The writer is an explorer. Every step is an advance into a new land. ~Ralph Waldo Emerson

Of The Empire We will be known as a culture that feared death and adored power, that tried to vanquish insecurity for the few and cared little for the penury of the many. We will be known as a culture that taught and rewarded the amassing of things, that spoke little if at all about the quality of life for people (other people), for dogs, for rivers. All the world, in our eyes, they will say, was a commodity. And they will say that this structure was held together politically, which it was, and they will say also that our politics was no more than an apparatus to accommodate the feelings of the heart, and that the heart, in those days, was small, and hard, and full of meanness. - Mary Oliver

God this poem is haunting me again.

I believe this is a golden age of children's literature. There are books being published today that will shape the minds of generations; life-changing books whose readers will change the world. There really is a book for EVERYONE now - if we can just help every reader find those books!

Someone said to me, "I'm sorry but I got your book from a library." Nobody should ever apologise for that. You read my book! That's brilliant! I grew up hanging out in libraries and the idea of a world without them fills me with dread. Without libraries, authors, like readers, will only suffer.

a welcome plague on all my bookshelves!! 😜🤦🏾‍♀️📚

Writing Timbuktu: The Book in West African History by Shamil Jeppie

The long overlooked, centuries-long, culture of the book in West Africa.

Writing Timbuktu by Shamil Jeppie is now available worldwide!

Learn more and order yours: press.princeton.edu/books/hardco...

#History #ReadUP

Such an amazing trailblazing achievement! 🙌🏽

So many amazing authors here ☺️ Ooh, I can see Augmented by Kenechi Udogu here 👀 😊

Graphic with logo on top with text in white and book jackets for longlisted books for the three awards below

My proudest achievement is building a book family that powers this prize

In 10 years, Jhalak Prize has grown from a single prize to a portfolio of 3 awards:
1. Jhalak Children’s & Young Adult Prize,
2. Jhalak Poetry Prize
3. Jhalak Prose Prize
BEHOLD THIS EXCELLENCE!

#jhalakprizeat10

Thanks ☺️

Love this!! ☺️ Hope you also get to cover ancient and precolonial history, especially what's not in school textbooks that often forget the cool and impactful histories of Africa and Asia

I've been shortlisted for the Historical Novel Society's 2026 First Chapters Competition in the Children's and YA category!! ☺️ 🖋️ 📖

Thanks to the judges and congratulations to my fellow authors 👏🏽 🎉 #historicalfiction #kidlit

For my fellow writer friends, read the great comments for Louie's post to get some good editing tips! ✍️ 💻 ⬇️

Lack of diversity among curriculum drafters ‘deeply concerning’ Open letter with nearly 100 signatories calls for a ‘more diverse range’ of drafters to write the new national curriculum, warning there is a risk of ‘narrow’ content

The government should review those chosen to draft the new national curriculum because the list has a ‘deeply concerning lack of diversity’, according to an open letter with nearly 100 signatories

🔥👏🏽🔥

Revealing the longlist for the #Carnegies2026 Medal for Writing! 🏅✒️

Highlighting diversity and community, these 19 works span from humorous narratives and creative reimaginings to artfully using history to explore identity and relationships . 💫📖

https://carnegies.co.uk/2026-longlists-announced/

Graphic featuring Rashmi Sirdeshpande and a note to say Proud to be an EmpathyLab ambassador

Photo collage of 9 empathylab ambassadors

As a long-term supporter of EmpathyLab’s work to raise an empathy-educated generation through books and reading, I’m super proud to be an official EmpathyLab ambassador. Here’s to giving time and energy to things that make a difference. #kidlituk #ukkidlit

@empathylabuk.bsky.social

Sophie Anderson returns to the world of The House with Chicken Legs with the sequel

ICYMI: Those two journeys, of grief and growing independence, have evolved for me… I have something else to say now that I didn’t back then, says Sophie Anderson in our recent interview 👇 #BookSky

Fabulous news, Gita! Congratulations 🙌🏽 👏🏽

Over a 100 authors left the event in solidarity, and Louise Adler - longstanding director of the event - resigned along with them leaving this statement (Guardian) we should all pay attention to 👀 🔊

What jumps out for me is: "We need writers more than ever" and "AWW is the canary in the coalmine."

The thing that depresses me in the whole AI revolution in my industry (I’m a literary translator and publisher) is that the question is not whether machines can replace human translators, but how will we deal with the fallout after machines are forcibly introduced regardless.

✨✨✨ HUGE NEWS!!!! ✨✨✨ Authorfy is going to be an official resource for the National Year of Reading 2026 & the whole platform will be FREE for the entire year.

🎥 13,000+ hours’ worth of author videos - FREE!
📖 Thousands of resources & activity packs - FREE!
📚 Hundreds of book extracts - FREE!

😭 this is exactly what I'm doing right now 🥹

This is winter in #Gaza.

People are facing a third winter of cold temperatures, torrential rain and heavy winds after being repeatedly forcibly displaced.

Conditions have destroyed and flooded the makeshift shelters people are living in.

My childhood best friend, a doctor, has set up a project to get kids who need urgent specialist medical care, out of Gaza, to get the help they need. They're crowdfunding here: www.purehope.co.uk

You will face many defeats in life.
But never let yourself be defeated.
~ Maya Angelou

Unsolicited writing advice, no. 71616:
If you're struggling to stay creative during the dark part of the year, go back to what you love. Re-read, re-watch, rediscover old favourites. Remind yourself why you're doing this. Find your joy.

Families of Palestine Action hunger strikers seek urgent meeting with Lammy Justice secretary urged to ‘show a bit of humanity’ with protesters severely ill after refusing food for weeks

Families of Palestine Action hunger strikers seek urgent meeting with Lammy:

www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2025...

Second this! Especially for those who are very particular with their reading choices 😉 😂 What's also very cool is these tokens cover indie booksellers and @bookshop.org too! 👏🏽 🙌🏽

Here are almost 40 of my favourite #MiddleGrade reads for 2025.

A fantastic range from wild fantasy, to gritty realism, historical adventures and more than a few scares. What a brilliant year its been for children’s books