Europe’s largest celebration of Black literature.
Book your festival pass on the Barbican Centre website.
Back for its fifth year, the Black British Book Festival is a landmark celebration of Black books, ideas and culture with Candice Carty-Williams, Corinne Bailey Rae, Wretch 32 and more.
Hear from Candice Carty-Williams on love, mess and the phenomenon of Queenie. Corinne Bailey Rae and Emma Dabiri go deep on sound, beauty and creative freedom. Wretch 32 makes the case that bars are literature, breaking down the art of the pen like never before. And closing it all out is The Black Poetry Shutdown with the UK's sharpest spoken-word talent such as Malika Booker, Lady Sanity, Jah Digga and more.
Across the rest of the day, expect a line-up that spans literature, music, science, money, love, identity and the internet. There's something for everyone with storytelling, craft, superheroes and more for the youngest readers. Aspiring authors get a programme packed with practical, no-fluff sessions and the brand-new Black British Book Festival × Pan Macmillan collaboration - a real shot at getting published.
Headliners | Barbican Theatre
QUEENIE: LOVE, MESS & EVERYTHING IN BETWEEN
1pm–2pm | Candice Carty-Williams in conversation
She wrote Queenie. Now she's telling the truth about everything else.
Candice Carty-Williams didn't just write a book – she gave a generation of Black British women a mirror they'd been waiting for, and started a thousand arguments in group chats along the way. Funny. Raw. Uncomfortably honest. Exactly like her.
This is not a polite panel. This is Candice unfiltered on love in all its chaos – the relationships we should've left months ago, the ones we ran from too soon, and why everyone's more lonely and less honest than they let on. Identity. Being watched. Being messy in public and still getting to be the main character.
CORINNE BAILEY RAE: THE FREEDOM TO CHANGE
3pm–4pm | Corinne Bailey Rae in conversation with Gemma Cairney
Twenty years after Put Your Records On made her a household name, Corinne Bailey Rae has spent every year since refusing to stay that artist. From that breakthrough debut to the radical, archive-built world of Black Rainbows, she has built a career on reinvention – and in this headline conversation, she's honest about what that's cost her, and what it's earned her.
There's also a new chapter: Corinne opens up about turning Put Your Records On into her first children's picture book, and how music, imagination and motherhood have quietly reshaped everything she makes since.
BARS AS LITERATURE: WRETCH 32 ON THE ART OF THE PEN
5pm–6pm | Wretch 32 in conversation
Before there was a stage, there was a pen and a pad. Before there was a crowd, there were bars written in silence, rewritten, thrown away, rewritten again.
Wretch 32 has spent two decades proving that grime and rap aren't just music they're literature. Wordplay as craft. Storytelling as survival. Punchlines with the same discipline as poetry, the same weight as prose. This is the artist who turned bar-for-bar lyricism into a whole generation's education in language, and he's here to break down exactly how he does it, the process, the influences, the moments a line finally clicks.
Expect sharp insight, real talk, and a reminder that some of the most powerful writing in Britain right now isn't found on a bookshelf, it's in the booth.
THE BLACK POETRY SHUTDOWN
7pm–8pm
Featuring: Malika Booker, Jah Digga, SANITY, Kadija Sesay, Rachel Long, Casey Bailey, John Bernard, Ty'rone Haughton, Nick Makoha.
Hosted by: Nat & Stella (Poetic Temple)
This is not an event. This is a shutdown.
Ten of the UK's most electric poets and performers take over one stage for sixty minutes of spoken word, rhythm and raw truth and nobody's here to whisper. Sharp political fire. Deeply personal storytelling. Rapid-fire bars that hit before you've even processed the last one. Every voice brings something different. Every single one lands.
This is where poetry stops being quiet and becomes a total lock arf.
Cinema 1 | Level -2
THIS IS BRITAIN: Racism, Truth & Survival
1pm–2pm
Featuring: Lee Lawrence, Stuart Lawrence, Keon West
Chair: Dorcas Gwata
Racism in Britain isn't a headline. It's a daily reality, one that gets debated in Parliament and lived very differently on the ground.
In this essential panel, guided by Dorcus Gwata, Stuart Lawrence whose brother Stephen was murdered in 1993, and who has spent decades pushing for real change — is joined by Lee Lawrence, author of The Colour of Injustice, and social psychologist Keon West. Together they move past the headlines and into the lived, daily reality of racism in Britain: not the version politicians argue over, but the version Black people in this country navigate every single day.
This is not a comfortable session. It isn't meant to be. It's honest, rigorous, and necessary the kind of conversation that changes how you see the country you call home.
BLACK GIRL IN SPACE
3pm–4pm | Maggie Aderin in conversation
Chair: Merisha Stevens
Maggie Aderin is one of Britain’s most celebrated space scientists: an MBE, co-presenter of The Sky at Night and a pioneering physicist who has spent her career building instruments that allow us to see deeper into space.
From a child gazing through a telescope to a scientist exploring distant galaxies, hers is one of the most remarkable journeys in British science.
In this headline conversation, Maggie takes us beyond our world, into black holes, distant planets and the mysteries of the universe that remain unsolved. She explores why space matters, how looking upwards can transform the way we understand life on Earth, and why curiosity may be one of the most powerful forces we possess.
JASON ARDAY: RACE, POWER & THE PRICE OF PUBLIC SCRUTINY
Dr Kehinde Andrews and Kelechi Okafor in Conversation
5pm–6pm
Jason Arday broke barriers in British academia and became one of its most prominent Black voices. His story — from extraordinary achievement to intense public scrutiny — raises urgent questions about race, power, media responsibility and the human cost of public judgement.
When does scrutiny become spectacle? When does accountability become a public lynching? And what happens when a human life is lost in the process?
This urgent conversation examines race, media power, academia, institutional responsibility and the treatment of Black public figures — asking who is afforded nuance and humanity, and who is reduced to a headline.
A life has been lost. This conversation honours Jason Arday while asking what his story reveals about power, scrutiny and the media in Britain today.
READ IT. RATE IT. DEBATE IT. – NAO × BBBF Live Book Club
7pm–8pm | Led by NAO
Forget the polite book club where everyone nods and agrees. This is louder, faster, and entirely reader-led – because you chose the book, and now you get to say exactly what you thought.
Led by NAO, expect honest audience debate, rapid-fire questions that don't let anyone off easy, and surprise "golden ticket" moments where readers get pulled straight up onto the stage to join the conversation themselves.
No rehearsed answers. No traditional author Q&A. Just a room full of people who actually read the book, arguing – brilliantly – about what it all meant.
For the first few hundred people who book a festival ticket and plan to attend READ IT. RATE IT. DEBATE IT. – NAO × BBBF Live Book Club, we’re giving away FREE advance copies of Faith’s First Case by Jeffrey Boakye, ahead of its publication in February 2027.
The book will be discussed live at the event, so attendees will need to read it in advance.
To claim your free physical copy, email admin@blackbritishbookfestival.com with proof of your festival ticket purchase and confirm that you plan to attend this event. Copies are limited and available on a first-come, first-served basis, subject to availability.
Pit Theatre | Level -2
YOU'VE GOT A BOOK DEAL — NOW WHAT?
1pm–2pm
Inside the Publishing Process | Powered by Hachette
The contract's signed. The champagne's been drunk. So what actually happens next?
Getting the deal is only the beginning — and what comes after is the part nobody tells you about. Editing, cover design, marketing, publicity, sales strategy, timelines that feel like they'll never end and then suddenly do. This session pulls back the curtain on the real publishing process, straight from the people who make it happen.
Whether you're already under contract, about to submit, or just curious what really goes on between "yes" and "on shelves" — this is the insider knowledge you need, no gatekeeping, no jargon, no guesswork.
Panellists:
Yassine Belkacemi, Deputy Publishing Director, John Murray Group
Claudine Sagoe, Senior Sales Executive, Hachette UK
Fleur Sinclair, President of the Booksellers Association, Bookshop.org Board member and owner of the award-winning Sevenoaks Bookshop
Chaired by Valentia Adarkwa-Afari and co-Chaired THRIVE Network
CONFIDENT AND KILLING IT
3pm–4pm | Workshop
Facilitator: Tiwalola Adebayo
Confidence isn't something you either have or you don't. It's a skill — one you can learn, practise, and build into the way you carry yourself every single day.
Tiwalola Adebayo is the founder of Confident and Killing It and one of the UK's leading voices on confidence and personal power. In this hands-on workshop, she goes straight at the thing most of us want to change but rarely tackle head-on: how we actually show up. In the room. In the conversation. In the moment that counts, when everyone's watching and you have one shot to own it.
Through practical exercises, honest reflection, and techniques pulled from performance psychology and real coaching practice, Tiwalola takes participants through a genuine shift — not theory, not vibes, but a real recalibration of how you understand and embody confidence.
The LIVE Murder Mystery Event:
with Faridah Àbíké-Íyímídé and Aleema Omotoni
5pm–6pm
Host: Darran Griffith
A wealthy family. A contested inheritance. A suspicious death. And a room full of potential detectives.
In this live interactive game, you are not watching the mystery—you are solving it.
Led by Faridah Àbíké-Íyímídé, bestselling author of Ace of Spades and recent chart-topping murder mystery The Heirs, the audience will step inside a deadly family drama, receive clues, uncover secrets, question what they are being told and work together to identify the killer.
Who is lying? Who had the strongest motive? And who will inherit everything if they get away with murder?
Expect twists, accusations, laughter and plenty of suspicious behaviour in one of the festival's most playful and unpredictable events.
Perfect for mystery lovers, competitive friends and anyone who has ever wanted to become the detective inside the story.
HOW I GOT MY BOOK DEAL
7pm–8pm | The real stories behind breaking into publishing
Featuring: Salma Ibrahim, William Rayfet Hunter and Musih Tedji Xaviere
Moderator: Lisa Bent
A book deal can look like one life-changing email. The reality is usually years of writing, rejection, rewriting and refusing to give up.
Salma Ibrahim, William Rayfet Hunter and Musih Tedji Xaviere each found their way into publishing through a different route. In this honest conversation, they reveal what happened before the deal: the setbacks, the breakthroughs, the lessons they learned and the decisions that finally moved their careers forward.
For aspiring writers who want the truth about what it takes to get published and what finally makes an industry professional say yes.
Frobisher Auditorium 1 | Level 4
BLACK FUTURES, BURIED TRUTHS
1pm–2pm | Kelechi Okafor and Jeffrey Boakye on power, suspense and Black imagination
What if the stories that take us beyond reality are also the sharpest tools for exposing it?
Kelechi Okafor and Jeffrey Boakye enter the thrilling space where speculative fiction, suspense and social truth collide. Here, buried histories return, imagined futures reveal present-day power, and placing Black characters at the centre transforms the entire story.
Why are genre stories so effective at confronting what society would rather conceal? What becomes possible when Black writers imagine beyond the limits of the world as it currently exists?
Expect a sharp, provocative conversation about fear, identity, resistance and the radical power of Black storytelling.
FROM ZERO TO WEALTH
3pm–4pm | How to Build Money, Assets and Financial Freedom
Featuring: Ken Okoroafor, Mary Okoroafor
Chair: Tru Powell
What if building wealth was never about earning more – but about building the right habits?
Sunday Times bestselling authors Ken and Mary Okoroafor went from starting with absolutely nothing to debt-free and financially independent in their 30s – and they're about to show you exactly how. In conversation with Tru Powell, they break down the simple, repeatable actions that turn small financial decisions into real, compounding, long-term wealth.
Expect practical strategies you can use the moment you leave the room – automating your money, building systems that work while you sleep, and closing the gap between where you are and where you actually want to be.
Whether you're climbing out of debt or trying to grow what you already have, this session hands you a clear, realistic path forward.
HOW TO TAKE OVER THE INTERNET
5pm–6pm
Panel discussion on building an audience that cannot ignore you
Featuring: Paige Lewin & Brian Kapuku (ReadWithKapz)
Chair: Claire Linney
Going viral is easy. Staying relevant is the actual game.
Paige Lewin and Brian Kapuku didn't get lucky – they built something. Across beauty, books, media and Black British culture, all they have turned a point of view into a platform people trust, return to, and act on. They know exactly what makes someone stop scrolling. More importantly, they know what makes someone stay.
This fast-paced panel goes straight behind the platforms – finding your niche before everyone else finds it too, building a voice nobody can copy, making content people actually want to share, outrunning the algorithm instead of chasing it, and turning followers into a real community with real influence.
This is the honest, practical breakdown of what it actually takes to cut through the noise – and build something the internet can't ignore.
BLACK LOVE, BUILT TO LAST
7pm–8pm
Chair: Afua Hagan
Adrian and Tara Thorpe on 20 years of connection, commitment and choosing each other.
What does it really take to love someone for more than 20 years?
Adrian and Tara Thorpe step beyond the polished version of long-term love to talk honestly about communication, intimacy, friendship, change and the daily choices that keep a relationship strong.
With warmth, humour and hard-earned insight, they explore how couples stay connected through different seasons of life, grow together without losing themselves and continue choosing one another long after the beginning.
Come alone, with a partner or with the relationship question you have never known how to ask.
Frobisher Auditorium 2 | Level 4
GIVING FLOWERS: The Women Who Built Black Publishing
1pm–2pm | Chair: Jasmine Richards
Featuring: Verna Wilkins (Tamarind Books), Bibi Bakare-Yusuf (Cassava Republic Press), Valerie Brandes (Jacaranda Books)
Before the spotlight. Before the bestseller lists. Before the industry even thought to pay attention, there were women doing the work, building the shelves, making the space.
This is a powerful, overdue celebration of the pioneers who built Black publishing in Britain from nothing. Verna Wilkins of Tamarind Books, Bibi Bakare-Yusuf of Cassava Republic Press, and Valerie Brandes of Jacaranda Books come together for a conversation about legacy, risk, and what it actually took to change an entire industry's landscape, often with no roadmap, no support, and no guarantee anyone would follow.
Come give flowers to the women who made all of this possible.
COULD YOUR BOOK BE NEXT?
3pm–4pm | Inside the new Black British Book Festival × Pan Macmillan publishing collaboration
The Black British Book Festival and Pan Macmillan are launching a groundbreaking, community-led publishing collaboration designed to discover, develop and publish exciting new voices. Unlike traditional publishing initiatives, the community will play a central role in shaping the process and helping to identify the stories it wants to see on bookshelves.
In this essential session, the team behind the collaboration will reveal exactly how the opportunity works and what they are looking for.
Who can submit? Which genres and stories are eligible? What makes a manuscript stand out? How will the community be involved? And what happens after you press send?
There will also be an opportunity to hear directly from the team and ask the questions that could strengthen your submission.
Whether your manuscript is complete, still taking shape or waiting in a folder for the right opportunity, this session will give you the clarity to take the next step.
THE GREAT SCIENCE SHOW
5pm–6pm | Live science experiments with Dame Ijeoma Uchegbu
Dame Ijeoma Uchegbu is one of the most decorated scientists in Britain – a nanotechnology pioneer, a Dame Commander of the Order of the British Empire, and someone who has spent her career using chemistry to build medicines that reach the brain and change lives. Turns out she's also extraordinarily good at making science feel like magic.
In this live, open event, Ijeoma runs real experiments in front of you – the kind that make you look at your own kitchen differently by the time you get home. Things fizz. Things react. Things that seemed ordinary suddenly aren't.
This is for curious kids and curious adults. For people who loved science at school, and for people who were told, one way or another, that they weren't the "science type." For absolutely anyone who's ever wondered how something actually works.
SEX, PLEASURE & FREEDOM
In conversation with Nana Darkoa Sekyiamah
7pm–8pm | This event is strictly 18+
Chaired by Marcelle Mateki Akita.
What happens when Black women are given the freedom to speak honestly about sex, desire and their bodies?
Nana Darkoa Sekyiamah, author of The Sex Lives of African Women, has created space for conversations too often buried beneath silence, expectation and shame.
In this bold and liberating session, Nana invites the audience to explore pleasure as a right—not something to earn, justify or apologise for. Expect honest reflection, open conversation and space for the questions we are rarely encouraged to ask out loud.
This is not a lecture. It is a room built for curiosity, honesty and freedom.
Conservatory Terrace | Level 4
PUT THE CHILD FIRST: A Toolkit for Successful Co-Parenting
1pm–2pm | Aaron Dale in conversation
Chaired by Heba Keshk.
Separation may end a relationship. It does not end the responsibility to raise a child together.
In this honest, in-depth conversation, co-parent Aaron Dale (known online as @raisingboys2men) gets into what co-parenting actually requires – high emotions, strained communication, two households trying to function as one family. How do you stop old arguments controlling new decisions? What happens when money, new partners, holidays and competing schedules all land in the same calendar?
Whether newly separated or years into it, this conversation offers a realistic framework for moving forward.
CAVE CANEM PRESENTS: THE SOUND OF BLACK BRITISH POETRY
3pm–4pm
Featuring: Raymond Antrobus, Courtney Conrad
Moderator: Rommi Smith
Two of the most distinctive voices in Black British poetry take the stage — not to talk about poems, but to read them, live, the way they were always meant to be heard.
Raymond Antrobus and Courtney Conrad bring a powerful live reading before settling into an intimate, unguarded conversation about where Black British poetry stands right now — and where it's headed next. Moderated by Rommi Smith, winner of the Northern Writers Prize for Poetry, this is three exceptional minds in the same room, going deep on language, identity, and the particular power of a poem read aloud by the person who wrote it.
Expect goosebumps before you expect answers. Expect the kind of silence a room only holds when everyone's actually listening.
WRITE IT OUT: HEALING THROUGH STORY
5pm–6pm | Workshop
Facilitator: Marcia Hutchinson
Writing can give shape to experiences we have carried silently—and sometimes help us release them.
Marcia Hutchinson, author of the Women's Prize-shortlisted The Mercy Step, leads a gentle, practical workshop exploring storytelling as a tool for reflection, clarity and emotional wellbeing.
Through guided writing exercises, participants will be invited to put their experiences onto the page in a supportive, judgment-free space.
No writing experience is needed, and nothing has to be shared. This is not about producing perfect work. It is about understanding your story—and leaving a little lighter than you arrived.
BLACK WOMEN AND THE THRILLER
7pm–8pm | Secrets, suspicion and stories that refuse to let go
Featuring: Imani Thompson, Leodora Darlington and Yemi Dipeolu
Chair: Fee Mak
The perfect marriage. The respectable family. The friend who knows too much. Behind every closed door, someone is hiding something.
Imani Thompson, Leodora Darlington and Yemi Dipeolu know how to create the kind of thriller that steals your sleep, destroys your theories and makes you question every character on the page.
In this fast-paced and wickedly entertaining conversation, they reveal how suspense is built, secrets are planted and twists are hidden in plain sight. Where do their darkest ideas come from? How do you create a narrator readers cannot trust? And how do you construct a lie so convincing that the audience willingly falls for it?
Come ready to talk theories, betrayals and the fictional crimes you never saw coming.
Level G
HEARTLESS CREW
3.15pm–4pm | Level G Freestage
Legendary UK garage and grime pioneers Heartless Crew bring a full-throttle 45-minute set to the Level G Freestage – a shot of pure sound-system energy in the middle of the festival's biggest afternoon slots.
Free to all Festival Pass holders passing through Level G Foyer.
MARKETPLACE
Open 1pm–7pm in the Level G Foyer
Step into a vibrant hub of culture, creativity, and community. With live entertainment, DJ sets, and interactive brand activations, the marketplace is a celebration of Black heritage, featuring rare and self-published books, handcrafted goods, and one-of-a-kind cultural experiences.
Free entry. No ticket required. Just bring your curiosity.
Children's Events | Level G
Fountain Room + Foyer (Level G)
RASTA GRANNY'S RAINBOW
1pm–1.30
Storytime with Jessica Wilson
Age recommendation: ages 3–7 and their families
Can Granny's delicious Jamaican cooking turn Dylan's gloomy day into a rainbow? Join award-winning poet and author Jessica Wilson for a joyful, interactive reading of Rasta Granny's Rainbow—a colourful celebration of Jamaican food, family and love. Children will discover red ackee, orange plantain and a rainbow of tasty ingredients as they guess the next colour, join in with the story and explore the foods that make Granny's kitchen so special. Expect storytelling, laughter and plenty of delicious imagination.
MAYA & MARLEY: THE FRIENDSHIP ADVENTURE
2pm–2.30pm
Interactive storytime with Laura Henry-Allain MBE
Age recommendation: ages 3–7 and their families
Join award-winning author and creator of JoJo & Gran Gran, Laura Henry-Allain MBE, for a joyful reading of Maya & Marley and the New Friend, a warm story about kindness, confidence and making everyone feel welcome. Through storytelling, movement and audience participation, children will help Maya and Marley welcome a shy new visitor to Grove Adventure Playground. They will then become "Friendship Builders", creating a badge or character inspired by the qualities that make a brilliant friend—from kindness and bravery to sharing and fun.
KID REX TO THE RESCUE!
3pm–3.30pm
Superhero storytelling and character creation with Mayo Agard-Olubo & Diane Ewen
Age recommendation: ages 4–8 and their families
An ordinary bedroom. An extraordinary mission. One superhero with unstoppable dinosaur powers. Join prize-winning author Mayo Agard-Olubo and bestselling illustrator Diane Ewen for a lively, imaginative session inspired by Kid Rex to the Rescue. Children will meet Max, discover how his messy bedroom becomes an action-packed world of sea dragons, rolling robots and a dust bunny army, and help Kid Rex save Toy Town. Through storytelling, drawing and creative play, children will invent their own superhero character, choosing their powers, gadgets and mission.
SPOOKY STORIES FROM THE CARIBBEAN
4pm–4.30pm
Interactive storytelling with Ashley Thorpe
Age recommendation: ages 7+ and their families
Are you brave enough to hear the stories that come out after dark? Join Ashley Thorpe for a lively storytelling adventure filled with mysterious creatures, strange sounds and spooky tales from the Caribbean. Meet the Soucouyant, the Ligahoo and other legendary characters as Ashley brings these traditional stories to life with humour, drama and just the right amount of fright. Children can listen, react, join in and test how brave they really are.
SHAKE YOUR BANGLE! CARNIVAL PARADE
5pm–5.30pm
With Dean Atta
Get ready to dance, jingle and celebrate! Join award-winning author and poet Dean Atta for an uplifting, interactive storytelling session celebrating his vibrant picture book Auntie's Bangles.
Starting with a reading straight from the pages of Auntie's Bangles, the session builds into a joyful, music-filled parade, think dancing, jingling bangles, and confetti flying everywhere. It's storytelling like you've never experienced it: loud, colourful and full of heart.
Back of Curve Gallery (Level G)
ONCE UPON A REMIX: Goldilocks Storytime and Crafts
1.15pm–1.45pm
Interactive story time and craft with Ella McLeod
Age recommendation: ages 4–10 and their families
Every child deserves to see themselves as the hero of the story. Join author Ella McLeod for a joyful session inspired by Goldilocks, celebrating confidence, imagination and the magic of being exactly who you are. After an interactive reading, children will design and decorate their own crown using the colours, shapes and symbols that represent them. All materials are provided, and every child will leave wearing a crown that is completely their own.
SAVE THE PLANET!
2.15pm–2.45pm
A music, movement and storytelling adventure with Love Ssega
Age recommendation: ages 6–11 and their families
Can you help save the planet? Join Love Ssega for a fun, action-packed adventure filled with music, movement and storytelling. Children will become planet heroes, make choices, solve challenges and use their imaginations to help protect the world around them. They will discover that small actions can make a big difference—and that no one is too young to help.
THE BIG "I CAN!" CHALLENGE
3.15pm–3.45pm
A fun confidence-building event with Kimberly Whittam
Age recommendation: ages 8–14
Have you ever been told you are too young, too different or not good enough? In this fun, interactive workshop, Kimberly Whittam helps young people turn "I can't" into "I can." Through stories, games and confidence-building activities, children will discover their strengths, challenge unhelpful labels and learn how to keep going when someone doubts them. They will leave with practical tools, a stronger belief in themselves and their own personal "I Can" statement.
JOURNEY: THE BLACK BRITISH PUPPET SHOW
4.15pm–4.45pm
Created and performed by Delvene Pitt
Age recommendation: a family show for ages 5–11
Meet Josephine — a girl with a school project and a problem. Every "inspiring role model" she's handed looks nothing like her. So, with her unlikely sidekick Mr. Moors in tow, she sets off on a time-travelling hunt through history to find the Black British heroes the textbooks left out.
What follows is puppetry at its most joyful: vibrant characters, original songs, and a story that turns history into an adventure. Created by puppeteer Delvene Pitt, this interactive musical brings Black British history to life for the whole family — funny, heartfelt, and impossible to sit still through.
HOW TO PUBLISH A CHILDREN'S BOOK
5.15pm–6.15pm
A Penguin Masterclass | Panel Event
Everyone has an idea for a children's book. Almost nobody knows how to actually get one published.
In this practical, insider panel, Penguin brings you behind the curtain of children's publishing from the first spark of an idea to a finished book on the shelf. What do editors actually look for? How do you find an agent who believes in your story? What separates a manuscript that gets picked up from the hundreds that don't? And once you have a deal, what does the process from acquisition to publication day actually look like?
Whether you're working on your first picture book, sitting on a half-finished manuscript, or just curious how the industry really works, this panel gives you the real, unfiltered path not the version you find in a Google search.
The panel includes: Joe Marriott, Tọlá Okogwu, Davinia Andrew-Lynch and Chair: Dr Lesley Nelson-Addy.
Please note that this event is not a children's event.
Mixed: More Than Half or Mixed: Finding the Right Words?
6.45pm–7.45pm
Emma Slade Edmondson in conversation about growing up mixed-race in Britain.
Age recommendation: for adults, parents, carers, educators and families with children aged 9+
Chair: Claire Linney
What does it mean to grow up mixed-race in Britain without the language, books or representation to fully understand your identity?
Using her book Mixed as the starting point, Emma Slade Edmondson reflects on childhood, family, belonging and the pressure to explain or divide who you are.
She explores what she wishes she had been given when she was younger, how those experiences shaped her, and what parents, carers and educators can now offer the next generation.
An honest conversation about identity, representation and raising children who know they are never half of anything.