We’re coming towards the end of 2024 and Megaphone is going into a quiet period over Christmas and New Year. In 2023 – 2024, thanks to funding from ALCS and Arts Council England (National Lottery Project Grants) we’ve delivered the following
– 36 events for our Megaphone writing community:
- 12 career and craft workshops and panels led by children’s authors of colour
- 12 Book Clubs led by highly experienced children’s editor Stephanie King
- 12 Open Door Q&As with editors, agents, publishing professionals also hosted by Stephanie King
(Remember, if you’re a member of Megaphone Community, recordings are available to watch on the Band forum).
– Meet the Mentee: a networking event for our mentees to meet editors and agents, at the CLPE Literacy Library, in collaboration with All Stories mentoring.
– 8 mentees writing fantastic books for all ages with mentoring from published authors
– 6 tailored workshops for the mentees: covering key skills for children’s writers, including Building an author brand and What to expect: life after the mentorship
We’re also delighted at the success of former mentees this year – Nazima Pathan’s stunning DREAM HUNTERS was published, with a sequel due next year, Iqbal Hussain has continued to do brilliantly in adult writing with some children’s books news in the pipeline, Munira Jannath was recognised in the Fab prize, Joyce Efia Harmer’s critically acclaimed HOW FAR WE’VE COME came out in paperback in March, Danielle Jawando goes from strength to strength with IF MY WORDS HAD WINGS out in May 2024 – hope I’ve not forgotten anyone!
I’d especially like to thank Stephanie King and Avantika Taneja for their fantastic work supporting our writers – and also, warmly thank everyone who has given their time to help emerging children’s and YA authors of colour, especially our mentors, our workshop leaders, and the editors and agents who were on our judging panel and those who gave their time to Open Door. You are all wonderful!
2024 was notable for the Reflecting Realities report, which showed we still seem stuck in cycles of boom and bust when it comes to representing children in their literature. We have to move past this, to a more sustainable, consistent, sensible approach. When Megaphone first started, fewer than 2% of children’s authors were British people of colour. Only 1% of the children’s books published in the UK in 2017 had a Black, Asian or Minority Ethnic main character. Yet this work – getting children’s literature to do better for the children it’s meant for – had already been going on for decades. In 2025, we will be looking at how Megaphone should be in the future, but also at how we can learn from the past so we don’t keep repeating our work.
In the meantime, we hope you get the chance for some rest and recuperation – or energising fun! – over the winter break. See you in 2025!
– Leila Rasheed