The IBBY UK 2026 Conference

Defending Freedom: LGBTQ+ Lives and Children’s and YA Literature

The theme for this year’s IBBY UK conference is LGBTQ+ lives and children’s and YA literature.

We will be celebrating the diverse ways that LGBTQ+ lives are positively represented in children’s and YA books nowadays as well as exploring the issues around censorship and book banning past and present.

Programme:

9.30 – 9.50  Registration
9.50 – 10  Welcome and Introduction
10 – 10.45  David Roberts
10.45 – 11.30 Dr Emily Corbett
11.30 – 12.30 Panel: Publishing/Industry  Eric Huang (Chair), Dylan Calder, Penny Thomas, Non Pratt
12.30 – 12.45 IBBY report
12.45 – 2.00 Lunch and Bookshop
2.00 – 3.00 Panel: Middle Grade and Picture Books Fen Coles (Chair), Sarah Hagger-Holt, Kristina Rahim, Jodie Lancet-Grant, Carol Thompson
3.00 – 4.00 Panel: YA   Dylan Calder & Thandiwe Grant (co-Chairs), Holden So, Gayathiri Kamalakanthan, Zeena Gosrani
4.00 – 4.30 Concluding remarks

St Anne's Parish Hall is a short distance from Kew Bridge Station (mainline) as well as Kew Gardens (Mildmay Line and District Line). Buses 65 and 110 stop close by and there is paid for on-street parking.

In-person ticket price includes a sandwich lunch.