Better literacy, better future. Be part of our new Big Issue campaign

In this week’s Big Issue…

We believe books matter. We believe reading matters. And across the UK, libraries are closing at an alarming, unprecedented rate; librarians are disappearing fast. This must stop. That is why today we launch our new Big Issue campaign – we’ll back those fighting to keep libraries open across Britain, agitate for better support for bookshops, and in the coming weeks we will unveil exciting new projects to take books where they are needed.

As Big Issue founder John Bird told Parliament last year: “If you’re going to cut libraries you must be prepared to build more prisons and more homeless hostels.” We want to hear from you – tell us what matters to you and we’ll spread the word.

Also…

• Affable, angry and well-informed in equal measure, Hollywood superstar Michael Keaton explains why he is making a meal of McDonald’s history and reveals his passion for Scottish folk. PLUS discover the History of the Modern World in 12 McDonald’s.
• “Everything I have done is wonderful.” So says Werner Herzog in his Letter My Younger Self. Find out how the bonkers film-maker acquired his cast-iron conviction, rock-hard self-belief, and why he’s pleased nobody ever “got hurt” on his film sets.
• “There’s not enough government support for all the people who need it,” says Evgeny Lebedev. The boss of The Independent and Evening Standard explains why he’s agitating for an urgently-needed one-stop homelessness phone line to help young rough sleepers.
• Our featured vendor this week is Michael Rossi in Cardiff. He has sung alongside Charlotte Church, but his real passion lies in Black Sabbath.