Conference
On Writing for Young People: Conference 2026
Leaf Journal’s annual conference returns for our fourth year. This year we will be gathering 100% online on Thursday 5th and Friday 6th November to hear from the usual, wonderful mix of invited keynote speakers, panel presentations from our wider community and writing workshops. This year, we are delighted to be joined by Beth O’Brien, poet and author of Carnegie-winning Wolf Siren. Beth will deliver a keynote on her research on disability in literature. We are over-the-moon to be joined by the Waterstones Children's Laureate Patrice Lawrence MBE, who will be delivering a keynote on her novels and her plans for her tenure in the role. We warmly welcome, bestselling author Sophie Anderson who will lead a workshop on 'Reimagining Traditional Tales'.
The conference hosts speakers from the UK, India, Egypt, USA and beyond. They will deliver papers on a wide range of issues from representations of masculinity, monsters in YA, representing Black British history in children's fiction and more.
We will also host practical writing workshops and networking opportunities.
Ticket costs £5-£32
