Meet the new CWIG committee members

Picture of Teddy McDonald

Teddy McDonald

Teddy works on SoA communications and outreach and alongside the Policy department on the SoA's campaigns work. He is also co-coordinator of the Children’s Writers and Illustrators Group (CWIG).
New committee members Chris Bradford, Davina Hamilton and Joanna Nadin look ahead to working with CWIG committee

In November, we welcomed three new members to the Children’s Writers and Illustrators Group (CWIG) committee at our annual CWIG AGM. We thank outgoing members Ian Billings, Alice Harman, Rebecca Colby, and A M Dassu who stepped down earlier in 2024, for their great work on behalf of the committee.

We checked in with the new members about their plans for working on the CWIG committee.

Chris Bradford is the multi-million copy selling author of the Young Samurai, Bodyguard and Gamer series.

‘Children’s writers and illustrators play a crucial role in fostering future readers. Without our books sparking an interest in reading at an early age, there would be no publishing industry. That’s why I’m thrilled to have been appointed onto the CWIG committee, to represent authors like you in an industry that often undervalues our work, both financially and creatively.

As the bestselling author of Young Samurai, Bodyguard, and the Jake and Jen series, I hope to bring my 20 years of publishing experience to the committee, to support our collective mission. I plan to advocate for fairer royalty terms and protection of intellectual property rights in the age of AI, promote access to a wider range of books in a market dominated by a tiny handful of celebrity writers, and support the vital role of author visits in schools.

Together, we can help more children discover the joy of reading. I’m committed to #GettingKidsReading!’

Davina Hamilton is a rhyming children’s author of books that centre Black children and promote self-empowerment, and a journalist.

‘As an independent children’s author, I have an eye for identifying and championing strong, empowering, diverse stories that would perhaps sit outside the realm of traditional publishing, yet still have the potential to impact young readers worldwide. In my new role as a member of the CWIG committee, I look forward to championing such books on a larger scale. I’m specifically passionate about highlighting children’s books that centre Black characters, as reports continue to show that Black children are woefully underrepresented by major publishers. So, I look forward to shining a light on stories/authors who otherwise might not get the recognition they deserve.’

Dr Joanna Nadin is a children’s and adult literary fiction best known for the Carnegie Medal-nominated Joe All Alone and the Rachel Riley series.

‘As a longstanding SoA member, who writes across all age groups and most genres within children’s books, I’m delighted to be elected to CWIG Committee. At a time when reading for pleasure amongst young people is in danger of serious decline, I’m looking forward to working on behalf of members to help raise the profile of funny writing, and underline its value as a gateway to get children hooked on books, as well as building on my experience in government to help get our concerns heard as widely as possible at a high level.’

10 July 2024

CWIG committee member Ian Billings on how authors can best prepare for school visits

31 March 2023

Write to your local MP so that every child can have access to a school library and librarian