SPECIAL GUEST NORTHERN HIGHLIGHT Charlotte Dack from Culture Bridge North East Can you start by telling us a little more about Culture Bridge North East?      Culture Bridge North East   (CBNE)   collaborates with   organizations   across the North East and beyond to champion culture and the arts as vital parts of childhood.      Arts Council England funds 10 Bridges across England, all of which are tasked with the strategic development of arts and cultural education by, with and for children and young people. CBNE   is managed by Tyne & Wear Archives & Museums and based at the Discovery Museum in Newcastle.     Culture Bridge North East’s vision is that everyone growing up in our region should have a childhood rich with arts and culture. We believe that arts and cultural education is not only the spark that creates the artists, performers, makers and curators of the future, but that it is essential for children’s quality of life.   We know that

NORTHERN HIGHLIGHT Tom Ashton-Booth  Where do you live, and how would you sum up the place in three words? I’m a Midland’s man that has yo-yoed the country and now settled in Doncaster. I have an affinity with the North and find it incredibly welcoming, honest and proud. What is special to you about creating children’s books,  and what is your favourite part of the process? I remember the joy I got from books as a child and I would love to spark that same sort of joy. I want to create books that inspire, entertain and educate. I work on a wide range of books in my role as a children’s book designer and I especially love the start and end of a project. I love the initial roughing out stage when the ideas are the freshest, and I find it so satisfying to get my hands on the final printed book and leaf through it’s crisp pages (excitedly but with bated breath,  hoping that there are no mistakes). Tell us about the most recent book you’ve worked on. I’m usually working on a few books at a t

NORTHERN HIGHLIGHTS   MARIA RIFIUTI   1.      Where do you live, and how would you sum up the place in three words?   I live in a small town in Cheshire with my partner Sam. My town is practical, green and a bit snazzy. There is a lovely cinema, a French café with the best pain aux chocolate for lazy Saturday mornings, and lots of lovely parks to walk in nature.   2.      What is special to you about creating children’s books, and what is your favourite part of the process?    The connection and collaboration between different departments within the publishing house. My team organises something called Magic Triangle, where people from Editorial, Sales and Marketing meet up to discuss new publishing ideas, sales strategies and more. There couldn’t be a better name for it - it is truly magical.   3.      Tell us about the most recent books you’ve worked on. When I was a Project Editor at Tresei Scuola, a small Italian Educational publisher, I worked on a series of amazing fiction and pic