Rachelle Deguara has been working in the book industry for the last three years building close relations with authors, promoting their work and contributing to the National Book Festival (Malta). Her work in the literacy field started when she had the role of public relations officer in the voluntary organisation Għaqda tal-Malti Universitá which is the university association that strives to promote emerging authors and make sure that the pioneers of Maltese literature are not forgotten. Rachelle was also involved in the organisation of the first Maltese Literature Congress that is currently paving the path to amend legislation which directly affects the local book industry and its international distribution potential. The role was to invite and mediate between all stakeholders, both authors and publishers to reach a consensus on such matters. She hosts a radio show on the national Maltese radio station Radju Malta (93.7) called ‘Taħt il-Qoxra’ which holds dialogues with authors and editors about their work and its relevance in the current socio-political situation. For her leisure, Rachelle enjoys writing book reviews, performs hip-hop under the stage name of REA, and trains her voice for classical singing.
