Details
PLEASE NOTE: I AM ONLY AVAILABLE FOR VISITS FROM FEBRUARY 2025 ONWARDS!
Danielle Jawando is an author and screenwriter. Her debut YA novel, And the Stars Were Burning Brightly, won best senior novel in the Great Reads Award and was shortlisted for the Waterstones Children's Book Prize, the YA Book Prize, the Jhalak Children's & YA Prize, the Branford Boase Award and was longlisted for the CILIP Carnegie Medal, the UKLA Book Awards and the Amazing Book Awards. Her previous publications include the non-fiction children's book Maya Angelou (Little Guides to Great Lives), as well as several short plays performed in Manchester and London.Her second YA novel, When Our Worlds Collided, won the 2023 YA Book Prize, the 2023 Jhalak Children's and YA Prize and the 2023 Diverse Book Awards. Her third YA novel, If My Words Had Wings, was published in May 2024. She has also worked on Coronation Street as a storyline writer. As well as a writing career that spans stage, screen and print, Danielle is also a highly experienced workshop facilitator and creative writing tutor, having taught in Universities, schools, colleges and for the prestigious Arvon foundation.
IN-PERSON WORKSHOPS AND VISITS
I'm available for half day and full day school visits.
I offer an interactive talk about my path to becoming an author, where I get my inspiration and the themes within my books (this is then followed by a Q&A.) As both ‘When Our Worlds Collided’ and ‘And the Stars Were Burning Brightly’ explore quite challenging issues this is recommend for Year 9 and above.
Talks can then be followed by a creative writing workshop. I offer workshops on: voice and the power of writing where you come from, the elements of a great story, scriptwriting, character, poetry (using If My Words Had Wings as inspiration) and finding inspiration/beginnings.
Prices:
Please note, that all visits outside of Manchester will be a full day fee.
£250 (plus travel expenses) for a one hour talk/workshop
£400 (plus travel expenses) for a half day visit, including a talk and up to two sessions
£550 (plus travel expenses) for a full day visit including a talk and up to three sessions
Testimonials:
Mr Sharrock, St Paul’s:
‘Danielle was able to inspire and encourage the students to read on a regular basis; they really enjoyed and appreciated their time with her. Danielle’s workshop was creative and engaging. She is an inspiring speaker and our students hugely benefitted from her visit to our school. They were enthused and inspired by what she shared with them about the life of an author, and asked some very interesting and thought-provoking questions. I am now looking forward to seeing how they transfer this learning into their creative writing!’
Mrs Savova, St Paul’s:
’Danielle connected well with the pupils and was a very engaging speaker.’
Josh, aged 13 in Year 9:
'It was amazingly fun and interesting to meet such a unique author like Danielle. We were able to learn a great deal in regards to both of her novels, and the upcoming one. She was very patient and kind the entire time, taking photos with the Dungeons & Dragons club and signing dozens of books. Thankfully, the experience didn’t end there. In periods 7 and 8, Year 9 classes took part in a creative workshop with Danielle, initially coming up with a fun, care-free short story, and then taking a random prompt and turning it into another short story. This made me feel right at home, because I enjoy creative writing very much, and it was so amazing to get constructive criticism and feedback from a real author. She is a very kind woman and an amazing writer, and I’m so pleased we were able to have her at our school.’
Georgia, aged 12 in Y8:
‘I really enjoyed Danielle Jawando's recent visit to our school. Her talk was stimulating and helped deepen my insight into the themes of her book, such as racism and the justice system in the UK. I was also curious to hear about her personal writing process. I found her approachable, friendly and enjoyed meeting her after her talk.’
Lottie, aged 12 in Y8:
‘I loved Danielle Jawando’s books especially when our worlds collided, I thought the message behind all the excitement and suspense, was really inspiring and moving, so seeing her in real life reinforced that and in the process I learnt so much. Danielle is a role model to look up to and her visit to Ardingly college has inspired me to write more and has made me even more eager to read more of her books!’
Toby, aged 13 in Y9:
‘Amazing, inspiring talk; an all-round great experience’
‘Brilliant workshop - really helped me understand and improve my creative writing skills.’
‘A great speaker - Connected really well with the audience.’
Safa, aged 13 in Y9:
'I really enjoyed learning about what inspired Danielle to write her book, it was really interesting to know that she worked on Coronation Street and all the work that goes in to produce a story line!'
Amirah, aged 15 in Y10:
'The workshop Danielle gave was thoroughly enjoyable - using a picture to inspire creative writing is a different and easier way to inspire me! Thank you Danielle!'
Reviews of my books:
'As a father and a teacher, I am grateful to authors like Danielle Jawando. Although there is a great deal of darkness in the novel’s story, Jawando’s Al leaves us with a light message that we should all remember: 'Even in times of great trauma, of great tragedy and sadness, there is always still hope.' TES
'Powerful' Cosmopolitan
'A powerful read for older teens and adults alike' Culture Fly
'A searing debut' Evening Standard
‘When Our Worlds Collided is a searing novel of racial injustice with a narrative so compelling that it is hard to put down or even draw breath’ Readings, Australia
‘Jawando’s sensitive writing and nuanced characters provide an important space for Black teenagers from a range of backgrounds to feel seen and validated. Despite the devastating injustices the characters face, the story brims with tentative hope and the joy of finding community’ The Scotsman
‘A powerful, stirring, acutely observed coming-of-age story that examines systemic racism in all its forms’ The Guardian
'A raw, unflinching and powerful story that will stay with me for a long time’ Manjeet Mann, author of The Crossing
‘A beautiful ode to found family, and a compassionate look at the power of connection borne from the ashes of tragedy and apathy’ Christina Hammonds Reed, author of The Black Kids
‘Hard-hitting yet still hopeful, this is an emotional powerhouse of a book’ Alexandra Sheppard, author of Oh My Gods'
'One of the brightest up and coming stars of the YA world' Alex Wheatle, author of Crongton Knights
