Fantastic worlds, amazing stories!


Rob Green Editor rob.green@cilip.org.uk


INSPIRATION CAN come in many forms and from many places, but “being an inspiration” is not always something you choose or want. This Spring Summer issue of Pen&inc. looks at how different perspectives view inspiration.


James and Lucy Catchpole share their views on disability and why attaching labels – whether inspirational or pitying can be damaging and a burden. They are strong advocates for own-voice stories and warn of the dangers in writing characters that are based on tropes.


Author SF Said looks at creative inspiration, both for himself and his readers. He makes a powerful argument for reading as a creative spark as he speaks about his latest book, Tyger.


And that creativity is amplified by SF’s long-term illustrative collaborator Dave McKean, who is responsible for giving some of his best loved characters a visual life. Dave talks about how his inspiration comes from the variety of his work – stretching across theatre, TV and films, books and comics.


We also hear from the author and illustrator behind a new picture book that looks at how actions can inspire change, through the pages of Na’ima B. Robert’s A Child Like You. Nadine Kaadan illustrates the book, and talks about her own creative process and the impact of memories on her visual storytelling.


Manisha Tailor is a trailblazer in her own chosen field, as one of the first women working as a coach in professional football club (QPR), as well as one of the few people of South Asian Heritage in the game. Dream Like Me looks at more stories of South Asian trailblazers in football and highlights the positives that come from overcoming challenge.


We hear from publishers Sonya McGilchrist (Dinosaur Books) and Alice Curry (Lantana) about their journeys as publishers giving voice to under-represented authors, illustrators and stories. Lantana is approaching its 10th anniversary and Dinosaur Books has just part- nered with Formy Books and Parakeet Books to create a new joint venture – Strength in Stories.


We also hear from Diverse Book Award winner Benjamin Dean, who talks about taking the plunge as a full time author and writing the books he would have wanted to read as a child.


As always, we hope you enjoy this issue of Pen&inc. and look forward to our next issue, which will be out in autumn.


Spring Summer 2023


PEN&INC. 3


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