Talk

Dame Jacqueline Wilson

Festival of Ideas

Friday 3 May 2019 4.30 - 5.30pm

The Benjamin West Lecture Theatre, Burlington Gardens, Royal Academy of Arts

£10, £5

Booking for Friends of the RA opens at 10am on Tuesday 26 February 2019. Booking opens to the public at 10am on Friday 1 March 2019.

Media Partner

Best-selling author Jacqueline Wilson talks about the secrets behind creating her memorable characters and why she’ll never stop writing.

Former Children’s Laureate, Jacqueline Wilson is one of Britain’s best-loved children’s authors selling over 40 million books in the UK alone. Known for her contemporary stories that tackle the themes of adoption, divorce and mental illness, she speaks to children directly about real issues. She has created some of the most memorable characters in children’s fiction including the unforgettable heroine in Tracy Beaker, which has been adapted for television, stage and a video game. Wilson has also set books in the past, most notably Hetty Feather, a series about a Victorian foundling that has also been adapted by CBBC. Her most recent book Dancing the Charleston is published this spring.

Born in Bath, Wilson spent most of her childhood in Kingston upon Thames. She wanted to be a writer from the age of 6 and wrote her first novel when she was nine. She started work as a journalist for DC Thomson in Dundee where Jackie magazine was named after her. Since then she has written over 100 books including The Illustrated Mum, Double Act, Opal Plumstead and Rent a Bridesmaid. Wilson has been honoured with the Guardian Children’s Fiction Award, the Smarties Prize and the Children’s Book of the Year. She was the Children’s Laureate from 2005 to 2007 and was awarded an OBE for her services to literacy in schools.

The talk will be introduced and chaired by BBC Arts Correspondent, Rebecca Jones. The event will be followed by an audience Q&A.

Signed bookplates will be available for purchase from the RA Festival of Ideas pop-up bookshop after the event.

Suitable for ages 7+.

£10, £5

Booking for Friends of the RA opens at 10am on Tuesday 26 February 2019. Booking opens to the public at 10am on Friday 1 March 2019.

Media Partner

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