Celebrating Children’s Literature with Children’s Writing Fellows for NI
2nd April, 2026
Damian Smyth, Head of Literature & Drama, Arts Council NI, was delighted to chair a panel discussion featuring past and present Children's Writing Fellows who’ve been part of the Queen’s University Belfast and Arts Council NI's joint ten-year Seamus Heaney Legacy project, supported by the Atlantic Philanthropies.
The keynote panel featured past Fellows Maire Zepf, Kelly McCaughrain, Paul Howard, and current Fellow Shirley-Anne McMillan. This formed part of the three-day Children’s Literature Conference, hosted by Shirley-Anne McMillan at the Seamus Heaney Centre, Belfast, where McMillan has been based for the past two-years delivering creative writing workshops, readings and public events.
Damian Smyth, Head of Literature & Drama, Arts Council of Northern Ireland, said: “The recognition of children’s writing, writing for children, young people and young adults, has been one of the great steps forward over the last ten years. The Children’s Writing Fellow, a partnership between the Seamus Heaney Centre and the Arts Council of Northern Ireland, remains an important part of that visibility, focusing always on the very best writers and work. It has helped showcase work which has been among the best in the world today.
“The conference was a milestone event, providing signposts for development in years to come. The Arts Council was delighted to join Queen’s University in celebrating the achievement.”
Read more about the conference here Queen’s brings together leading voices to celebrate Children’s Literature | Seamus Heaney Centre | Queen's University Belfast