NORTHERN HIGHLIGHT LUCY FARFORT 1. Why did you become an illustrator? Drawing and making things is something I’ve always enjoyed doing for as long as I can remember. From a very young age, I wanted to do something that involved drawing and art, but for a long time I didn’t know what exactly. Aside from drawing, I loved to write stories and poems but working as a children’s illustrator or writer never occurred to me until quite late on in life. I think it was because I thought sub-consciously it was a job that people like me couldn’ t do . When I was growing up, I didn’t own or ever see a single book with a person of colour like me in it. Then at fourteen, my cooler-than-me cousin introduced me to anime and manga. I watched Akira open-mouthed, over and over again and became totally obsessed with Japanese animation and comics. Subsequently, I spent pretty much all my free time creating comics. It was that which drove my desire to become an illustrator. I went to university in Manchest...

SPECIAL GUEST NORTHERN HIGHLIGHT VANESSA AMBERLEIGH  Genre Lead Preschool, BBC Children’s Productions How long have you been working as the Genre Lead Preschool at the BBC in Manchester?    I have been working for BBC Children’s In House as an Executive Producer for the last 7 years, and for just over 2 years as Genre Lead of Preschool. Although I did work at the BBC in 2002 (in London) as a freelancer on the launch of the CBeebies Channel, so I have a real passion for the channel and its young audience. Working as a freelancer, I produced many series for the BBC (and other broadcasters) across all genres. What are the advantages of being based in  Manchester?    Great diversity of voices, great talent, amazing locations and some fabulous studios. And yes, people are friendly and helpful. Plus, being in the North West   gives BBC...

NORTHERN HIGHLIGHT Photo credit:  Neil Gordon   KIMBERLIE HAMILTON Why did you become a writer? I’m one of those people who is curious about everything, and being a writer allows me to explore all sorts of stuff that I find interesting. I write non-fiction and have met many fascinating people and animals whilst researching my books.  Cover art by  Risa Rodil Published by Scholastic UK Tell us about where you live. I live in Aberdeen, Scotland, now but I’m originally from Los Angeles, USA. I think it’s a great advantage to be a writer who is a ‘stranger in a strange land’ because it adds an extra sense of awareness of what’s going on around you. Being surrounded by things that are new or unfamiliar is a wonderful boost to one’s creative juices. Where do you write?  The warmest, sunniest room in my house! The weather in Scotland is a lot different from California so my first couple of years here were a hard adjustment. Since it ...

NORTHERN HIGHLIGHT Jessica Brookes Photography Jo Weaver Why did you become an illustrator? Illustrated books were always items of wonder and fascination for me, from a very young age. Stories were wonderful but the artwork really brought them alive. I used to spend hours poring over books with artwork from the likes of Kay Nielsen and E.H. Shepherd. I loved to draw as a child. I painted in my teens, doodled in my twenties, but illustration as a career didn’t occur to me until my late twenties. I was working as a homelessness support worker and living in north-east London when my brother found a leaflet in a local cafe which said Have you ever dreamed of illustrating children’s books?  It was a genuine lightbulb moment! I realised immediately that I had indeed been dreaming of illustrating children's books for most of my life, but hadn't realised it somehow. I signed up for the evening classes advertised on the leaflet (run by the brilliant illustrator Clare Alexander) an...

SPECIAL GUEST NORTHERN HIGHLIGHT Dean Atta, SBWN Co-director Photo credit: Thomas Sammut Scottish BAME Writers Network Can you tell us about the SBWN and how and why it was set up? The Scottish BAME Writers Network was set up by two writers, Alycia Pirmohamed and Jay G Ying , to enable Scottish BAME writers to meet and support one another. It started with a Facebook group and regular writing group, which has evolved over time, and has been an online group lately.  Everything was volunteer run in the beginning, but 2020 has been a pilot year of growth for SBWN, thanks to Creative Scotland funding to pay a committee to run a regular programme of workshops, blogs and development opportunities for writers, as well as partnerships with other organisations in the literary sector.  The current committee are Alycia and myself (Dean Atta) as Co-directors, Jeda Pearl Lewis and Andrés N Ordorica as Programme Managers, and our newest addition, Bhavika Govil , joining in September as ...