Help transform a Haggerston Railway arch into a community library hosting literary events with The Library Cafe
Matthew Wilson is trying to raise £23,000 on Kickstarter to build a community library and cafe that will host talks and open mic nights in the heart of Hackney.
The Library Cafe will provide a free lending library and a cafe stocked with locally sourced food to support Hackney producers at a time when public services are being squeezed.
“We think business has a social responsibility to give something back, especially in times like these,” Wilson told Tech City News.
Watch their campaign video:
Literary Hub
Wilson says Transport for London have agreed to help out by putting in a new glass front and cleaning the brickwork at the east London site, and events have already been scheduled for the summer including a talk by Iain Sinclair.
Locally sourced food
The Library Cafe plan to launch a not-for-profit monthly anthology of local writing called ‘The Hacks’ and to provide space for book groups if they secure funding.
The menu for the cafe is already up on their website, as well as more information about workshops and speakers already booked.
Wilson says he has a history of putting on community events, including a DJ workshop for homeless teenagers, and he hopes to fund his free library by serving food and drinks in the cafe, capitalising on Hackney’s burgeoning cafe culture.
“How refreshing in these days when the High Street has lost its charm and libraries are under threat to find a beautiful space where people can read and borrow books for free,” said poet and novelist Jackie Kay about the project.