Fantastic worlds, amazing stories!
Rob Green Editor
rob.green@
cilip.org.uk
THIS ISSUE of Pen&inc. went to the printers at the end of Autism Acceptance month, which takes place every April. And we’re delighted to be able to support it in our own way by hearing from some fantastic authors who are creating neurodiverse characters that move beyond caricature - putting them in stories that excite and delight readers.
In a deeply personal piece, Lizzie Huxley-Jones, creator of the Vivi Conway series shares their experience of being bullied at school, being diagnosed as autistic in adulthood and how stories have been a salvation – both as a reader and as a writer.
Elle McNicoll’s debut novel, A Kind of Spark, nearly didn’t make it beyond her own personal writing, but when an opportunity arose she grasped it was both hands, helping to raise awareness of neurodiversity and nuerodivergent talent at the same time. Both Elle and Lizzie share a love of the stories and folklore from their homelands (Scotland and Wales, respectively) and both have incorporated those traditional tales into their own work.
Artist Yu Rong appears on our cover for a second time, having originally graced the front on our very first issue. We didn’t have a chance to speak to her then, but have been fortunate to catch up with her for this issue. She talks about how her work is rooted in traditional techniques and the nature she grew up with in China. Among her recent books, she has illustrated The Boy Who Loves to Lick Wind about an autistic boy and his brother based on Author Fiona Carswell’s own sons.
Poetry also features strongly in this issue, with a reminder from Waterstones Children’s Laureate Joseph Coelho that poems should be shared out loud as much as possible. And as well as speaking to Joseph, we also hear from the talented young poets who have been working with him on the Spin anthology.
We also hear from poet Joshua Siegal whose own poems touch on his neurodivergence, and also include a heavy dose of humour. He talks about how poetry can be a gateway for reluctant readers, saying: “I think there is a poem out there for everyone.“
Chitra Soundar talks to us about her own author journey and how growing up India “surrounded by oral storytellers, theatre makers and the Tamil movie world” helped shape her writing.
Don’t forget, you can help support our work and receive a print edition of our next edition by taking out a subscription for your school or library. You can find out more and read back issues of Pen&inc. at
www.cilip.org.uk/penandinc.
As always, we hope you enjoy this issue of Pen&inc. and look forward to our next issue, which will be out in Autumn 2024.
Spring Summer 2024 PEN&INC. 3
First edition of Pen&Inc. in 2019 featuring Yu Rong’s artwork.
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