Two new books of fiction for young people aged 11–13 will be coming out in 2026. Based on the recent histories of British Black, Asian and Caribbean communities held at the George Padmore Institute (GPI) archive in north London, the novels are the latest in the Reaching New Generations series of books for young people.
With the two new books, the GPI aims to fill a gap in the teen reading market where there are few novels with a Black British history theme. Award-winning YA author of black historical fiction Catherine Johnson is all too aware of the need for books representing diverse communities:
‘Sadly, books that explore the real Black presence in Britain are more important than ever. The history of this country is so rich and belongs to all of us, and honouring and recognising this should be a natural and embedded part of our story. Books exploring and acknowledging our part and our belonging can go some ways to help build a cohesive future. And, apart from that, a good historical novel can be a really great read!’
In a recent article for the Guardian newspaper, ‘UK Publishing Less Accessible to Black Authors Now Than Before 2020’ (26 March 2025), journalist Lanre Bakare states that: ‘… a number of Black literary figures say there has been a noticeable downward shift in the number of Black writers being published.’ Bakare is author of the newly published We Were There: How Black Culture, Resistance and Community Shaped Modern Britain, for which he carried out research at the GPI.
Kat François is a poet, performance artist and educator, who has been previously published, winning an award for her short story in the Hidden Realms collection. She has also published the play Raising Lazurus, following the story of Grenadian soldier Lazarus Emmanuel Lewis François, who left his tiny island in 1915 to fight for King and country. François’ poetry is included in George the Poet’s collection Part of a Story That Started Before Me: Poems about Black British History. In response to becoming one of the GPI’s new young adult authors, François says:
‘Becoming a children’s author for the George Padmore Institute has been an exciting and rewarding adventure, giving me the opportunity to combine two of my life-long passions, fiction writing and black history.’
Anna Jane McIntyre is a Canada-based writer, printmaker and multidisciplinary artist. Her art is based on the concept of Afropresentism, fusing archival, documentary and fine arts practices through new media. Much of her work combines McIntyre’s cultural influences (Trinidadian, British, adoptive-Canadian). Her first foray into writing for teenagers, McIntyre says:
‘To write a tale inspired by the archives of the GPI for young readers is a dream come true. As an immigrant youth and enthusiastic reader, books were my childhood refuge. The books that I read gave me the courage to be myself and to pursue my passions, as well as introduce me to new ones. Through reading, I was conditioned to view life as a never-ending adventure in learning and the world as a ginormous improv parkour course. How thrilling to now participate in the delightful world of children’s literature, pay-it-forward and create a story inspired by Black British histories!’
Funded by Arts Council England (ACE), the books will be published by the GPI, which became an ACE National Portfolio in April 2023 enabling it to continue along-standing collaboration with writers and artists to explore stories of Black British history. Former Artist in Residences include Jay Bernard, the award-winning poet whose book Surge includes ten poems inspired by the GPI’s New Cross Massacre Action Committee archives. Most recently, Trinidadian composer and musician Dominique Le Gendre composed a song-cycle called ‘Dreaming Change’ based on correspondence she unearthed in the GPI’s Caribbean Artists Movement archive collection as part of her 2024 residency.
The first publications in the Reaching New Generations series were by acclaimed children’s author Ken Wilson-Max. Two beautifully illustrated books for young readers (5–8) were produced in 2021 and 2022. Dream to Change the World: The Story of John La Rose and Jump Up! The Story of Carnival both draw on the GPI archive collections for inspiration. Jump Up! was longlisted for the Little Rebels Children’s Book Prize in 2023, an award designed to recognise the rich tradition of radical publishing for children in the UK aged 0-12.
The first book by Kat François will be published in spring 2026 and the second by Anna Jane McIntyre in autumn 2026.
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Note for Editors
Founded in 1991, the George Padmore Institute is an archive, education and arts centre relating to the black community of Caribbean, African and Asian descent in Britain based in Finsbury Park, north London. The GPI’s unique archive collections highlight the vital cultural, political and social contributions of the UK’s Black communities. The Institute’s work combines conservation, outreach, workshops, events and publishing. The archives are open by appointment. For more information, please email info@georgepadmoreinstitute.org
Kat François is a performance- and movement-based artist, writer, comedian, educator and writing and performance coach. She is the BBC TV and World Poetry Slam Champion and has appeared on BBC Radio 4’s Front Row, Saturday Live and Woman’s Hour and featured on BBC television’s Paul Whitehouse: Our Troubled Rivers. She has written and performed solo plays and comedy shows. She is published in many anthologies; her short story Indigo Waters won a competition to feature in Hidden Realms: Short Stories published by Flame Tree Publishing. Her play about Caribbean soldiers in World War One, Raising Lazarus, has been published by TSL Publications. Kat is currently working on a full poetry collection, a novel based on the experiences of Caribbean soldiers in World War One, a collection of short stories, as wellas fiction and poetry for children. In her performance work she explores the relationship between poetry and movement by combining physical theatre, dance, hula hoop and roller skating. Kat has a long history of directing and devising theatre with and for young people and children. She teaches poetry and creative writing across the UK and internationally, in person and online, incorporating group classes, or bespoke sessions for individuals or corporates, covering writing and performance skills as well as writing for wellbeing.
Anna J McIntyre is an artist with a practice combining storytelling, printmaking, archiving and kinetic sculpture. Born in London to a British mother and Trinidadian-British father, her family moved often, travelling from London to New York City to Saskatchewan, before finally settling in Ontario, Canada. Anna's work explores how people maintain their notions-of-self through behaviour and visual cues. Her projects range from narratives steeped in magic realism to giant emojis, feminist-foosball-tables, community workshops, parade floats, commercial signage, thinking forests, soundscapes, inaccurate portraiture and lists. Much inspired by the Tate Britain exposition, Life Between Islands: Caribbean-British Art 1950s–Now, Anna`s most recent projects explore Black British music histories. Anna was directed to the George Padmore Institute archives by music producer Mark Anthony Clair, also known as Marc Mac of 4hero, while researching the history of London’s Black Parents Movement. Anna's projects have been made possible through support from the Canada Council for the Arts, Conseil des arts et des lettres du Québec, Studio 303, La Tableronde du Mois de l’histoire des Noirs, the MAI (Montréal, arts interculturels) and Small Axe Project, among others. Her work has been presented across Canada, the USA, the Caribbean, Brazil, Europe and South Africa.
For interviews with Kat François and Anna Jane McIntyre, please contact Teresa Palmiero at info@georgepadmoreinstitute.org
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