shortlist 2008
The European Reading Group, Canterbury, Kent
This group has been running for nine years, and has seven members, all women. They are all of different nationalities – Swiss, Greek, Turkish, Slovakian, Romanian and British – and cover a wide age-range, with two members in their thirties, two in their forties, one in her fifties and two over sixty. They are mainly teachers, with members teaching German, Greek, Turkish and English for Speakers of Other languages, while one is a teacher of the deaf. One member is a project development manager for a British charity, and another is a literary translator. They meet in each other’s houses for friendly and informal discussion.
members said
‘We were delighted and honoured to hear that our group had been shortlisted for the 2008 Penguin/Orange Broadband Reading Group Prize. We hope that our nomination will encourage other people from the many European cultures living in the UK to get together and form similar groups. The shared reading experience is very rewarding and enjoyable in the same time.’