Event overview
Journeying through Grief - âLet the Light Inâ by Jenny Downham and Louis Hill & âOne Dayâ by Michael Rosen and illustrated by Benjamin Phillips
Professor Michael Rosen will be in conversation with Jenny Downham and Louis Hill about their new YA novel, âLet the Light Inâ which has been praised as an extraordinary book, tenderly told. Michael Rosen will also be talking about how he came to write his new picturebook, âOne Dayâ, and talk to the illustrator, Benjamin Phillips about the process of illustrating his story.
âLet the Light Inâ is a searing, powerful, ultimately uplifting exploration of journeying through grief. Leah and Charlieâs world shattered when their dad died â and theyâre handling their grief in very different ways. This astounding, compulsive novel explores love, power, money, art, and asks: what really matters in the end?
âOne Dayâ is a poignant and ultimately uplifting picture book based on a true story of escape from a convoy to Auschwitz. âGet through one day and then on to the next. One day at a time. One day after another.â With powerful illustrations from Benjamin Phillips, this sensitive true-story picture book reminds us of the best of people, in the worst of times.
About the Authors of âLet the Light Inâ:
Jenny Downham's first novel, âBefore I Dieâ, is an international bestseller. It won the Branford Boase Award, the Australian Silver Inky Award for best international novel, was shortlisted for the Guardian Children's Fiction Prize and made into the blockbuster film, âNow Is Goodâ. Her fourth novel, âFurious Thingâ, was shortlisted for the YA Book Prize and the Costa Book Awards. Jenny is an Associate Lecturer in Creative Writing for Children/Young Adults at Goldsmiths.
Louis Hill is a writer and actor. As an actor, his credits include a wide variety of stage, screen and voiceover work. As a writer, he has written a number of plays and short films including his one-man show, âLove & Tigersâ, which opened to sell-out audiences and 5-star reviews at the Hen and Chickens theatre. His short stories have been featured in publications. âLet the Light Inâ is his debut novel.
About the author of âOne Dayâ
Michael Rosen is one of Britainâs best loved writers and performance poets for children and adults. He is currently Professor of Childrenâs Literature at 51șÚÁÏÍű where he co-devised and teaches critical approaches to reading on an MA in Childrenâs Literature. He was the Childrenâs Laureate from 2007-2009 and has published over 200 books for children and adults.
About the illustrator of âOne Dayâ
Benjamin Phillips is an illustrator, artist and author. He creates ceramics, drawings and paintings. He illustrated the graphic novel âAlte Zachenâ written by Ziggy Hanaor (2022) and shortlisted for the Yoto Carnegie Medal for Illustration in 2023. He won the âIllustration for Childrenâ category and overall prize of the Moira Gemmill Illustrator of the Year 2024 at the V&A Illustration Awards.
Dates & times
| Date | Time | Add to calendar |
|---|---|---|
| 17 Jan 2025 | 6:00pm - 8:00pm |
Accessibility
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