The Reading Room is a library and a place to think, listen and share ideas in Peterborough.
It is stocked with over 200 thought-provoking books from Pluto Press, a radical publishing house, exploring politics, history and the environment.
The Reading Room also hosts events that open-up debate about the local issues affecting our everyday lives. The programme takes a lead from our community partners and so far, these topics have covered inequality, the environment, precarious employment, LGBTQ+ issues, structural racism and more.
The Reading Room Network is a collaborative project with Pluto Press and the Left Book Club with spaces at Left Bank Leeds, The New Bridge Project (Newcastle), Festival of Debate in Sheffield, Sustainable Studio (Cardiff), One Church (Brighton), The Old Waterworks & TOMA (Southend on Sea), and Nomadic Library (Rotterdam).
Visit The Reading Room
Monday – Friday, 10am – 4.30pm
Browse the books, stay and read or borrow from the library. There’s no limit to how many books you can borrow – all we need are contact details.
Past Events:
Quarterly Book Groups
Since 2022, we’ve been piloting a series of quarterly reading groups, exploring the themes of books published by The Left Book Club and Pluto Press. Through the book club we’ve been testing how to make the content of these books more accessible for people to engage with and interrogate. There’s no requirement for attendees to have read the book chosen. Instead, the book is a starting point to kickstart conversations, with an opportunity for people to share and connect. Previous groups have explored sustainable fashion, community wealth building, the climate crisis, and social justice movements.
We’ve invited artists to host book sessions in response to the themes and topics of the publications in the library. Previous artists have included Yvonne Hercules, who hosted a dinner session exploring voices of Black Femininity through the books of Lola Olufemi, bell hooks, and Angela Davis.


Sustainable Fashion Week September 2022
In September 2022, Metal Peterborough hosted a week-long series of activities around sustainable fashion, to learn, have discussions and build new skills to proactively move towards a more sustainable future. In partnership with Shado, Pluto Press and The Reading Room, the activities were part of a series of events happening across the UK as part of a wider programme ‘An anti-capitalist fashion week’.
It saw us convert our main space and studio into pop-up Make and Mend Café’s hosted by Linda Genever and BeeCrafty, a revive and customise workshop with artists Sa’adiah Khan and Victoria Kelly-Gobuiwang, a SWISH clothes swap, a natural dye workshop with artist Amanda Rigby, and a space to be your own fashion designer with experienced textile artist Ramona Zadissa. More information here.


Strong Bonds for a Fragile Planet February 2024
Strong Bonds for a Fragile Planet brings together artists and curious people through walks, talks, dinners and workshops to consider what we need at a time when the world feels fragile in many ways.
Inspired by ideas from the book ‘Radical Intimacy’ by Sophie K Rosa, Strong Bonds for a Fragile Planet explores the themes of home and refuge, the idea of rest and solidarity, community and connection through a varied series of events.
Strong Bonds for a Fragile Planet will take place as a selection of WALKS, TALKS, DINNERS and WORKSHOPS with plenty of ways to get involved. Find out more here.

