Children's Literature
A thriving centre for the study of children’s literature, history, and publishing.
Newcastle’s Children’s Literature Unit is one of the UK’s leading centres for the study of children’s literature. Research interests cover cultures of childhood and youth from the Renaissance, through the long eighteenth century, to the present day. We have a particular focus on book history and publishing. In 2018 we welcomed British Academy Global Professor Karen Sands-O’Connor, bringing leading expertise on race and diversity.
Partnerships
Central to the life of the Children’s Literature Unit is our partnership with Seven Stories – the National Centre for Children’s Books – the only UK institution dedicated to original material relating to children’s literature. The Seven Stories Collection represents over 250 authors, illustrators, and editors from the 1930s onwards, and through The Vital North Partnership supports our innovative work on modern and contemporary children’s literature. In collaboration with Seven Stories, the Children's Literature Unit hosts the annual Fickling Lecture on Developments in Children's Literature.
We have a thriving research community centred around the Children's Literature Unit Graduate Group (CLUGG). Our lively and inclusive community includes an annual programme of lectures and seminars on aspects of children's literature and culture, and a regular series of work-in-progress seminars.
