Lisette Auton

Awards

• Creative Future Literary Award
• Journal Culture Award 2021 for Performance of the Year
• 2019 Early Careers Fellow for Literature at Cove Park
• TSS Publishing list of Best British & Irish Flash Fiction
• TVCA Artist of the Year
• The Week Junior Book Awards - shortlisted
• Diverse Book Awards - shortlisted
• Little Rebels Award - shortlisted
• Adrien Prize - shortlisted
• Stockton Children's Book of the Year - shortlisted

Organisations

• National Literacy Trust
• Southbank Centre
• New Writing North
• Scottish Book Trust

Details

"Lisette was very engaging. She had the pupils in the palm of her hand. It is one of the best creative writing sessions that I have seen."

I’ve had the great privilege of working with thousands of school children around the UK, on book tours, at festivals, on school visits and with organisations such as:

Scottish Book Trust touring the highlands on the Inclusive Books Tour

The National Literacy Trust World of Stories

Southbank Centre Imagine a Story Project writing a book with over 2000 children and a national tour to meet them all!

New Writing North teaching on MA courses and as lead writer on their schools project

Blue Cabin as an Associate Artist working with care experienced children and young adults including those in the prison system

Curtis Brown Creatives as a mentor

I'm a trained youth worker and actor, and I've been leading brilliant creative writing workshops for over twenty years. My favourite thing is for you to put me in front of the kids that you think will be hard to reach, or don't like creative writing, so that I can prove you wrong ;)

I'm an author, playwright, poet and spoken word performer. All my work is fun and joyful, full of heart, inclusive, contains disabled and neurodivergent characters at the heart of the adventure, relishes place, process and play, and that getting it wrong is the only way to get it right. Basically, that's a description of me too.

I love visiting schools and delivering workshops and whole school assemblies about the wonderful world of words, my job as a writer, my books and my inspiration.

I work with the full age spectrum from nursery to sixth form and beyond, as you can see by the photos below.

My talks, assemblies and workshops are suitable for any age from nursery to sixth form, and I adapt as needs be. This can be a full or half day. The time I spend with you is a pick and mix from the following options:
• Assembly

45 mins -1 hour

A hugely exciting, ridiculously fun, and highly interactive presentation about my books; inspiration and representation; identity; neurodivergence and disability representation; the importance of place and why where we live matters; why we need to write our stories; the how of writing and editing; creating a story together; word hoards including what would you keep in your beard? Also, at the mid point, I wear a beard with a kitten in it and will pick on the tallest teacher in the room...

I need access to powerpoint for the assembly.

• Book signing

• Workshops with classes of any age and ability, up to 35 pupils at a time

These increase cultural capital and imagination. They are ludicrously fast paced and use map building to allow us to create an entire story world, populate them with characters, use ‘story engines’ to learn how to keep a story going, and begin to write a story. These beginnings can then be worked on in class. I will need the pupils to have access to A4 blank & lined paper and something to write with.

Other options include wordplay, identity, inspiration and activism.

These can cover a mix of genres or focus on theatre/film, poetry, spoken word or story.

• Sessions with creative writing club or keen writers

• Focus on SEN pupils

• Focus on reluctant readers and writers

• Focus on gifted and accelerated learners

• CPD for teachers

Example timetable – recent full day visit:
9:00-9:50 Whole School Assembly with Q&A
9:55-10:35 Workshop Group 1
10:35-11:15 Workshop Group 2
11:20-12:00 Workshop Group 3
12:00-12:20 Lunch
12:20-12:40 Book Signing
12:45-13:30 Workshop Group 4
13:30-14:15 Workshop Group 5
14:20-15:05 Workshop Group 6
15:15-15:45 CPD for teachers

Please note that this school brought the pupils to the same classroom I was in for the duration of the day, which allowed for the super speedy change over. I am also happy to have a pause and eat biscuits if you would prefer not to be quite so hectic! It’s a great example of planning to get your money’s worth.

As far as I'm concerned, if you've managed to raise the money to have me at your school, then there is no limit on my time during the school day, and no limit on the amount of workshops I'll deliver! For the pupils to get the best out of the workshops, they need to be a minimum of 40 minutes (20 minutes with nursery).

Other schools have selected particular year groups, reluctant writers, SEN students, gifted classes, or a whole school coverage approach.

I have also worked exclusively with creative writing students for a full day, using unique sessions I have devised with multiple stackable exercises to create new work.

I have been based both in libraries and classrooms. I have worked with school librarians and teachers, and had lunch with the creative writing group. I am also a spoken word artist, poet, playwright and theatre maker which can also be a focus for your workshops.

However best you can utilise my time, that’s what I’m there for!

I have enhanced DBS on the rolling update programme, and public liability insurance.
A teacher MUST be in the sessions with me, and be engaged and encouraging.
I am more than happy to share a day between two schools in the same area.

Book sales and signings:
I do not personally have stock of books to sell. The best way to do this is to get in touch with your local independent book shop or Waterstones to arrange, & find out how many children may like to have a signed copy. Book sellers are brilliant at giving advice about this. I do not have a minimum book order number to guarantee attendance. I do however request that the school will purchase a couple of copies for their libraries/classrooms so that pupils are not restricted from reading the books by their home financial situations.

Travel:
I am based in Darlington in north east England. I have a car and will drive to events. This is charged at 45p/mile. Alternatively, I'm on the mainline and will travel by train, standard class. If a journey to you is more than 2.5 hours, I would need you to pay for hotel accommodation the night before, to guarantee me arriving on time!

Quotes from teachers and pupils (my favourite is from Tommy, I need that on a badge):

Tommy: "I loved Lisette's vibe and style!"

Imogen: "I was inspired by Lisette to keep writing at home!"

Macey: "I was excited to meet Lisette as I'd never met an author before! She inspired me to try and write more stories."

James: "Lisette's assembly was very inspiring. I began work on my own story as soon as I got home that day!"

Mr. T: "Lisette delivered a fantastic workshop to my class. The fast-paced session pushed the children to be creative. All of the children were engaged and excited and have already been asking when we can see her again!"

Miss. D: "Lisette's session was fabulous! It was lovely to see even our most reluctant writers enjoy experimenting with creative writing, and many of the children asked for extra time to write stories afterwards."

Mrs. T: "Lisette was so energetic and engaging. The pupils absolutely loved her session and produced some wonderfully imaginative work!"

 

About my Books

My books are published by Puffin and Bloomsbury.

They all contain disabled and neurodivergent children having epic adventures.

They are in many different genres: action, adventure, mystery, time travel, sci-fi, ghost stories...

My debut middle grade novel THE SECRET OF HAVEN POINT came out in February 2022 and has been shortlisted for five awards. The story is set on the north east coast in a lighthouse, with a gang of disabled friends who get into mischief, fierce mermaids, a captain who keeps a kitten in his beard, and a mystery to solve.

My second novel, THE STICKLEBACK CATCHERS was published in February 2023 and was the Sunday Times Children’s Book of the Week. It is set in a small north east town where Mimi is coming to terms with her gran losing her memory, and cracks and creepy void collectors appearing. It contains time travel, backwards flowing rivers, puzzles to solve and a talking raven named Fig, and at its heart is about the power of friendship.

My third novel, LIGHTS UP, a ghost story with multiple timelines, set in theatres, with a ghost dog called Rex, was published in July 2024.

My fourth novel, THE STARLIGHT REBEL, publishes in July 2025 and is an intergalactic space adventure with a reluctant neurodivergent hero who, with the help of a new friend from a distant planet, helps her to protest and save the entire galaxy.

My play published by Methuen Drama and Blommsbury Wintry Tales was commissioned by Live Theatre in 2024 and was co-created with children from 4 schools, including a specialist SEN school.

About Me

Through these books I’ve had the privilege to work with thousands of school children, sharing their ideas and creating stories together.

All my books are firmly rooted in place. I love sharing how where we live is important and full of inspiration.

The books always have disabled and neurodivergent characters in them too. I use a stick on a wobbly day, and my brain works in different and wonderful ways. Again something I highlight in my presentations.

These stories are for everyone, and I’m determined more young people will see themselves represented in books. I’m from a working class family, no one had a creative job, it took me until I was 40 to get a book deal – I don’t want any other child to not know that a career like this is for them.

I’m also a playwright (commissions from Live Theatre, Hexham Book Festival, Alphabetti Theatre and Unfolding theatre) and an award winning poet. 

Basically, I love words. They’re the only thing I’m good at! My passion for words, and over twenty years doing this, ensures that each child, no matter their ability level, has an exciting accessible way in to working with words with me.

I’m a JNC professionally qualified youth worker, with a MSc in Youth Work and Community Development.

I’ve been working with words in schools, SEN settings and PRUs, and other community settings such as prisons, probation hostels and in homes for our elders, for over twenty years, and with organisations such as New Writing North and MIMA (Middlesbrough Institute of Modern Art).

I’m currently working on projects with the Southbank Centre, CLPE and National Literacy Trust.

I'm disabled and neurodivergent. I'm autistic, and I sometimes walk with a stick and sometimes I don't. I often fall over, just pick me up and we'll be reet!

One of the best bits I adore is when I gather a neurodivergent or disabled posse during my school visits: seeing yourself reflected and doing a job like this is a very powerful thing.

Photos and videos

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