New Children’s Writing Fellow for Northern Ireland announces public events

The Children’s Writing Fellowship was created as part of Queen’s University Belfast and the Arts Council of Northern Ireland's (ACNI) joint ten-year Seamus Heaney Legacy project supported by the Atlantic Philanthropies.

Shirley-Anne McMillan will based at the Seamus Heaney Centre at Queen’s University Belfast for two years, where she will be engaged in a range of outreach initiatives which promote creativity and reading.

Shirley-Anne said: 

“It is a huge and exciting privilege to be the Children’s Writing Fellow at the Seamus Heaney Centre. As a 1990s English student at Queen's, I dreamed of being a published writer but I would never have imagined that I might end up working in this lovely literary environment, having the opportunity to engage with young people around the country, encouraging them to see themselves as writers who have important things to share. I am very much looking forward to the upcoming events and I hope to use every opportunity to increase the profile of Northern Irish Children’s and Young Adult literature during my time as Children’s Writing Fellow.”

Over the coming months Shirley will be appearing at a number of events, discussing her pathway into writing and the themes which have influenced her work for young adult readers. 

Highlights include:

Friday 4th October, 1pm-2pm: Shirley-Anne McMillan in conversation with Wendy Erskine at the Linen Hall Library.

Shirley-Anne McMillan’s books deal with the pressures and problems of finding your way as a young person in our society. Her most recent book, Grapefruit Moon, tells the story of Drew. a boy from a council estate, and Charlotte, a girl from the posh part of town. Looking at the interplay of gender and toxic masculinity with poetry, it is inspired by the life and work of Federico Garcia Lorca and drag art in Belfast.

At this special in-conversation with Wendy Erskine, Shirley will talk about her work and about the books that were formative in her reading and writing life.

For more details and booking information visit Linenhall.com

Tuesday 22nd and Wednesday 23rd October: Talking about Yerma with Shirley-Anne McMillan

A special event for school groups to coincide with Tinderbox’s production of Yerma. Shirley-Anne McMillan will present a talk at the Seamus Heaney Centre at Queen’s about how the play’s themes have informed her own work and how young people might navigate societal pressures and the world around us.

This talk is suitable for 16-18 year olds. Places can be reserved here.

Gilly Campbell, joint Director of Arts Development at the Arts Council of Northern Ireland, commented: 

“As a former teacher and YA writer, Shirley brings with her to this post, a passion for books and storytelling, as well as the ability to connect with young people on the issues which matter to them most. Within her role, Shirley will seek to inspire the next generation of writers to share their stories with the world and we are delighted to join with her today to announce the first in what will be a series of events as Children’s Writing Fellow for Northern Ireland.”

Rachel Brown, Seamus Heaney Centre Co-ordinator, said: 

“Shirley-Anne is the fourth Children's Writing Fellow we have hosted, and each one has contributed enormously to the Centre, shaping how we work with young people. We've learned so much from the activity of each Fellow and the children they work with. Excitingly this year, we are able to share this learning with the next generation of teachers through Shirley's guest lectures in the University's PGCE course. Some of our graduates are involved with Faerie Press, a new publishing venture, and we were delighted that Shirley-Anne hosted a launch event for their first book with some words of celebration and encouragement: the young people in attendance found what she had to say very powerful. This ambassadorial spirit runs through everything she is doing during her term as Fellow, and we are looking forward to seeing how her plans unfold.”

About Shirley-Anne McMillan

Shirley-Anne McMillan is a Young Adult novelist from Co. Down. Having previously worked as a school-teacher and Online Writer in Residence for the Irish Writers Centre in Dublin, Shirley-Anne now teaches creative writing at the Crescent Arts Centre, Belfast, and offers mentoring through the Irish Writers Centre.

After gaining an English degree from Queen’s and an MA in Creative Writing from Manchester Metropolitan University, Shirley-Anne signed with Jenny Savill at Andrew Nurnberg Agency. She has published four novels for young adults, and in 2021 she had a short radio play commissioned by Radio 4’s United Kingdoms project. Shirley-Anne’s fourth novel, Grapefruit Moon, was published by Little Island in 2023 and was recently longlisted for the KPMG Children’s Books Ireland award.

Shirley-Anne's novels are all set in Northern Ireland and she is most interested in supporting the representation of youth voices in Irish/Northern Irish literature and encouraging young people to write their own stories.

Details of further events will be announced over the coming months. Visit the Seamus Heaney Centre page on the QUB website for more details. Schools, festivals and other organisations who would like to work with the Children's Writing Fellow can contact Stephen Connolly, Outreach and Engagement Officer at the Seamus Heaney Centre, at stephen.connolly@qub.ac.uk.