Name: TORCH Talks: Does Reading Matter?
Start: 2026-02-11T12:30:00+00:00
End: 2026-02-11T13:45:00+00:00
Location: Seminar Room 63, Schwarzman Centre for the Humanities

TORCH Talks: Does Reading Matter?
With reading levels falling and screentime rocketing, is literacy in danger?
About this Event

TORCH Talks: Does Reading Matter?

With reading levels falling and screentime rocketing, is literacy in danger? We know there are benefits to reading, but fewer of us are making time to read and technology is changing how and why we read. Reading is not only a skill for school and work but something that brings joy to everyday life, connecting people with stories and ideas. The National Literacy Trust and the government have designated 2026 as the National Year of Reading with the ambitious vision of making lasting change in the reading habits of the nation. But does it matter? At the first TORCH Talk of 2026 we will be exploring different aspects of this current issue.

Wednesday 11 February, 12.30pm lunch, 12.45pm - 1.45pm discussion.

Room 00.063, Schwarzman Centre for the Humanities, Radcliffe Observatory Quarter, Woodstock Road, Oxford