DIGITAL ONLY

Friday 15 October, 18:00-19:00 (BST)
Venue: Crowdcast
Tickets: FREE/£2/£5/£10 (Pay What You Can)

With Patrice Lawrence, Dorcas Magbadelo and Leah Boleto.

Listen to stories of family, friendship, laughter, magic and peril from Happy Here.

Come and listen to stories that make you laugh, cry and be curious. Joining the panel are Happy Here contributors Patrice Lawrence (author) and Dorcas Magbadelo (illustrator) with former CBBC and Newsround presenter Leah Boleto. You will have a chance to ask questions about writing, drawing and the stories you enjoyed hearing about! Suitable for 11 years +.

Here’s what you need to know about Happy Here:

Exploring themes of joy, home and family through a wide range of genres and styles, each author has been paired with a different illustrator to spotlight Black British artistic talent.

Published by inclusive publisher Knights Of, Happy Here is an anthology for middle grade readers featuring stories and poems by 10 Black British authors illustrated by 10 Black British illustrators. The anthology includes an introduction from bestselling author Sharna Jackson.

Here’s what you need to know about the speakers:

Award winning journalist and Presenter Leah Boleto is well known for being the face of Newsround for over 11 years. She’s travelled the world from Japan to Brazil. However, having recently embarked on an exciting freelance career you can catch Leah as a friendly face on 5 News on Channel 5. Leah is busy being a mum to Enzo and Lucia and currently writing a children’s book about sleep.

Patrice Lawrence MBE is an award-winning writer. She has won the Bookseller YA Prize, Waterstones Prize for Older Children’s Fiction, the Crimefest YA Prize twice, the inaugural Jhalak Prize for Children and Young People and the Woman and Home Bookclub Teen YA Award. Patrice worked for more than 20 years in the not-for-profit sector promoting social justice and equality.

Dorcas Magbadelo is the illustrator and product designer behind the brand DorcasCreates.

She creates uplifting and bold products that center and celebrate Black women. Her pieces are vibrant and colourful; capturing Black womanhood and Black girl joy. A self-taught artist with a mission to inspire and empower through her work, Dorcas draws inspiration from the Black women she encounters in her daily life and places them center stage in her artwork.

Image (L-R): Happy Here anthology cover, Patrice Lawrence, Dorcas Magbadelo and Leah Boleto