Joseph Coelho | |
|---|---|
 Coelho in Waterstones, Piccadilly, London, 2022 | |
| Born | Roehampton, England |
| Alma mater | University College London |
| Known for | Children's Laureate |
| Partner | Manjeet Mann |
| Website | thepoetryofjosephcoelho |
Joseph Coelho FRSL is a British poet and children's book author who was elected Children's Laureate in 2022. In 2023, he was elected a Fellow of the Royal Society of Literature. [1]
Coelho grew up in a tower block in Roehampton, England, the son of a single parent. [2] [3] He became interested in poetry when Jean "Binta" Breeze visited his school whilst Coelho was in sixth form. [4] He took A-Levels in Theatre Studies, English, Chemistry, History and an A/S in Archaeology. [3] Coelho was an undergraduate student in archaeology at University College London. [5] [6] [7] During his university days he directed plays at UCL, after which he took various jobs, including working at Camden Council. [3]
Coehlo's romantic partner is Manjeet Mann. [8] .
Coelho started performing poetry with performance poetry organisation Apples and Snakes in 2002, performing on the London Poetry Scene. Coelho has a long history in theatre both on stage and behind the scenes, which begun as a youth at Group 64 in Putney. After University Coelho worked with many companies behind the scenes including, The Lyric Theatre Hammersmith, The Unicorn Theatre, Half Moon Theatre, Talawa Theatre Company, Oily Cart, and Theatre Centre.
Coelho is also a playwright and has written plays for the following companies:
Before being published, Coelho worked extensively in schools engaging young people with literacy through the medium of poetry, running session through Performance Poetry Organisation Apples and Snakes, The Poetry Society, Creative Partnerships. Coelho often runs CPD sessions with teachers sharing ways to engage young people with poetry.
At the London Book Fair in 2012, Coelho met Janetta Otter-Barry, the founder of Otter-Barry books. This interaction launched Coelho's career as an author and published poet. In 2014 Coelho published Werewolf Club Rules, [9] a poetry anthology which was awarded the Centre for Literacy in Primary Poetry Award. [10] [11] Coelho's second independent collection, Overheard in a Tower Block, was shortlisted for the Centre for Literacy in Primary Poetry Award in 2018. [10] Coelho has written over 20 books for young people spanning picture books, middle-grade and YA. Coelho's debut picture book Luna Loves Library Day with Fiona Lumbers was nominated for the 2018 Kate Greenaway Medal and chosen as one of the nation's top 25 stories to share by World Book Day UK. Coelho's debut YA verse novel, The Girl Who Became a Tree was shortlisted for the CILIP Carnegie Medal and the CILIP Kate Greenaway Medal and received a Special Mention for the 2021 Bologna Ragazzi Poetry Award.
Coelho is a children's author and poet who is committed to making the reading and writing of poetry accessible to all. As part of these efforts, in 2018 he created resources for Key Stage 1 and Key Stage 2 students on understanding poetry. [12] The resources included a series of videos explaining the different formats of poetry, how to perform poetry and how to interpret poetry. [12]
In 2022 Coelho was appointed the Children's Laureate. [5] He has said that poetry was often what people turned to in times of need, “because we instinctively know, deep down in our core, that poetry transcends”. [5] [13] He looks to improve diversity amongst the authors and illustrators on UK bookshelves. [4] As part of his tenure as Children's Laureate he will focus on various different projects, Poetry Prompts, Bookmaker Like You and the Library Marathon. He launched Poetry Prompts, a set of online writing activities to inspire people to write their own poetry. [14] Additionally, he started a programme called Bookmaker Like You, which celebrates the authors, illustrators and publishers who underpin book creation. [5] As part of the Library Marathon Coelho will visit a library in every local authority across the United Kingdom. [5] [15]
The Carnegie Medal for Writing, established in 1936, is a British literary award that annually recognises one outstanding new English-language book for children or young adults. It is conferred upon the author by the Chartered Institute of Library and Information Professionals (CILIP), who calls it "the UK's oldest and most prestigious book award for children's writing". CILIP is currently partnered with the audio technology company Yoto in connection with the award.
Sir Quentin Saxby Blake, is an English cartoonist, caricaturist, illustrator and children's writer. He has illustrated over 300 books, including 18 written by Roald Dahl, which are among his most popular works. For his lasting contribution as a children's illustrator he won the biennial international Hans Christian Andersen Award in 2002, the highest recognition available to creators of children's books. From 1999 to 2001, he was the inaugural British Children's Laureate. He is a patron of the Association of Illustrators.
The Carnegie Medal for Illustration is a British award that annually recognises "distinguished illustration in a book for children". It is conferred upon the illustrator by the Chartered Institute of Library and Information Professionals (CILIP) which inherited it from the Library Association. CILIP is currently partnered with the audio technology company Yoto in connection with the award, though their sponsorship and the removal of Greenaway’s name from the medal proved controversial.
Chris Riddell is a South African-born English illustrator and occasional writer of children's books and a political cartoonist for the Observer. He has won three Kate Greenaway Medals - the British librarians' annual award for the best-illustrated children's book, and two of his works were commended runners-up, a distinction dropped after 2002.
Lauren Margot Peachy Child is an English children's author and illustrator. She is best known for the Charlie and Lola picture book series and other book series. Her influences include E. H. Shepard, Quentin Blake, Carl Larsson, and Ludwig Bemelmans.
Winifred Shirley Hughes was an English author and illustrator. She wrote more than fifty books, which have sold more than 11.5 million copies, and illustrated more than two hundred.
David Ian Roberts is a British children's illustrator. He has illustrated a large number of books in both black and white and colour. His black and white work mainly features in books for older readers and he has worked with such well-known authors as Philip Ardagh, G.P. Taylor, Chris Priestley, Mick Jackson, Susan Price, Jon Blake and Tom Baker. Mouse Noses on Toast by Daren King won the Nestle Smarties Book Prize in 2006, after which King and Roberts collaborated on other titles including Peter the Penguin Pioneer, Sensible Hare and the Case of Carrots and The Frightfully Friendly Ghosties series.
John Robert Kelly is a British illustrator and designer of children's books. His books include The Robot Zoo and Everyday Machines, both of which were shortlisted for the Rhône-Poulenc Junior Prize.
Anthony Edward Tudor Browne is a British writer and illustrator of children's books, primarily picture books. Browne has written or illustrated over fifty books, and received the Hans Christian Andersen Award in 2000. From 2009 to 2011 he was Children's Laureate.
The Kurt Maschler Award was a British literary award that annually recognised one "work of imagination for children, in which text and illustration are integrated so that each enhances and balances the other." Winning authors and illustrators received £1000 and a bronze figurine called the "Emil".
The Emperor of Absurdia is a children's picture book written and illustrated by Chris Riddell, published in 2006. It won the Nestlé Children's Book Prize Silver Award and was shortlisted for the Kate Greenaway Medal.
Biscuit Bear is a children's picture book written and illustrated by Mini Grey, published in 2004. It won the Nestlé Children's Book Prize Gold Award, as well as being shortlisted for the Blue Peter Book Awards and longlisted for the Kate Greenaway Medal.
Helen Gillian Oxenbury is an English illustrator and writer of children's picture books. She lives in North London. She has twice won the annual Kate Greenaway Medal, the British librarians' award for illustration and been runner-up four times. For the 50th anniversary of that Medal (1955–2005) her 1999 illustrated edition of Alice's Adventures in Wonderland was named one of the top ten winning works.
Emily Gravett is an English author and illustrator of children's picture books. For her debut book Wolves published in 2005 and Little Mouse's Big Book of Fears published three years later, she won the annual Kate Greenaway Medal recognising the year's best-illustrated British children's book.
Jon Klassen is a Canadian writer and illustrator of children's books and an animator. He won both the American Caldecott Medal and the British Kate Greenaway Medal for children's book illustration, recognizing the 2012 picture book This Is Not My Hat, which he also wrote. He is the first person to win both awards for the same work.
Manjeet Mann is an actress and writer living in Kent, England. She also founded Run the World, "a not for profit that uses sport and theatre as a means to empower women and girls." Her novel The Crossing won the 2022 Costa Book Award for Children's Book.
Catherine Rayner is an Edinburgh-based British illustrator and writer of children's books. She was born in Harrogate in 1982, and grew up in Boston Spa, later studying at Leeds College of Art and Edinburgh College of Art.
Ed Vere is a British writer and illustrator of children's books. He won the Highland Children's Book Award in 2007 for his book, The Getaway and was shortlisted for the Kate Greenaway Medal for children's book illustration, recognizing his 2008 picture book Banana. His third book, Mr. Big was chosen by Booktrust as the official Booktime book for 2009 and was subsequently distributed to 750,000 British schoolchildren making it the largest single print run of a picture book in the UK. In 2009, his fourth book, Chick won the Booktrust Early Years Award for Best Baby Book. His book Bedtime for Monsters was shortlisted for the 2011 Roald Dahl Funny Prize. His 2018 book, How to Be a Lion, was nominated for the 2019 Kate Greenaway Medal and the 2019 Carnegie Medal.
Eoin McLaughlin is a bestselling Irish children's writer. His books have been translated into over 25 languages and described by The Times as "an important historic record of the time".
Tiny Owl Publishing is an independent children's picture book publisher based in London. Founded in 2015 with the aim of creating picture books for everyone, Tiny Owl have published over 30 titles. Tiny Owl are the current joint regional winners of The British Book Awards's Small Press of the Year 2020.
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