Lisburn-born author Shirley-Anne McMillan announced as the new Children’s Writing Fellow for NI at Queen’s

Shirley-Anne will be based at the Seamus Heaney Centre at Queen’s for two years, working with students and engaged in outreach activities.

Speaking about the appointment, Shirley-Anne said: “I am delighted to be appointed the new Children’s Writing Fellow for Northern Ireland at Queen’s, following the success of previous Fellows, Máire Zepf, Kelly McCaughrain and Paul Howard.

“My field of interest is young adult writing and I’m passionate about helping young adults engage with reading and creative writing in order to find ways to tell their own truths.

"Over the term of my Fellowship I hope to work with young people to encourage literacy and confidence in writing, particularly within groups which have traditionally been marginalised in Northern Ireland.

"I also hope to work with teachers of creative writing and to create opportunities for adult writers of children’s fiction to sharpen their craft.

“It is a good time for Children’s and Young Adult fiction in Northern Ireland; we are seeing more authors and illustrators being published, and also more stories set in our rich cultural landscape. I am very much looking forward to promoting and encouraging our talents.”

Shirley-Anne McMillan is a Young Adult novelist. 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.

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.

Speaking on behalf of the Estate of Seamus Heaney, Catherine Heaney said: “With her years of experience in the classroom, we are sure Shirley-Anne will bring her own energy, vision and passion to the role, and help and encourage young people to share their own stories.”

Professor Glenn Patterson, Director of the Seamus Heaney Centre at Queen’s University Belfast, said: “Shirley-Anne’s work speaks compellingly (and beautifully) to readers in the later school years. She will be a brilliant fellow, not just for them, but for all the young people who have the opportunity to meet, and work with her, in the next two years.”

Damian Smyth, joint Head of Literature at the Arts Council for NI, commented: In this role, Shirley-Anne will act as an ambassador and mentor for young people, hosting creative writing workshops, readings and events over the next two years.

"She brings with her a background in teaching, her own experiences of writing for YA audiences and, most importantly, an infectious passion for books and stories.”

Shirley-Anne McMillan will take up her post as the Children’s Writing Fellow for Northern Ireland in Spring 2024.