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Young Adult Authors
Brigid Kemmerer (she/her)
ID: A woman with long pink/purple hair and blue eyes looks into the camera and smiles. Her lipstick matches her hair and she's wearing glasses, a dark grey scarf and a white cardigan.
Brigid Kemmerer is the New York Times bestselling author of dark and alluring Young Adult novels like 'A Curse So Dark and Lonely', 'More Than We Can Tell', and 'Letters to the Lost', as well as paranormal YA stories like The Elemental Series and Thicker Than Water.
Kemmerer’s book 'A Curse So Dark and Lonely' is a retelling of the beauty and the beast tale. Her protagonist, Harper, has cerebral palsy. “When I was designing Harper’s character, I knew I wanted to look at the idea of curses, and how sometimes what seems like a curse to one person might not be a curse at all to someone else.” It’s sequel, 'A Heart So Fierce and Broken' was released in June 2020 that continues Harper’s story and is now known as The Cursebreaker Series.
Brigid Kemmerer is the New York Times bestselling author of dark and alluring Young Adult novels like 'A Curse So Dark and Lonely', 'More Than We Can Tell', and 'Letters to the Lost', as well as paranormal YA stories like The Elemental Series and Thicker Than Water.
Kemmerer’s book 'A Curse So Dark and Lonely' is a retelling of the beauty and the beast tale. Her protagonist, Harper, has cerebral palsy. “When I was designing Harper’s character, I knew I wanted to look at the idea of curses, and how sometimes what seems like a curse to one person might not be a curse at all to someone else.” It’s sequel, 'A Heart So Fierce and Broken' was released in June 2020 that continues Harper’s story and is now known as The Cursebreaker Series.
Dara McAnulty (he/him)
ID: A young man sits on a rock looking at the camera. He is outdoors amongst trees and hills. His hair is curly, dark brown, and reaches his shoulders. He has square black-rimmed glasses. His arms are resting on his knees, hands touching, and he wears a bright blue coat with tanned yellow pants, a black backpack, and wristwatch.
Dara McAnulty is a young writer, naturalist, and environmental campaigner from Northern Ireland. His 2020 debut book, 'Diary of a Young Naturalist', is set when he was 14 years old and depicts his intense connection to the natural world as an autistic teenager. It was awarded the Wainwright Prize for UK Nature Writing in 2020, making him the youngest author ever shortlisted. His campaigning work against raptor persecution and biodiversity loss earned him the RSPB Medal for Conservation in 2019 - the award previously given to naturalists such as Sir David Attenborough. McAnulty has written for The Big Issue, The Guardian, presented radio for BBC radio Ulster, and has appeared on BBC Springwatch and BBC Countryfile.
Dara McAnulty is a young writer, naturalist, and environmental campaigner from Northern Ireland. His 2020 debut book, 'Diary of a Young Naturalist', is set when he was 14 years old and depicts his intense connection to the natural world as an autistic teenager. It was awarded the Wainwright Prize for UK Nature Writing in 2020, making him the youngest author ever shortlisted. His campaigning work against raptor persecution and biodiversity loss earned him the RSPB Medal for Conservation in 2019 - the award previously given to naturalists such as Sir David Attenborough. McAnulty has written for The Big Issue, The Guardian, presented radio for BBC radio Ulster, and has appeared on BBC Springwatch and BBC Countryfile.
S. K. Ali (she/her)
ID: A woman wearing a yellow hijab embroidered with a silver pattern. Her head is cocked to the left and her dark brown eyes look into the camera while she smiles.
She has a degree in Creative Writing from York University. Aside from writing, Ali also works as a teacher and has written articles for the Toronto Star. She mentions Judy Blume as one of her biggest inspirations for her writing career. Ali is a practicing Muslim. In January 2017, she created the hashtag #MuslimShelfSpace as a way to shine light on books by other Muslim authors.
Her book 'Love from A to Z' follows two narrators, a Muslim girl, Zayneb, and a boy, Adam. Adam is diagnosed with multiple sclerosis and plans to keep his diagnosis a secret from his family for fear of further grief.
She has a degree in Creative Writing from York University. Aside from writing, Ali also works as a teacher and has written articles for the Toronto Star. She mentions Judy Blume as one of her biggest inspirations for her writing career. Ali is a practicing Muslim. In January 2017, she created the hashtag #MuslimShelfSpace as a way to shine light on books by other Muslim authors.
Her book 'Love from A to Z' follows two narrators, a Muslim girl, Zayneb, and a boy, Adam. Adam is diagnosed with multiple sclerosis and plans to keep his diagnosis a secret from his family for fear of further grief.
Julie Farrell (she/her)
ID: A woman with long, ginger hair that falls in loose ringlets looks into the camera through her glasses. She wears a red v neck top and stands before a blue background.
Farrell is a queer, disabled, neurodivergent author based in Edinburgh. Her young-adult novel, 'Fractal', was shortlisted for the Write Mentor Children's Novel Award 2021 and the Owned Voices Novel Award 2021. In 2020 it won a place on the Write Mentor Summer Mentoring Programme 2020 with YA author Amy Beashel. It was runner-up for the Jericho-Marjacq Bursary for Under-Represented Voices 2018.
Her essays and features have been published in various publications, and her poem, 'IMAGINE', was published in Not Going Back To Normal - A Disabled Artists Manifesto.
Farrell is a queer, disabled, neurodivergent author based in Edinburgh. Her young-adult novel, 'Fractal', was shortlisted for the Write Mentor Children's Novel Award 2021 and the Owned Voices Novel Award 2021. In 2020 it won a place on the Write Mentor Summer Mentoring Programme 2020 with YA author Amy Beashel. It was runner-up for the Jericho-Marjacq Bursary for Under-Represented Voices 2018.
Her essays and features have been published in various publications, and her poem, 'IMAGINE', was published in Not Going Back To Normal - A Disabled Artists Manifesto.
Joseph Elliott (he/him)
ID: A man with short dark brown hair smiling at the camera and showing teeth. He is stood in front of a background of trees, wearing a grey woolly jumper, with a lighter grey shirt poking out slightly underneath the collar.
Originally from Bristol, Joseph studied English Literature and Drama at the University of Manchester, before doing an MA in performance at Central School of Speech and Drama. His animated character comes through his work as an actor, predominantly in comedy and children’s television. He is best known for playing pirate Cook in the BAFTA-winning CBeebies series, Swashbuckle, for which he also writes many of the scripts.
In February 2020 he published his first book 'The Good Hawk', a Young Adult fantasy novel whose protagonist, Agatha, has downs syndrome. Praised for its success, the book was nominated for the 2021 Cilip Carnegie Medal and it was shortlisted for the 2020 Highland Book Prize. Elliot published the second book of the trilogy, 'The Broken Raven' in January 2021 that continues Agatha’s adventure.
Children with special educational needs have always been a part of Joseph’s life. His mother is a primary school teacher specialising in SEN and, as a young child, his parents provided respite foster care for children with additional needs.
Originally from Bristol, Joseph studied English Literature and Drama at the University of Manchester, before doing an MA in performance at Central School of Speech and Drama. His animated character comes through his work as an actor, predominantly in comedy and children’s television. He is best known for playing pirate Cook in the BAFTA-winning CBeebies series, Swashbuckle, for which he also writes many of the scripts.
In February 2020 he published his first book 'The Good Hawk', a Young Adult fantasy novel whose protagonist, Agatha, has downs syndrome. Praised for its success, the book was nominated for the 2021 Cilip Carnegie Medal and it was shortlisted for the 2020 Highland Book Prize. Elliot published the second book of the trilogy, 'The Broken Raven' in January 2021 that continues Agatha’s adventure.
Children with special educational needs have always been a part of Joseph’s life. His mother is a primary school teacher specialising in SEN and, as a young child, his parents provided respite foster care for children with additional needs.
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