Random Call/Scissor Sisters - London Schools and the Black Child

OK, I know I haven't written in ages. But something happened today that I just had to share.

I've been working away on various freelancey things, feeling a tad overwhelmed. Was in the middle of editing an article that has been accepted for an IRSCL collection, mine is about how my experiences working in editorial departments made me more aware of how the publication process can modify cultural expression (all very serious stuff).

So my mobile phone rings, which is a rare event since no one but my husband usually calls (bring in the violins here). And on the other end of the line, and man's voice asked if this was Laura Atkins. Yes, I replied. And he said that this was a fairly random call, that he was John Garden , the keyboard player from the band called The Scissor Sisters.

As if I hadn't heard of The Scissor Sisters!

As I thought to myself, yeah, right, he went on. Turns out the band are really keen readers, and that they keep a library when they're on tour. They want to find regional and national organizations working in areas such as children's books and reading, and somehow incorporate them into the show, raising their profile, etc. How cool is that? I love The Scissor Sisters. Plus, they have a song called 'Laura', so how could I not?

I suggested Book Trust, which run the fantastic Bookstart Scheme. I love that the UK government funds this project, which provides free books for every baby born in the UK. My friend Tash is the London regional officer too, which makes them even cooler. And when he told me they'd be playing in Newcastle, I said they should consider Seven Stories, Centre for Children's Book, since it is one of the most wonderful and playful museums for children's books that I've been to. If you live in England and haven't been, then book your trip now. I took a bunch of serious academics there as part of the last Child and the Book conference, and people's eyes lit up like they were little children again.

He liked those ideas, and said he'd check them out. He said that he saw I'd published an article on creepy kids in film, which he thought would appeal to the band's aesthetic (not that they're asking me to come on stage and design anything...). But, how totally and amazingly cool! And I've done a bit of web searching on John and found out he's also the son of Graeme Garden from the Goodies.

When I asked how he found me, he said through my website. So it's doing its job! I also emailed him after we talked with some other ideas, such as including Jacqueline Wilson, the current UK children's laureate. And for a potential Brighton-based project, to include the Rockinghorse Appeal which is raising money for the Alexandra Hospital for Sick Children. Fantastic author/illustrator Raymond Briggs designed their logo, and I thought he would appeal greatly to the band's sensibilities. He thanked me for the suggestions and said he'd pass them on.

So there you go. It pays to have a website.

I've meant to write about an event I went to two weeks ago: London Schools and the Black Child. Someone said there were 3,000 people there, and I can believe it. This is a wonderful event funded by the city of London, and strongly supported by the mayor, Ken Livingston. And it's the brain child of MP Diane Abbott. The keynote speaker was Tim Campbell who won the first UK Apprentice TV show. I would say that of the 3,000 people there, probably 2,800 of them were black or Asian. It was interesting to be in the minority, with the odd white face sprinkled through the room. Alison Morrison from Walker Books (and the Diversity in Publishing Network) was there. They were the only children's publisher to be smart enough to have a stand. Here is a huge market or teachers looking for books with diverse characters and stories. And if Francesca Dow of Puffin's statistics come true (see my notes from the Diversity Matters conference), then by 2010, one in five school children will be from Black and minority ethnic (BME) backgrounds in the UK.

I took copious notes and meant to put the highlights here, but I just haven't had time. If I do, I'll post them. But I encourage everyone to keep this conference in mind. It's free, and there were many excellent and thought-provoking speakers. If you want to be sure to be alerted when it's coming, join the Diversity in Publishing Network. That's how I found out about it. Plus, they're just a good organization to support.