Northern Highlight (c) Bentham Imaging Clare Weze Why did you become a children’s writer?  I caught the bug early and attempted my first book at the age of eight. Children’s books have always inspired me and I continued in that genre as an adult. Writing, especially for children, is the one thing I never tire of, because there are always more worlds to explore. I find the middle-grade age range especially rewarding because at this age, they handle complicated concepts easily, and they get exciting glimpses into more challenging levels. Even some of their misunderstandings have the potential to create whole new ideas.   Tell us about where you live.  I live on the very edge of the Yorkshire dales, where three counties meet – Yorkshire, Lancashire and Cumbria. There’s a nice fusion of accents, and you pass through all three counties just by driving to the next village. There are fields on all sides of our house, which is one of the reasons I love living here, although...

 CHILDREN'S BOOKS NORTH: FESTIVAL OF ILLUSTRATION  The Children's Books North 'Festival of Illustration' will be held on Wednesday 11th August from 7.30 - 8.30pm on Instagram.   Join us as we celebrate northern and Scottish illustrators with an online Instagram exhibition of our members' work.  We are inviting all Children's Books North illustrators to join in by posting their work in a bespoke CBN frame on Instagram to create an online gallery for us to promote the fantastic talent in the North and Scotland. And we would love CBN authors and publishing professionals to join in on the night too to help spread the word. How to join in:  Post up to 3 images of your work using the bespoke CBN picture frame and up to a 125 words caption Tag your post with the hashtag #CBNFestivalOfIllustration and tag @childrens_books_north Tag your location: #NW #NE #Yorkshire #Scotland Tag your genre: #PictureBook #Fiction #NonFiction If you are author or pub...

 Northern Highlight - Ness Wood Ness Wood Why did you want to work in the children's book industry? I always wanted to be a designer from spending most of my childhood colouring in! I didn’t really know what one was and so my Art ‘O’ Level was filled with record cover designs. I ended up working in Children’s Books after studying graphic design at Salford University. I applied for over 100 positions, and the then Art director at Collins (now HarperCollins) Publishers Ian Butterworth took a chance on me and gave me a junior designer job. I was ecstatic! I came to London with my mate Mandy ( sherliker_design ). Both of us from up North, she sold her little car and my mum gave me £100 and we slept on someone's floor for 6 weeks! My family heirloom The Illustrated Treasury of Children’s Literature is a children's book published by Collins and given to me on my 1st birthday - so I was destined to get my first job there! Tell us about where you live. I now live in Didsbury, in So...

SPECIAL GUEST NORTHERN HIGHLIGHT   Chorlton Book Festival Tell us a bit about Chorlton Book Festival. Chorlton Book Festival is a joyous, annual celebration of books, reading and writing. Now in its seventeenth year, it’s become a regular fixture in Manchester’s cultural calendar. We pride ourselves on championing local writers, authors and publishers. “Something for everyone” is a cliché, we know, but we offer a programme with events, from under-fives’ story sessions to intergenerational work with community elders. We have literary quizzes, history walks and talks, poetry slams, author visits, creative activities, workshops, a children’s book award and plenty of family fun.   In its early days, the festival was organised by Manchester Libraries, but has since grown to become very much rooted in its local community. Our library service is still the driving force, but supported by an active steering group with representation from schools, businesses, writers and local re...

NORTHERN HIGHLIGHT     ANNA GAMBLE   Tell us about Liverpool Literary Agency   Founded in 2020, we are the first Liverpool-based literary agency and we’re committed to helping northern writers break into the publishing industry. We started as an editing company with a diverse list of clients comprising accountants, taxi drivers, sport scientists, NHS workers and hospitality sector workers, alongside more experienced writers with qualifications in Creative Writing or other literature-based subjects. They all had one thing in common – the publishing industry seemed inaccessible, London-centric and intimidating. So, we knew that it was time to go beyond editing and decided to set up the agency, joining many other publishing organisations who seek to diversify the geographic base of the industry. We’ve had a fantastic response from publishers so far, and our initial list is an exciting mix of virtually every genre.       Why did you recently decid...

NORTHERN HIGHLIGHT BECKA MOOR Why did you become an illustrator? As a child, I was always looking for new ways to be creative and, fortunately, my mum indulged the mess and would buy me all sorts of wonderful arts and crafts materials. I’m quite introverted and a keen reader so, once the realisation hit that a job existed where I could draw pictures for stories that would then become books in the hands of children, that’s what I wanted to do. I’ve also always had a wildly active imagination, and being an illustrator is a brilliant way to channel the chaos! Written by Anne Miller, illustrated by Becka Moor, published by Oxford Children's Books. Design by Kate Penrose Tell us about where you live. I live in a lovely Victorian house just outside of Manchester city centre with my partner and our two cats. We’re very fortunate to live in a wonderfully diverse suburb of Manchester, and just a stone’s throw from the library. There’s also an amazing coffee shop nearby that sell the m...

SPECIAL GUEST NORTHERN HIGHLIGHT  Deborah Bullivant, CEO and Founding Director Grimm & Co. Can you start by telling us a little about Grimm and Co? Grimm & Co is a literacy charity with the mission to change lives, one story at a time. We offer free creative writing workshops to children and young people, inspiring confidence, self belief and self esteem, championing the writer in every child. We work with young people from marginalised communities across Rotherham, including vulnerable groups, those with protected characteristics, and young people who are struggling/troubled with their learning/whole life experiences. Since opening our doors to schools and families in 2015, and based almost solely on word of mouth, we have been inundated, to such a degree that we have outgrown our original premises, with waiting lists filled by schools and communities eager to join our activities. By entering Grimm & Co you are entering a magical, experiential, and interactive theatre:...