Hello, Im Wayne Murphy

I know first-hand how reading can change a life. Growing up in a single-parent household on a disadvantaged estate and becoming homeless at 16, I faced the barriers poverty creates. Books changed everything. When I wasn’t working multiple jobs, I was in the library studying business and performance arts, reading opened doors that led me to travel the world as a professional magician for nearly 15 years.

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That belief—that literacy transforms lives—drives everything I do today. Now a Teaching Partner, I support children across KS1 and KS2 and lead projects that put reading at the heart of school life. From mentoring KS2 Reading Ambassadors and launching Stories to Share bags, to transforming our library (boosting poetry borrowing by 96%), I’ve seen the joy that comes when children feel proud to call themselves readers.

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I also created Reading Rumble, a literacy-based card game now used in schools across Gloucestershire and Worcestershire, with support from authors including David Walliams, A.M. Dassu, and Ben Miller. To stay at the forefront of reading pedagogy, I regularly attend national conferences and work with leading experts.

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My mission is clear: to break down barriers and give every child and family the chance to discover the joy and power of reading. That’s why I started Reading Nation, a movement to get Britain reading, and talking about reading, together.

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I’d love you to join us. Whether you’re a young person discovering your first favourite book, a parent sharing stories, an educator reigniting a love of reading, or someone rediscovering books later in life, you belong here. Follow us on Instagram, try Reading Rumble, explore our Padlet, or join our Travellers’ Tales Book Club. However you get involved, welcome to the Reading Nation.