Reporting back from the FCBG Conference 2023

The annual Conference of the Federation of Children's Book Groups is a wonderful occasion. It is quite unique in that teachers, TAs, librarians, parents, grandparents - a wonderful mix of delegates - attend, bringing a wide range of perspectives and interests.

Teacher Sue Wilsher, who has recently set up a new FCBG branch in Somerset, reports back from this year's conference.

FCBG Conference 2023

This year, the venue was Rubgy School, a place steeped in history and boasting some famous authors - Lewis Carroll, Rupert Brooke and Anthony Horowitz to name a few - as past pupils. The Conference Bookshop was provided by the Norfolk Children's Book Centre. An amazing array of books reflecting the weekend's packed programme was on offer and the staff were - as ever - really friendly and helpful, with an excellent knowledge of their stock.

Conference weekend always begins with presentations from the publishers in which they share some of their wonderful titles. This tends to result in a hugely long wish list / shopping list of books to be looking out for and offers an excellent opportunity to hear from the publishers themselves.

This is followed by the opening of the publishers' exhibition. Everyone has a wonderful time looking at the books and chatting directly to the publishers. There are plenty of treats on offer - bookmarks, posters and proof copies - and competitions to enter. Some even have sweets and chocolates on their stands! No one ever really wants to leave and head to dinner, but the exhibition opens again on Saturday morning and most people drift back again throughout the day.

After dinner, everyone celebrated 10 years of Shifty McGifty and Slippery Sam with the wonderful Tracey Corderoy. Sadly, the equally lovely Steven Lenton wasn't able to be with us as he had Covid, but he sent a message to everyone - which included a little message for me! Tracey managed to entertain us all brilliantly in his absence, teaching us how to draw an elf and playing a wonderful Shifty and Sam game with us! Great fun was had by all! However, I will never live down the fact that my table did not win the quiz about the books…

The evening finished with a poetry performance by Birmingham Young Poet Laureate, Nyanda Foday. She shared 'Bookworms', her gorgeous picture book poem with us, before performing a selection of her poetry. A brilliant end to a brilliant day!

The next day, Saturday, sees new day delegates arriving and the organisers - members of the Executive Committee and the Northamptonshire Book Group - work tirelessly to make sure everything is ready and everyone in the right place for the first session. Each delegate receives a Conference goodie bag, filled with donations from publishers as well as Conference information when they are greeted by those manning the reception desk.

The first session was the wonderful M G Leonard (pictured), leaving everyone buzzing, filled with enthusiasm by the inspiring energy of her talk. This was followed by a panel discussion with Alison David (Farshore Consumer Insight Director), Emma Dodds (Red Shed Senior Commissioning Editor) and Dr Ronx (doctor, TV presenter and author) about the power of non-fiction to make and inspire new readers. 

This was followed by the perfect combination of Phil Earle and Clare Helen Welsh, sharing their picture books which tackle divorce. The books take very different approaches to this sensitive subject, but each is a real gem and sure to support children going through this experience. Phil and Clare each spoke of their own experiences and how these helped them in the writing of their books.

The 'Fantastical and Magical' panel was just as it sounds! Three excellent authors, Anna Goodall, Emma Norry and Nicki Thornton, gave readings from their books and talked about the inspiration for their writing, the settings and characters in a truly magical session.  We also had the chance to hear from Laura Baker, who shared her gorgeous book, All the Wonderful Ways to Read, a perfect book for so many avid booklovers to hear!

After lunch, delegates were offered a choice of seminar sessions: Celebrate with Me! with Laura Gladwin, Explodapedia with Ben Martynoga, accessible retellings with Laura Wood or Humour Hooks with Derek Keilty, Jenny McLaughlin and Myles McLeod. It is always so hard to choose which to attend - and there is always lots of discussion and idea sharing afterwards!

From the seminars to the next panel session, 'Representative Voices'. Candy Gourlay, A M Dassu and Ravena Guron discussed authentic representation, who they write for and their approaches to writing. Just before the tea break, G M Linton told us a little about her new book, My Name is Sunshine Simpson, and everyone celebrated with cupcakes!

The FCBG is led by the Executive Committee which organises the groups at a national level and Conference is always when the AGM is held. Tricia, our Chair, led us through the agenda and this was then followed by the group meeting where ideas are shared and discussed. The busyness of Conference then stills for about an hour whilst everyone gets ready for the Gala Dinner.

This year, the Gala Dinner was held in the stunning Temple Speech Room, a very beautiful and historic setting for a lovely occasion! Before dinner, cocktails were served and we all raised a glass to the memory of Judith Kerr who was born 100 years ago. 

Publishers Frances Lincoln were celebrating their 40th anniversary and we took part in a quiz. Guest authors Mariajo Illustrajo and Maria Isabel Sanchez Vegara joined us for the dinner, along with some of the authors who had spoken during the day. The After Dinner Speaker this year was Children's Laureate, Joseph Coelho, who had us joining in with his poems and laughing as the lovely evening drew to a close. Some hardy folks stayed on to enjoy the bar, but many of us were worn out by the packed programme of events and headed back to the accommodation to re-charge for another fun-filled day!

The first Sunday session was the very wonderful Ross Montgomery, whose enthusiasm and energy are infectious. He spoke about his new book, Spellstone (which is amazing), and how he was inspired by noticing the quiet, overlooked things. He shared some of the fascinating places and things he had discovered on his walks round London, seeking out the lesser known. Always inspiring, Ross spoke of the alchemy between reader and writer and how writing a book is like cultivating a garden!

Ross was followed by dream duo, Dapo Adeola and Nathan Byron! We were treated to a reading of the beginning of their new book about Rocket, Speak Up!, which is obviously going to be every bit as special as the others! They spoke about how Rocket came to be, their very close working relationship ("It feels like there's a USB from my brain to Dapo's!") and the industry they work in. They were a joy to listen to!

The next coffee break celebrated Bridget Vanderpuff and the Baked Escape. Author Martin Stewart told us a little about himself and the book and treated us to a reading, resulting in this book being catapulted to the top of my TBR pile!

We then had a panel session focued on Graphic Novels for Younger Readers. This was such a fascinating and enjoyable session. Not only were Mark Bradley, Andy Riley and Matty Long very entertaining, they also share a real passion for graphic novels. Mark Bradley was extremely knowledgeable, having obviously done a lot of research into this field, and the session sparked lots of conversations.

The final session of the morning - and indeed, of the Conference - seemed to arrive so quickly. Authors Josh Silver, Simon James Green and Freja Nicole Woolf read from their books and discussed LGBT+ stories for a YA audience.

Lunch followed and soon everyone was saying goodbye and gathering their things - including lots of books, posters, bookmarks, catalogues, badges and all manner of book-ish goodies. It was a wonderful weekend, perfect for book lovers, a great opportunity to meet with like-minded people and brilliant for finding out about recent - and soon to be - children's publications. Details of next year's conference will soon be available on the FCBG website, which also has information about local groups.  I can't wait to see what next year brings!