The Sussex Big Read

Sussex Big Read 2025: Brighton Bound Shares the Stories That Shaped Our City

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

"Brighton Bound invites us to think critically about the stories we inherit and the ones we choose to tell. It shows how histories of migration, inequality, and erasure are not just past events, but part of the present shape of our city."

— Dulani Kulasinghe, Writing Our Legacy CIC

"Encountering this book added a new dimension to my experience of the city. The title is everything. 23 years ago, I was Brighton Bound, choosing to make my life here. Today, I am Brighton Bound in a different way—bound to help ensure this city is a welcoming, safe space for everyone who calls it home."

— Althea Wolfe, Director, Brighton Book Festival

This year’s Sussex Big Read invites students and staff to explore Brighton Bound: Stories of Moving To, Around and Out of the City, 1920s – 2020s. Brighton Bound conveys a city in constant flux, from people moving out of the centre to new suburban estates in the mid-20th century, through the arrival of down-from-Londoners and people from across the world, to residents having to leave because of rocketing rents and house prices.

Brighton has an often well-deserved reputation as a welcoming city, yet it is also a place of persisting inequalities and injustices. Brighton Bound reveals the joys and struggles of individual Brightonians, the role of some supportive local organisations, and how national political decisions, economic conditions and world history have impacted upon the moves people have made.

Written by Cath Senker, Ben Rogaly and Amy Clarke, and published by QueenSpark Books, Brighton Bound combines lived experience, photography and critical commentary. Each author brings a distinct perspective shaped by long-standing engagement with community history, social research and creative practice. Together, they are part of the Hopeful Solidarities project, which explores where, when, how and with whom hope and solidarity can be fostered, and where their limits lie.

• Cath Senker is a writer, editor and Assistant Professor in Academic Skills at the University of Sussex Law School. Her work spans local and global histories, with a focus on migration, activism and social justice. She has published widely across subjects including history, biography, global, social and environmental issues, and world religions.
• Ben Rogaly is Emeritus Professor of Geography at the University of Sussex. His research focuses on the social and historical geographies of identity, race, place, class, faith and migration, as well as the political economy of temporary migrant work in both India and the UK. Ben’s previous books include oral history-based studies of class, race, place and migration in Peterborough and Norwich.
• Amy Clarke is Lecturer in Sociology at the University of Brighton. Her research explores social geographies of identity, race, nation, and belonging. She has published extensively on race and citizenship, and has presented at national and international conferences on topics including British national identity, social politics of indigeneity, and perceptions of difference in so-called liberal British cities.

Together, they have created a work that highlights not only the personal but also the political, examining systemic inequality, housing pressures, racism, and the ongoing legacies of colonialism that continue to shape life in our city today.

Reading Together, Reflecting Together

The Sussex Big Read is about creating shared moments through a shared reading experience. Whether you are a new undergraduate, a postgraduate researcher, or a member of our academic or professional services teams, Brighton Bound is an opportunity to engage with questions that matter, about place, identity, memory and justice.

The book is also a valuable resource for teaching and discussion across disciplines such as literature, history, sociology, migration studies, education and human geography.

Why Brighton Bound?

• Rooted in place, open in scope: The book focuses on Brighton, but its themes – belonging, exclusion, resilience – are globally resonant.
• Critically engaged and accessible: Combining personal stories, historical reflection, and powerful photography, the book speaks to both head and heart.
• In line with Sussex values: Brighton Bound aligns with the University’s commitment to inclusivity, civic engagement and community dialogue.

How You Can Get Involved

Read the Book

Free copies will be available for all new undergraduate and postgraduate students during Welcome Week. Library copies will be available for staff and returning students.

Use it in Your Teaching

If you are teaching this autumn, consider integrating Brighton Bound into your module. The Library will provide supporting materials and discussion guides.

Attend an Event

A programme of events, including panel discussions, author talks and creative responses, will run throughout the autumn term. More details coming soon.

Join the Conversation

Share your reflections using #SussexBigRead, or take part in the online discussion space. We welcome responses in all forms, written, visual, or spoken.

Be Part of It

Brighton is made up of many stories, and Brighton Bound brings some of the most urgent, moving, and overlooked to light. This year’s Big Read invites us all to slow down, listen carefully and reflect together.

Let’s read together, talk together, and build a community that listens, learns and acts.

Big Read 2024 

In 2024, Sussex took part in the award-winning shared-reading scheme, the Big Read! We gave out copies of 'Everything is Everything' written by our esteemed Sussex Alumnus, Clive Myrie, to staff, students and Alumni. 

The Big Read began in 2016 at Kingston University and we are working with them as partners, along with St George's, University of London and Royal Holloway. This award-winning initiative aims to foster a strong sense of belonging through shared reading, providing a common talking point for the whole Sussex community.

The multi-award-winning journalist and one of the BBC’s most experienced foreign correspondents and news presenters said it was a privilege to have been chosen for the Big Read. “I’m so chuffed and I hope all those taking part will enjoy the experience and find something that resonates for them in my book. Wow, and thank you,” Clive Myrie said.

Big Read events exploring themes within this moving memoir took place throughout the academic year for readers across the university, and we were also visited by the author.