It was a packed house at the Royal Society of the Arts yesterday [8 June, 2026, London] in their majestic Great Hall for a talk from the global literary icon, Lee Child, on the power of reading.
At Cause UK, we were proud to secure bestselling authors – Lee Child and Dreda Say Mitchell – in conversation, in support of The Reading Agency and its Quick Reads initiative.
A key focus of the talk was around The Reading Agency’s landmark UK prison reading campaign, supported by Lee – as the UK’s new Prison Reading Laureate – and Dreda, who has worked extensively in prisons.
Thanks to the support of The Henry Smith Foundation, The Reading Agency aims to deliver 480,000 books into prisons across the UK, ensuring that every person in prison has access to high-quality, accessible reading.
The talk had an overwhelmingly positive response from RSA members and associates of The Reading Agency, as well as from a live online audience.
It’s available to watch on the RSA YouTube channels here.
Engaging, entertaining and thought provoking, the talk ranged from the evolution of language to Lee’s predictions on the future of AI, the gossip prisoners wanted from Lee during his prison visits (what’s Tom Cruise really like?), and an urgent call from Lee to ensure the UK resists America’s footsteps of banning ‘controversial’ books – including his own.
What was clear, was the remarkable power of reading, and the transformative power that access to books via libraries had on both Lee and Dreda.
The event triggered news headlines, with Matt Nixson’s The Express in attendance, alongside the Press Association. We also set up interviews with Aimee Walsh on The Mirror and Suzy Walker, editor of Platinum magazine.
Huge thanks for the brilliant Lee and Dreda, for their passion, eloquence and heart.