An Updated (but still incomplete) List of British BAME Authors for Children & Young People

This list is no longer being updated, please visit the UK BAME Authors & Illustrators page for an updated easier to use version

*last updated 10 February 2020*

When the list of books for the 20th anniversary of World Book Day in 2017 was released it was notable for being lily-white. I was surprised that a day purporting to celebrate books across the world was limited to authors that are from a small part of it and decided to take a look at British authors for children and young people in the UK that have a BAME (Black, Asian, and minority ethnic) heritage. While putting the list together I was helped in this endeavour by a number of brilliant friends and colleagues on twitter and facebook.

This list is not complete so if you have suggestions for more authors (*and edited to include illustrators) or if you are an author or illustrator with a BAME heritage then please do let me know in the comments beneath this post.

Sophia Acheampong

http://www.lovereading4kids.co.uk/author/Sophia-Acheampong/gd/Sophia-Acheampong.html

Dapo Adeola

https://www.facebook.com/DapsDraws/

@DapsDraws

Ade Adepitan
https://www.johnnoel.com

@AdeAdepitan

John Agard
https://literature.britishcouncil.org/writer/john-agard

Shweta Aggarwal
http://devandollie.com

@devandollie

Patrice Aggs
http://www.patriceaggs.com

@patriceaggs

Sufiya Ahmed
https://mbalit.co.uk/client/sufiya-ahmed/

@sufiyaahmed

Mehrdokht Amini

http://childrensillustrators.com/illustrator/mehrdokht1976/portfolio

Hamza Arshad

https://www.penguin.co.uk/authors/134114/humza-arshad.html

@HamzaProduction

Atinuke
http://atinuke-author.weebly.com

http://www.walker.co.uk/contributors/Atinuke-12281.aspx

Dean Atta

https://sites.google.com/site/deanatta/

@DeanAtta

Yaba Badoe
https://www.facebook.com/Yaba-Badoe-118504861506100

@yaba-badoe

Rebecca Barrow
http://www.rebecca-barrow.com

@RebeccaKBarrow

Mary Florence Bello
https://bellapoetry.wordpress.com

@MissBelloTweets

Floella Benjamin
http://www.floellabenjamin.com/

@FloellaBenjamin

Jasbinder Bilan

@jasinbath

Malorie Blackman
https://www.malorieblackman.co.uk

@malorieblackman

Akemi Dawn Bowman
http://www.akemidawnbowman.com/

https://twitter.com/akemidawn

Sita Brahmachari
http://www.sitabrahmachari.com

@SitaBrahmachari

Nathan Bryon

https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/606265/rocket-says-look-up-by-nathan-bryon-illustrated-by-dapo-adeola/9781984894427/

@NathanBryon
Aisha Bushby
https://www.egmont.co.uk/blog/egmont-pockets-debit-from-rising-star-aisha-bushby/

@aishabushby

Tanya Byrne
http://tanyabyrne.com

@tanyabyrne

Sarwat Chadda

@sarwatchadda

Maisie Chan

@MaisieWrites

https://www.maisiechan.com/

Kandace Chimbiri

http://www.goldendestiny.co.uk/index.php

@knchimbiri

Joseph Coelho
http://www.thepoetryofjosephcoelho.com

@PoetryJoe

Ellie Daines
http://www.elliedaines.com

@chirpywriter

Narinder Dhami
https://www.narinderdhami.com/

@narinderd

Casey Elisha

http://caseyelishabooks.com

@celishabooks

Nizrana Farook

https://www.facebook.com/NizRite/

@nizrite

Jamila Gavin
http://www.jamilagavin.co.uk

Rohan Gavin
http://rohangavin.com

Kereen Getten

https://www.instagram.com/kezywrites/

@KereenGetten

Candy Gourlay
https://www.candygourlay.com

@candygourlay

Lorraine Gregory

https://www.lorrainegregoryauthor.co.uk/

@authorontheedge

Swapna Haddow
http://swapnahaddow.co.uk

@SwapnaHaddow

Davina Hamilton 

https://www.davinahamilton.com/ 

@davina_writes

Sam Hepburn (see Sam Osman)

Ashley Hinds

https://www.ashleyhindswhdb.com/

@ashleyhindswhdb

Polly Ho-Yen
https://pollyhoyen.com

@bookhorse

Konnie Huq

https://www.thebookseller.com/news/konnie-huq-pen-series-piccadilly-press-747021

@Konnie_Huq

Yasmeen Ismail
https://www.yasmeenismail.co.uk

@YasmeenMay

Sharna Jackson

@sharnajackson

Danielle Jawando

@DanielleJawando

Catherine Johnson
http://www.catherinejohnson.co.uk

@catwrote

Mariam K
http://www.lounge-books.com/contributors/2017/6/20/mariam-k

@helloIammariam

Nadine Kaadan
http://nadinekaadan.com/

@Nadinekaadan

Savita Kalhan
http://www.savitakalhan.com

@savitakalhan

Peter Kalu
http://www.peterkalu.com

@peterkalu

Muhammad Khan
http://www.holroydecartey.com/muhammed-khan.html

@mkhanauthor

Patrice Lawrence
https://patricelawrence.wordpress.com

@LawrencePatrice

Ayisha Malik
https://www.petersfraserdunlop.com/clients/ayisha-malik/

@Ayisha_Malik

Sangu Mandanna
https://sangumandanna.com

@sangumandanna

Manjeet Mann

https://www.manjeetmann.com/

@ManjeetMann

Irfan Master
http://irfanmaster.com

@Irfan_Master

Taran Matharu
http://authortaranmatharu.com

@TaranMatharu1

Zanim Mian
http://www.sweetapplebooks.com

@Zendibble

Kiran Millwood Hargrave

http://www.kiranmillwoodhargrave.co.uk

@Kiran_MH

Poonam Mistry
https://www.poonam-mistry.com/

@pmistryartist

Rita Phillips Mitchell

http://booksforkeeps.co.uk/member/rita-phillips-mitchell

Stefan Mohamed
http://stefmo.co.uk/wp/

@stefmowords

Nick Mohammed

https://www.penguin.co.uk/puffin/authors/nick-mohammed/130313/

@nickmohammed

Wilf Morgan
https://sites.google.com/site/88talesv3/

@wilf007

Millie Murray
https://www.rlf.org.uk/fellowships/millie-murray/

Natasha Ngan
http://girlinthelens.com

@girlinthelens
Grace Nichols
https://www.poetryarchive.org/poet/grace-nichols

Tola Okogwu

http://tolaokogwu.com

@TolaOkogwu

Richard Rai O’Neill
https://richardthestoryteller.weebly.com/
@therroneill

Sam Osman
http://www.samosmanbooks.com

http://www.samhepburnbooks.com/

Serena Patel

@SerenaKPatel

Anna Perera
http://www.annaperera.com

@annaperera1

Smriti Prasadam-Halls
http://www.smriti.co.uk

@SmritiPH

Yasmin Rahman

@yasminwithane

Bali Rai
http://www.balirai.co.uk/home

@balirai

Leila Rasheed
https://leilarasheeddotcom.wordpress.com

@LeilaR

Onjali Q. Rauf

@onjalirauf

Jasmine Richards
https://www.jasminerichards.com

Na’ima B Robert

@NaimaBRobert

SF Said
http://www.sfsaid.com

@whatSFSaid

Annabelle Sami

https://www.andlyn.co.uk/annabelle-sami

@annabellesami

London Shah

http://www.londonshah.com

@London_Shah

Alom Shaha
http://alomshaha.com

@alomshaha

Alexandra Sheppard

@alexsheppard

Emma Shevah
https://emmashevah.com

@emmashevah

Nadia Shireen
https://www.nadiashireen.org

@NadiaShireen

Nikesh Shukla
http://www.nikesh-shukla.com

@nikeshshukla

Ranjit Singh
https://www.lantanapublishing.com/ranjit-singh/

@RanjittheAuthor

Rashmi Sirdeshpande

https://rashmisirdeshpande.com/

@RashmiWriting

Emma Smith-Barton

@AmnaKhokher

Chitra Soundar
www.chitrasoundar.com/

@csoundar

Malaika Rose Stanley

http://www.malaikarosestanley.com

Tasha Suri
https://tashasuri.com/

https://twitter.com/tashadrinkstea

Tabitha Suzuma
http://www.tabithasuzuma.com

@TabithaSuzuma

Meera Syal
https://literature.britishcouncil.org/writer/meera-syal

@MeeraSyal

Alex Wheatle
https://literature.britishcouncil.org/writer/alex-wheatle

@brixtonbard

Nadine Wild-Palmer
https://www.pushkinpress.com/product/the-tunnels-below/
https://twitter.com/NadineWildPalm

Verna Wilkins
http://www.gov.gd/articles/spiceword/bios/verna_wilkins.html

Ken Wilson-Max
http://www.kenwilsonmax.com

@kenwilsonmax

Benjamin Zephaniah
https://benjaminzephaniah.com

@BZephaniah

Publishers

Dinosaur Books

Dinosaur Books is an independent publisher that produces books for children aged 5 – 14. They aim to publish stories for young readers that combine exciting, page turning adventure with ideas that encourage readers to think.

Lantana Publishing

Lantana Publishing is a young, independent publishing house producing award-winning picture books for children. Lantana’s mission is to select outstanding writing from around the world, working with prize-winning authors and illustrators from many countries, while at the same time nurturing new writing talent.

Knights Of

Knights Of publishes commercial children’s fiction – distributed through the UK, Ireland and Europe. We’re all about hiring as widely, and as diversely as possible, to make sure the books we publish give windows into as many worlds as possible – from what’s on the page all the way to sales copy.

Alanna Max

We are passionate about children’s books and we believe everyone loves a good story! However, some children struggle to find books in which they see themselves and their experiences. So at Alanna Books, we aim to produce stories that are naturally inclusive of a wide range of people and experiences – so ALL children can enjoy them.

Tamarind Press

Tamarind Books was founded by Verna Wilkins in 1987 with the mission of redressing the balance of diversity in children’s publishing. Over twenty years later, the world has changed but the problem is still very relevant today. And so, Tamarind still exists to put diversity ‘in the picture’.

Hope Road Publishing

HopeRoad Publishing is an exciting, independent publisher, vigorously supporting voices too often neglected by the mainstream. We are promoters of literature with a special focus on Africa, Asia and the Caribbean. At the heart of our publishing is the love of outstanding writing from writers you, the reader, would have otherwise missed.

Cassava Pepublic Press

Our mission is to change the way we all think about African writing. We think that contemporary African prose should be rooted in African experience in all its diversity, whether set in filthy-yet-sexy megacities such as Lagos or Kinshasa, in little-known rural communities, in the recent past or indeed the near future. We also think the time has come to build a new body of African writing that links writers across different times and spaces.

Tiny Owl

An independent publishing company committed to producing beautiful, original books for children. Established in 2015, our energy and passion stems from our belief that stories act as bridges – providing pathways to new experiences whilst connecting us to here and there. Our stories are visually rich and conceptually meaningful. They give children unique perspectives on universal themes such as love, friendship and freedom and a greater awareness of the diverse and colourful world we live in. We have a range of books from Iranian authors and illustrators including two beautiful tales by Rumi and one from The Book of Kings. We are also developing a programme of intercultural projects, pairing authors and illustrators from around the globe.

Fire Tree Books

Building on the powerful legacy of Verna Wilkins’ 30 years in the industry, Firetree books is expanding, updating and refreshing important messages for a new audience in today’s diverse classrooms and homes.
Firetree presents unselfconscious representations of all children. Our books aim to inspire and entertain readers by depicting the diversity and lives of children in our shrinking, inter-dependent world.

Jacaranda Books

Jacaranda Books Art Music Ltd is a fresh and exciting new independent publishing house based in London. We publish adult fiction and non-fiction, including illustrated books, which cross linguistic, racial, gender and cultural boundaries – books in many ways as cosmopolitan as our city.

A list of inclusive publishers compiled by Chitra Soundar: http://picturebookden.blogspot.co.uk/2018/02/inclusive-indie-publishers-by-chitra.html?m=1

The Jhalak Prize

The prize is unique in that it will be accepting entries published in the UK in 2016 by a writer of colour. This will include (and not be limited to) fiction, non-fiction, short story, graphic novel, poetry, children’s books, YA, teen and all genres. The prize will also be open to self-published writers. The aim is the find the best writers of colour in the country.

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4 Thoughts on “An Updated (but still incomplete) List of British BAME Authors for Children & Young People

  1. Pingback: Reading - shebcollib | Pearltrees

  2. Nicky Potter on September 19, 2016 at 10:58 am said:

    I’d like to recommend Holly Sterling, Chitra Soundar and Prof Raman Prinja

  3. Hi Matt – Otter-Barry Books & Lantana Publishing are new imprints promoting diverse books.

  4. Thanks for this brilliant list. I will put a link to it on the Megaphone website if that’s OK and hopefully lots more people will add names. So hard to think of off the top of the head!
    I loved Polly Ho Yen’s The Boy in The Tower Block.
    Crystal Chan
    And Ayisha Malik’s ground-breaking Sofia Khan is Not Obliged is not actually YA, but I think is very accessible for teen readers.

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