Penguin Random House Children’s hires Riot for Peter Rabbit 120th anniversary campaign

Penguin Random House Children’s has hired Riot Communications to support the development and delivery of a socially impactful campaign to mark 120 years of the much-loved children’s brand Peter Rabbit. 

On behalf of Frederick Warne & Co. (owners of The World of Peter Rabbit™), Riot Communications has been working alongside Penguin Random House Children’s and non-profit garden designers Grow2Know CIC on a partnership that will see three Peter Rabbit-inspired community garden makeovers take place between now and 2024. 

The Grow With Peter Rabbit initiative will draw on Peter Rabbit’s playful nature and bring the benefits of gardening and spending time in nature to families across the UK. The three gardens and a series of bespoke How-To videos – for families to follow at home – will be designed and delivered by Grow2Know’s founders, including: semi-professional footballer, community activist and TV presenter Tayshan Hayden-Smith, garden designer and TV presenter Danny Clarke (aka ‘The Black Gardener’), and Ali Yellop, agriculturist, chef and herbalist. 

The first community garden is in development in a disused plot attached to a primary school in Kensington: the borough in which Grow2Know was founded in response to the Grenfell Tower fire tragedy in 2017, and where Peter Rabbit’s creator, Beatrix Potter, was born. It will be opened in Summer 2022 and available to pupils and the wider local community for workshops and events.

Families across the UK will be encouraged to Grow With Peter Rabbit from home during National Children’s Gardening Week 2022 (28th May to 5th June) when the How-To series will be released via www.peterrabbit.com. Supporting the campaign on social media will be TV presenter and farmer JB Gill and married couple Jake and Hannah Graf MBE, named by the Guardian as one of the UK’s most influential LBGTQ couples. Their families will be joining in to demonstrate how easy and fun it is to grow your own vegetables at home, using simple, upcycled objects and a packet of seeds.

Katy MacMillan-Scott, Director, Riot Communications, said: “This was a dream brief for us: to take a much loved, heritage brand, and to develop its core values – of mischief, of play, of the joy of being in nature – into a collaboration with integrity, legacy and real-world social impact. It’s been a joy to work with the hugely talented teams at Penguin Random House Children’s and Grow2Know to develop this campaign, and we cannot wait to see the final garden reveal. In the meantime, we hope families across the country will get growing with Peter Rabbit this May.

Izzy Richardson, Global Brands Director, Penguin Random House Children’s, said: “As custodians of The World of Peter Rabbit and publisher of Beatrix Potter’s tales, we’re in the unique position of being able to use Beatrix Potter’s timeless stories to affect change and drive positive, social impact. We were both encouraged and impressed by Riot’s credentials in this area and felt confident they were the right partner to work with on this important and exciting campaign. We are really proud of what we have managed to achieve together, and the team at Riot have been collaborative and supportive throughout.”

To find out more, get inspired, sign up for video content and grow with Peter Rabbit, visit www.peterrabbit.com or follow @officialpeterrabbit on Instagram and Facebook.

Are your comms inclusive?

Many companies have rightly put D&I at the top of the senior leadership agenda, thinking about ways in which to make their organisations more inclusive. As the owner of one of only six comms agencies in the UK to have been Blueprinted (an excellence in diversity mark), I am cautiously optimistic about real change. However, one thing I have noticed that often gets overlooked, is the communication around D&I.

It’s all well and good having an accelerated diversity action plan, an accountability charter, an internship programme or a next generation leadership programme, but if the language and tone you use to communicate these ideas and initiatives is not thought-through, your well-intentioned plans could actually do more harm than good.

In my experience, the organisations executing D&I strategies in the most robust and authentic way, are those who think about it holistically – that is, not only the actions they are taking, but how to roll out the message both internally and externally.

We have worked with a handful* of organisations, advising on D&I communications strategies. It is our job to help companies think through and create a clear and sensitive plan, identifying not only what needs to be said, but how, to whom and when. We think about the choice of words and how a message might land – does it sound sincere or cynical and more like a box-ticking exercise? Have the right stakeholders / employee groups been consulted or informed internally? How frequently and transparently should progress – or lack of – be shared? Is it a company-wide email or a press release to the trade press?

Careful consideration of how you talk to your audiences is an essential part of any organisation’s D&I plan. It requires time, thought, and investment in expertise. There are no short cuts to doing it right, but those that do invest – evidence of sincerity in and of itself – will see the greatest return in the long run.

 

*We only advise clients when we believe the charge for greater inclusion is authentic and coming from the very top. We don’t expect organisations to be perfect, but we do expect to see a genuine will to change.

Reflections on mentoring on International Women’s Day

On this International Women’s Day, I’m reflecting on the mentoring I’ve been doing with The Girls Network for the past four months. The Girls Network is a charity whose mission is to inspire and empower girls from the least advantaged communities by connecting them with a mentor and a network of professional role models who are women. In October last year, I arrived at a secondary school in Tower Hamlets, one of the most deprived boroughs in London, with several other aspiring mentors to be matched with a mentee. With some trepidation, as we faced a school gym full of vibrant young women, we sat down for some speed dating that quickly turned into lively conversations about hobbies, favourite school subjects, hopes and fears, exam stress. I was immediately transported back to my teenage years when the world felt enormous and full of possibilities, yet small and concentrated around dynamics of friendship groups, school work, whether my hair had enough hairspray in it to withstand the rain! I now know how privileged I was to be white, from a working class but aspirational family living in south Wales and surrounded by role models who I could draw inspiration from – a friend’s activist mother, the lady at the bookshop who nurtured my love of books, my hardworking, humble Nan who handmade everything. Facing bias as a result of their gender, ethnicity, background, parental income and after two years of major disruption to their education and uncertainty for their futures due to the pandemic, the girls we were meeting were in no such privileged position. 

According to reports from the Office for National Statistics, there are 106,000 more young women than young men who are not in education, employment or training (NEET) and economically inactive. Statistics from Teach First show that 50% of 16-year-olds from the poorest backgrounds achieve no GCSEs above a 3 (grade D). As a PR agency proudly led by a team of phenomenal women from very different backgrounds, we have supported the work that The Girls Network does for several years. We are all keenly aware of the barriers to entry, particularly to a professional role in the culture and entertainment sector, and work to break down those barriers. For example, we’ve recently been awarded the Blueprint diversity mark for our work to promote racial diversity in PR and communications. Riot’s MD, Preena Gadher, who is a passionate advocate of women in business and the arts, especially women of colour, and has mentored for BME PR Pros PR Week mentoring scheme, says, ‘Being a brown woman in business is sadly still a disadvantage in the UK and so starting my own agency in my twenties was a massive risk. I’m super proud of having defied the odds and proved some early nay-sayers wrong. Mentoring programmes that help people see themselves in contexts that are not always obvious can only be a good thing.’ 

I’ve learnt a lot from my brilliant mentee over the past few months. I hope she’s picked up a few tips from me too and felt empowered by our meetings, but mentoring is definitely a two way street. We’ve had fun navigating London’s public transport to help her become more independent and to expand the area where she might find work experience or part time work. She’s shared some beautiful stories of her family bonds that have made me go home and reevaluate my priorities. She’s reminded me of the importance of dedication and determination. I’ve wanted to be the best I can be for her. No matter the age gap or the difference in backgrounds/circumstances, two women coming together to share their experiences, their worries, their dreams and discovering solutions, devising plans, having ideas is a powerful and wonderful thing. 

So on this International Women’s Day, I salute the work of The Girls Network. I salute my mentee, who is defying the odds to realise her ambitions and self-worth. I salute my brilliant colleagues at Riot Communications working to shape a better tomorrow. 

#breakthebias #genderequity #thegirlsnetwork 

The Kids by Hannah Lowe named 2021 Costa Book of the Year

 

The Kids (Bloodaxe Books) by poet and university lecturer Hannah Lowe has been named the Costa Book of the Year 2021. The Kids is the ninth collection of poetry to take the overall prize and the second Book of the Year win for independent publisher Bloodaxe Books, following Inside the Wave by late author and poet Helen Dunmore in 2017.

The announcement was made this evening (Tuesday 1st February) at an awards ceremony at Pan Pacific London hosted by presenter and broadcaster Penny Smith.

BBC News journalist and broadcaster Reeta Chakrabarti, Chair of judges, said: “After a long and passionate discussion that reflected the quality and complexity of all five books, one winner emerged. Hannah Lowe’s The Kids is a book to fall in love with – it’s joyous, it’s warm and it’s completely universal. It’s crafted and skilful but also accessible. Words from the judges were ‘insightful’, ‘empathetic’, ‘generous’, ‘funny’, ‘compassionate’, ‘uplifting’. You will love it!”

Chakrabarti chaired a final judging panel that included: writer, broadcaster and Literary Salon founder Damian Barr; author Jessie Burton; poet and copywriter Rishi Dastidar; novelist, memoirist, and filmmaker Xiaolu Guo; author Smriti Halls; tennis coach Judy Murray; broadcaster and Editor in Chief of The Frank Magazine Melanie Sykes, and novelist, biographer and journalist Andrew Wilson.

Lowe beat the bookmaker’s favourite – bestselling novelist Claire Fuller, and her fourth book, Unsettled Ground – to win the overall prize of £30,000. The other three category Award winners in the running included: journalist-turned-author John Preston for Fall: The Mystery of Robert Maxwell, a biography of the media mogul and former MP, British-Ghanaian short story writer and photographer Caleb Azumah Nelson for his first novel, Open Water, and actor, director, charity founder and children’s author, Manjeet Mann for her second work of YA fiction, The Crossing. To mark the 50th year of the Awards, each author received a bespoke certificate specially created, designed and produced by leading letterpress studio, The Garage Press, featuring traditional hand-printed elements using a vintage press merged with digital production techniques.

The Kids is a book of sonnets about teaching, learning, growing up and parenthood. It draws on Lowe’s decade of teaching in an inner-city London sixth form during the 2000s, as well as on her own coming of age in the riotous 1980s and 90s and concludes with poems about her young son learning to negotiate contemporary London.

Jill McDonald, CEO of Costa Coffee, said: “On behalf of all of us at Costa Coffee, many congratulations to Hannah Lowe for winning the 2021 Costa Book of the Year in this, the Awards’ milestone anniversary year. For many of us, our reading patterns have changed since the pandemic. We’ve had the opportunity to read more and appreciate the joy of reading a good book and the escapism it can bring, especially when accompanied by a great cup of coffee. The perfect partner! Being named Costa Book of the Year is a terrific achievement and I wish Hannah and the book every continued success.”

Since the introduction of the Book of the Year award in 1985, it has been won 13 times by a novel, five times by a first novel, eight times by a biography, nine times by a collection of poetry and twice by a children’s book. The 2020 Costa Book of the Year was The Mermaid of Black Conch by Monique Roffey.

The Costa Book Awards is the only major UK book prize open solely to authors resident in the UK and Ireland and uniquely recognises some of the most enjoyable books across five categories – First Novel, Novel, Biography, Poetry and Children’s Book – published in the last year. 2021 marks the 50th year of the Awards. Originally established in 1971, Costa Coffee has been running the UK’s most prestigious book prize since 2006.

Many of the books celebrated by the Awards over the past half century have gone on to be enjoyed by a huge number of readers. Sales figures of the Book of the Year (introduced in 1985) winning titles since 1998 are in excess of 7 million copies. 

The five 2021 category Award winning books have seen an average sales increase of 367%* since being announced on 4th January. [*Nielsen BookScan]

L.E. Yates wins the 2021 Costa Short Story Award

Also announced at the ceremony was the winner of the 2021 Costa Short Story Award. L.E. Yates, a London-based writer and lecturer, won the public vote and £3,500 for her story, Sunblock. Two runners up – Matthew Hurt from London and Lindsay Gillespie from Lewes – received £1,000 and £500 respectively.

Over 800 entries were received for this year’s Costa Short Story Award, now in its 10th year and open to both published and unpublished writers, for a single, previously unpublished short story of up to 4,000 words written in English by an author aged 18 years or over.

Established in 2012, the Award – run in association with the Costa Book Awards but judged independently of the main five-category system – is judged anonymously. Recent winners include: Tessa Sheridan (2020), a Palme D’Or-winning screenwriter and director; Anna Dempsey (2019), a Florida-born educator and writer based in London; Caroline Ward Vine (2018), a former magazine publisher from Kent, who recently completed her first novel, Stolen Threads; Glasgow-born primary school teacher Luan Goldie (2017), whose debut novel Nightingale Point was longlisted for the Women’s Prize for Fiction 2020 and whose second novel, Homecoming, was published in the same year and Jess Kidd (2016) from Surrey, the author of three adult novels, the first in 2016, and one children’s book, who is now developing her own original TV projects.

The shortlist of three stories was selected by a panel of judges comprising: Sarah Franklin, founder of Short Stories Aloud and Senior Lecturer in Publishing at Oxford Brookes University; BBC Radio 2 Book Club producer, Joe Haddow; literary agent, Simon Trewin, and bestselling authors Adele Parks and Kit de Waal, herself a finalist for the Costa Short Story Award in 2013. The stories were then made available on the Costa Book Awards website for the public to download and read, and then vote for their favourite. 

Riot Communications secures The Blueprint status

Specialist culture and entertainment agency Riot Communications has become the latest agency to secure The Blueprint diversity mark.

The Blueprint diversity mark aims to promote racial diversity in PR and communications. Awarded agencies sign up to a series of commitments aimed at encouraging diversity from training to boardroom to staff culture to recruitment and retention.

Riot became the sixth agency to achieve the highest recognition for their diversity and inclusion work, gaining full Blueprint status after completing the 40-question application form. Riot’s submission was marked by an independent panel of judges: Henry Rowling (founder, Flying Cars innovation agency); Sasha Daly (advocacy and influencing consultant); and Nyree Connell (healthcare policy manager and Blueprint strategy advisor).

Founded in 2008, Riot Communications exists to create a better world through the promotion of culture and entertainment. The agency, with a 30% Black, Asian, Mixed Race and Ethnic Minority (BME) workforce, has a longstanding reputation for creating inclusive work and promoting D&I in the cultural sector.

The agency’s Blueprint application revealed a deep and broad commitment to diversity, equality and inclusion and a high level of diversity literacy. In the last year, the agency overhauled their recruitment policies and procedures to directly speak to a diverse audience; updated their diversity strategy; updated staff contracts and handbooks to strengthen the D&I focus and went through the Investors in People certification securing a ‘Gold’ standard with diversity cited as a key strength. Furthermore, staff at Riot Communications attended extensive training courses aimed at promoting inclusive work and an inclusive workforce, and senior management have played a crucial role in promoting diversity and inclusion across the industries they work including hosting a cross-sector roundtable for senior leaders on improving access to culture.

Led by co-founder Preena Gadher, Riot Communications is the first BME-owned agency to become Blueprinted and the only agency to be successful in the latest application round.

Elizabeth Bananuka, Founder, BME PR Pros; Founder/CEO Blueprinted, said: “Riot Communications’ Blueprint application was a sheer joy to read. One of the smallest agencies to ever apply for The Blueprint, their size belies the incredible work the team do to promote diversity, equality, and inclusion in their workplace, in PR, in culture and entertainment. Aside from the number of policies and procedures the agency has put in place and the creative solutions they have found to make a big impact with a tiny workforce and limited budgets, what impressed the judges more than anything was the level of diversity literacy. They set a gold standard. A group of people that completely understand the invisible systemic barriers and inequalities that can impact the careers of talented BME PR and comms pros, and they are committed to dismantling each one. It’s an honour to award Riot Communications The Blueprint diversity mark.”

Preena Gadher, Managing Director said: “I am beyond thrilled that Riot has been awarded Blueprint status. The process has been stringent (rightly) and the excellent framework that Elizabeth and her team have created for the accreditation has been an invaluable tool. I had a sense Riot was already thinking along the right lines when it came to D&I, knowing first-hand what it is like to not belong, but the process has really challenged us to be more robust and pushed us to be more innovative in our practises. Blueprint accreditation for us, means the continuation of an on-going journey to be ever better.”

The Blueprint diversity mark has four application rounds a year and applications are judged by an independent panel who have taken part in a Blueprint diversity workshop. The deadline for the next round of agency applications is midday on Thursday 3 March 2022. Applications can be requested via the website.

The diversity mark will open to in-house teams in 2022.

Costa Book Awards 2021 category winners announced

The Nation’s Favourite Coffee shop Costa Coffee today announces the Costa Book Awards 2021 winners in the First Novel, Novel, Biography, Poetry and Children’s Book categories.

The Costa Book Awards is the only major UK book prize open solely to authors resident in the UK and Ireland and uniquely recognises some of the most enjoyable books across five categories – First Novel, Novel, Biography, Poetry and Children’s Book – published in the last year. 2021 marks the 50th year of the Awards. Originally established in 1971, Costa Coffee has been running the UK’s most prestigious book prize since 2006.

The five winning authors – one of whose books will be named the 2021 Costa Book of the Year on Tuesday 1st February – are: 

  • Short story writer and photographer Caleb Azumah Nelson, who wins the Costa First Novel Award for Open Water, a book that has been praised by fellow writers as ‘a love song to Black art and thought’ (Yaa Gyasi) and ‘a lyrical modern love story’ (David Nicholls), and which the judges said was ‘… like nothing else we’ve ever read’. 
  • Claire Fuller, a bestselling author whose writing career only started when she turned 40, who wins this year’s Costa Novel Award for her fourth book, Unsettled Ground: a novel of resilience and hope, of love and survival, that explores rural poverty in its portrait of twins living on the fringes of society. 
  • Writer and former newspaper arts editor John Preston whose books The Dig and A Very British Scandal have successfully been adapted for the screen – who takes the Costa Biography Award for his seventh book, Fall: The Mystery of Robert Maxwell, also being adapted for television by Working Title. 
  • Poet and University Lecturer Hannah Lowe who wins the Costa Poetry Award with her third collection, The Kids: a book of sonnets drawing on a decade of teaching in an inner-city London sixth form during the 2000s, as well as her own experiences as a teenager and a mother, the judges said ‘made us want to punch the air with joy.’
  • Actor, playwright, screenwriter, director and charity founder Manjeet Mann who wins the Costa Children’s Book Award for her second book, The Crossing, a verse novel about two teenagers from opposite worlds inspired by hope, grief, and the very real tragedies of the refugee crisis.

The authors, each of whom will receive £5,000, were selected from 934 entries and their books are now eligible for the ultimate prize – the 2021 Costa Book of the Year.

Jill McDonald, CEO of Costa Coffee, said: ‘Here are five fantastic books for readers to explore, recommend and share, ideally whilst enjoying a great cup of Costa coffee! We’re celebrating a milestone 50th anniversary year for the Costa Book Awards, and the range and breadth of this year’s category winners illustrates the Awards’ longstanding appeal, as the home of enjoyable reads to suit all tastes. Congratulations to all this year’s category Award-winning authors.’ 

The winner of the Costa Book of the Year will be selected by a panel of judges chaired by Reeta Chakrabarti, journalist and broadcaster, BBC News, and comprising category judges Jessie Burton, Rishi Dastidar, Xiaolu Guo, Smriti Halls and Andrew Wilson, and joined by writer and broadcaster, Damian Barr, tennis coach Judy Murray, broadcaster and Editor in Chief of Frank Magazine, Melanie Sykes and will be announced at an awards ceremony hosted by Penny Smith on Tuesday 1st February 2022. The winning author will receive £30,000.

Since the introduction of the Book of the Year award in 1985, it has been won 13 times by a novel, five times by a first novel, eight times by a biography, eight times by a collection of poetry and twice by a children’s book. The 2020 Costa Book of the Year was The Mermaid of Black Conch by Monique Roffey.

The winner of the Costa Short Story Award, now in its tenth year, is voted for by the public and will also be announced at February’s ceremony. Voting is open until 14th January, until which time the identity of the three shortlisted authors remains anonymous. 

Riot recruits Apprentice Administration Assistant

At Riot, our aim is to become a truly inclusive agency where the people we employ and the work we deliver draws on and reflects the full range of backgrounds and perspectives to be found in society. That is why we have been working with training provider and charity, City Gateway, to create an apprenticeship role for a young person living in the East End of London, where the Riot team is based. 

With the help of City Gateway, Riot has recruited an Apprentice Administration Assistant to start in January 2022. Alongside their role they will also be completing a Level 3 Business Administration Qualification. 

City Gateway is one of the charities being supported by the Evening Standard and The Independent’s Christmas appeal, Skill Up Set Up, that helps unemployed young people into work through sustainable jobs or apprenticeships, backed by London’s Mayor, Sadiq Khan.

Deborah Klass, Finance and Operations Manager at Riot Communications, said, “We very much look forward to welcoming our young apprentice in the New Year. The Skill Up Set Up campaign is hugely important in giving young people the opportunities and skills they need and we’re delighted to be a part of it. 

At Riot, we’re passionate about facilitating an agency culture where all aspire to, and achieve, their full potential on a level playing field, and to create an environment where everyone feels they belong.”

The story of how fungi have shaped our planet and lives wins biologist Merlin Sheldrake the 2021 Royal Society Science Book Prize

Tonight, Monday 29th November 2021, Entangled Life: How Fungi Make Our Worlds, Change Our Minds and Shape Our Futures (Bodley Head) by biologist and writer Merlin Sheldrake becomes the 34th winner of the annual Royal Society Science Book Prize, sponsored by Insight Investment.

Chosen from a shortlist of six titles celebrating the depth, accessibility and joy of popular science writing, Entangled Life pulls back the curtain on the multifarious and surreal world of fungi − organisms with no brain yet they can solve complex problems and manipulate animal behaviour with remarkable precision. 

The existence of fungi predates human history by millions of years, and without them, plants would not have evolved onto land, an essential milestone without which humans would not exist. Fungi have given us bread, alcohol and vital medicines. Primitive communities worshipped mushrooms as others do gods, and their ability to digest plastic and crude oil could make them a potent weapon in the fight against climate change. Despite these critical contributions to life on earth, 90% of species remain undocumented. 

Sheldrake reveals the ubiquity of mycelium, or networks of fungal threads, creating symbiotic relationships with plants and linking them together in the so-called ‘Wood Wide Web’. He explores psilocybin, the psychoactive ingredient found in magic mushrooms, resulting in the psychedelic qualities that have sparked curiosity in humans for thousands of years. Lichens, meanwhile, are the only living organism observed to survive in full space conditions.

Through these remarkable stories, Sheldrake sheds light on a neglected and surreal world, showing how fungi could be the key to understanding our planet, and perhaps even saving it.

Merlin Sheldrake received a Ph.D. in Tropical Ecology from Cambridge University for his work on underground fungal networks in tropical forests in Panama, where he was based at the Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute. 

The panel of five judges praised Sheldrake for his scientific rigour, illuminating an important but little understood topic and the entertaining nature of his excellent writing. 

Chair of the 2021 judging panel, Professor Luke O’Neill FRS, Professor of Biochemistry in the School of Biochemistry and Immunology, Trinity Biomedical Sciences Institute at Trinity College Dublin, Ireland, comments: “Entangled Life is a fantastic account of the world of fungi, which to the uninitiated might seem unpromising as a topic, but which Merlin Sheldrake brings alive in the most vivid of ways.  We learn all kinds of interesting things about fungi, from how they helped plants colonise land (which means without them we wouldn’t be here) to how they form huge networks allowing trees to communicate (in the form of the ‘Wood Wide Web’), to stories of fungus-gathering enthusiasts, how fungi might help save the planet by digesting plastic, and even how they can manipulate our minds.  This is science writing at its very best, which yet again emphasises how the scientific method is so important in our effort to understand the world around us. Entangled Life is an important, scientifically rigorous and most of all entertaining read.”

Brian Cox OBE, FRS, The Royal Society Professor for Public Engagement in Science, added: “At a time when science is front and centre of everyone’s lives, making it accessible and understandable through great writing is more important than ever. The best science writing invites people to explore the world around them and view it in a new way, and Entangled Life is a perfect example. Exploring Nature always delivers insights that are surprising and often resonate way beyond the initial research or subject matter, and Merlin’s wonderfully written book is a perfect example. From antibiotics to parasitic ‘zombie infections’, Entangled Life brings the reader face to face with the beauty and terror of Nature.” 

During a ceremony at the Royal Society, which was also streamed via the Royal Society’s YouTube Channel, Sheldrake received a cheque for £25,000 and the five shortlisted authors were each awarded £2,500.

Professor Luke O’Neill FRS was joined on the 2021 panel by television presenter Ortis Deley; mathematician and Dorothy Hodgkin Royal Society Fellow Dr Anastasia Kisil; author and creative writing lecturer Christy Lefteri; and journalist, writer, and film maker Clive Myrie.

For 33 years, the Prize has promoted the accessibility and joy of popular science writing. It has celebrated some truly game-changing reads: books that offer fresh insights on the things that affect the lives we lead and the decisions we make, from neurodiverse perspectives on everyday living (Explaining Humans by Dr Camilla Pang, 2020) to gender bias (Invisible Women by Caroline Criado Perez, 2019) and the harms humans are wreaking on the planet (Adventures in the Anthropocene by Gaia Vince, 2015, and Six Degrees by Mark Lynas, 2008).

Drag Kings put on a spectacle to celebrate first ever archive donation drive from the community at Bishopsgate Institute

Drag Kings archive donations

On Friday 19th November 2021, Bishopsgate Institute – home to the UK’s largest queer archive – hosted a sold-out event to highlight and celebrate the contribution of drag kings to LGBTQ+ culture.

Dragging the Archive – run in partnership with Louche Magazine – included panels discussing the history of male impersonation dating back to Mary Frith in the 1580s, make-up tutorials and queer zine and badge making, as well as performances from London-based drag kings CYRO, Hardik Mistry and Orlando, and readings from host and Louche founder Georgeous Michael. The event also provided a safe space for queer people to examine and uplift their history and come together to celebrate butch and trans masc culture in the LGBTQ+ community.

Bishopsgate Institute has identified a lack of donated materials documenting the rich and diverse history of drag kings, which is at real risk of being lost. As part of the event, drag kings were encouraged to bring archive donations to help preserve the current history of the UK drag king scene. Drag king icon Frankie Sinatra donated their first ever hat and Pecs, the drag king troupe, donated collectable items from their shows, including a script, write-ups, flyers and tickets, and a pin badge that was exclusive to their Patreon followers.

Bishopsgate Institute is continuing to encourage and accept donations from drag kings to ensure this unique and valuable history is preserved for future generations. Donations of materials can be accepted at any time. Contact their Library team  library@bishopsgate.org.uk to arrange a donation, or book a slot to view their Special Collections and Archives https://www.bishopsgate.org.uk/archives

Stef Dickers, Special Collections & Archives Manager at Bishopsgate Institute, commented:

“Bishopsgate Institute has the most accessible and welcoming special collections and archives documenting LGBTQ+ History in the U.K. We value and celebrate any person or organisation who wishes to share their story with us. Drag King history is underrepresented in LGBTQ+ Archives, and we hope that by partnering with Louche magazine we can encourage more people to donate their memorabilia and personal items so we can record this valuable history for generations to come.”

Georgeous Michael, Founder of Louche Magazine, said: “It felt so powerful taking up space in the Bishopsgate Institute’s historic library and archive, with a vibrant queer event. The evening represented a really special opportunity to bring people together, to foster conversation and connection, and encourage critical thinking around the histories and archiving in relation to drag kings, an often-underrepresented group. I created Louche magazine because I wanted a platform to celebrate, document and archive the vibrancy of the drag scene today, from the grassroots, and this event felt like the perfect way to do this”.

King Frankie Sinatra said of their donation:

“It was an honour to be at the start of an archive that will mean the whole world never being able to forget that drag Kings are here in 2021 just as much as drag Queens.

I personally donated my character King Frankie Sinatra’s first trilby hat. I’m sure it will be of enormous interest in years to come.”

Pecs Drag Kings also commented:

“Drag Kings still have to push for the same level of validation and recognition that some other areas of the LGBTQ+ and drag community receive and archiving our history’s is a key step in that. If we don’t archive ourselves, our rich and important narratives can be lost. Pecs have been around for nearly a decade, we represent part of that history and so it felt important to ensure we donated to the archive. Thank you to the whole team for creating this event.”

Costa Book Awards 2021 shortlists announced

The Nation’s Favourite Coffee shop, Costa Coffee, today announces the shortlists for the 2021 Costa Book Awards.

The Costa Book Awards is the only major UK book prize open solely to authors resident in the UK and Ireland and uniquely recognises some of the most enjoyable books published in the last year across five categories – First Novel, Novel, Biography, Poetry and Children’s Book. 

2021 marks the 50th year of the Awards. Originally established in 1971, Costa Coffee took over the UK’s most prestigious book prize from Whitbread Plc in 2006.

This year’s Costa Book Awards attracted 934 entries, an increase of over 30% on 2020 and the highest number of entries received in one year to date. Judges on this year’s panels (three per category) included the authors, novelists and writers Jessie Burton, Andrew Wilson and Smriti Halls; novelist, memoirist and filmmaker, Xiaolu Guo; journalists including Sarah Shaffi; poets Rishi Dastidar and Ian Duhig; podcaster Manveen Rana, and booksellers from Waterstones, Blackwell’s, The Book Hive and The Little Ripon Bookshop.

Winners in the five categories, who each receive £5,000, will be announced on Tuesday 4th January 2022. The overall winner of the 2021 Costa Book of the Year will receive £30,000 and be announced at a ceremony on Tuesday 1st February 2022.

Jill McDonald, CEO of Costa Coffee, said: “We are delighted to celebrate these 20 brilliant books as we mark a milestone 50th anniversary year for both Costa Coffee and the Costa Book Awards. My thanks to the judges for putting together such outstanding lists – there’s so much here for readers to explore, enjoy, recommend and share – and my congratulations to all of this year’s shortlisted authors.”

The winner of the Costa Short Story Award, voted for by the public, will also be announced at February’s ceremony. The three shortlisted stories for the Costa Short Story Award, now in its tenth year, will be revealed on the Costa Book Awards website, www.costabookawards.com, on Wednesday 1st December 2021.

To be eligible for the 2021 Costa Book Awards, books must have been first published in the UK or Ireland between Saturday 1st November 2020 and Sunday 31st October 2021 and their authors resident in the UK or Ireland for the previous three years.

Since the introduction of the Book of the Year award in 1985, it has been won 13 times by a novel, five times by a first novel, eight times by a biography, eight times by a collection of poetry and twice by a children’s book. The 2020 Costa Book of the Year was The Mermaid of Black Conch by Monique Roffey.

COSTA BOOK AWARDS 2021 SHORTLISTS

2021 Costa First Novel Award shortlist

Open Water by Caleb Azumah Nelson (Viking)

The Manningtree Witches by A.K. Blakemore (Granta)

Fault Lines by Emily Itami (Phoenix)

The Stranding by Kate Sawyer (Coronet)

2021 Costa Novel Award shortlist

Unsettled Ground by Claire Fuller (Fig Tree)

The High House by Jessie Greengrass (Swift Press)

The Fortune Men by Nadifa Mohamed (Viking)

The Island of Missing Trees by Elif Shafak (Viking)

2021 Costa Biography Award shortlist

Consumed: A Sister’s Story by Arifa Akbar (Sceptre)

The Moth and the Mountain: A True Story of Love, War and Everest by Ed Caesar (Viking)

Fall: The Mystery of Robert Maxwell by John Preston (Viking)

Free: Coming of Age at the End of History by Lea Ypi (Allen Lane)

2021 Costa Poetry Award shortlist

All the Names Given by Raymond Antrobus (Picador)

A Blood Condition by Kayo Chingonyi (Chatto & Windus)

Eat or We Both Starve by Victoria Kennefick (Carcanet Press)

The Kids by Hannah Lowe (Bloodaxe Books)

2021 Costa Children’s Award shortlist

Maggie Blue and the Dark World by Anna Goodall (Guppy Books)

The Crossing by Manjeet Mann (Penguin)

The Midnight Guardians by Ross Montgomery (Walker Books)

The Boy Who Made Everyone Laugh by Helen Rutter (Scholastic UK)