller following rookie cop Bobby Fatokun on his first day, when a blog reveals his boss has been kidnapped with plans for a live execution. His debut Easy Motion Tourist won the Prix Marianne in France in 2016, and he is known for the Amaka thriller series.

The program has distributed more than five million books since 2006, with over 6.2 million library loans. All Quick Reads titles undergo rigorous accessibility review and are available for £1 at participating retailers or free from libraries. New findings show only half of UK adults describe themselves as readers. The 2026 lineup also includes Rachel Hore, Rosie Goodwin, Louise Jensen, and Carmel Harrington.

The inclusion of two writers with African connections in a major UK literacy campaign represents a shift in who shapes reading habits at a foundational level. Quick Reads targets adults facing barriers to reading through time, confidence, or language challenges, reaching people who might otherwise remain outside traditional literary spaces. The titles will be published in the run-up to World Book Night on April 23, 2026.