Report on the Society of Authors CWIG Conference, 2008 

The 2008 CWIG Conference was held at Robinson College, Cambridge from Friday, 29th to Sunday 30th August. It was attended by 230 delegates; the majority of them published writers or illustrators. The conference is held every three years or so, and 2008, the National Year of Reading, will also be remembered for the Great Age Guidance Debate. The controversy around this one issue has grown as the year has progressed. The conference was an obvious time to hear both sides and to clarify our own thoughts about something that would affect all of us, but although it was important, the Committee did not want it to overbalance the weekend. The conference could not be about one thing only; it had to feed the interest and answer the needs of the membership across a wide range of topics.

Friday evening

Writers and illustrators often work in isolation, and an important aspect of the conference is the way that it offers a chance for us all to get together. The CWIG Conference has always been a uniquely democratic occasion when even the famous and successful become just other writers and artists, fellow delegates. The Friday night reception, generously hosted by Heffer’s (which also ran the conference bookshop), gave everyone a chance to mix together, to catch up with old friends, make contact with new people, and to meet two of the legends of Children’s Literature, Jill Paton Walsh and John Rowe Townsend, both long time members and supporters of CWIG.

Saturday

William Nicholson

Important themes began to emerge and develop right from the beginning. In William Nicholson’s session, first thing on Saturday morning, he spoke with wit and honesty about what it means to be a writer: the importance of doing what you believe in, what you enjoy, how we all have to learn to take criticism, however difficult that may be, and we have to balance our creativity with the need to make a living and take responsibility for your own career and writing life. But it is not just about us, how we work and what we do.

Julia Eccleshare and Nicolette Jones

The following session, with the reviewers Julia Eccleshare and Nicolette Jones, reminded us that we belong to a wider community of people who are just as passionate about children’s books as we are. They spoke with honest frankness about the frustrations they face with the lack of space allotted to children’s books and their continuing battles to bring more books to the attention of the readers of their newspapers. Their commitment does not end with reading and reviewing, but extends to acting on committees, taking part in festivals, chairing judging panels, administering prizes, all in order to bring the books we write and illustrate to the attention of readers.

The parallel sessions

Parallel sessions have always been an important part of the conference. Not everyone feels comfortable speaking up in front of a full auditorium, but everyone can contribute in smaller sessions. On both days the parallel sessions offered a choice of writers and illustrators sharing their experience with their peers, but also included others from that wider community: agents, publishers, PR and marketing experts, who had come to offer their specialist knowledge and expertise.

Afternoon outings

Saturday afternoon (in surprising sunshine) offered a break from the intensity of the conference, with a choice between punting and a trip to Lucy Boston’s House at Hemingford Grey, the original of Green Knowe, and Althea’s Glass Studio. In the early evening we came together again to listen to Anthony Browne talk about his work as an illustrator. His Shape Game, where you take one shape and turn it into something else, spoke to everyone there, writers and illustrators, about the nature of creativity and, by sharing his work with us, he demonstrated how enormously enriching illustration can be and how important picture books are, or should be, in the life of every child.

Saturday evening dinner

In the evening, there was a dinner in the College dining hall. The food was good, the conversation even better, wine flowed and Laurence Anholt was there to provide after dinner entertainment. Afterwards, the bar stayed open until midnight and there was an impromptu sing song, for those with the staying power.

Sunday

David Almond and Polly Dunbar

If Saturday was about being part of a community that is bigger than we sometimes realise, Sunday was about collaboration. This was the day when age guidance was due to be discussed, so it could have been about division and dissension, but it began with David Almond and Polly Dunbar talking about working together on a specific project: David’s book My Dad’s A Birdman. It was a privilege to listen to two talented people talking about collaborating on a project and the reason why they had embarked on it. Their talk chimed with the trip to Lucy Boston’s house, a salutary reminder of a time when some of the best children’s books ever written routinely had pictures in them and children were not expected to go directly from picture books to Harry Potter. 

The Age Guidance debate

The discussion for and against age guidance on books followed immediately after the morning’s parallel sessions. This was always going to be difficult, with changes and additions right up until the time of the conference. There had been constant uncertainty about whether anyone could be found to take the platform and speak for the scheme, but at the last minute: Kate Wilson, Managing Director of Scholastic UK and Philippa Dickinson, Chairman of Random House Children’s Publishing came representing their own publishing houses.

Author, Philip Pullman spoke first, giving an impassioned, and eloquent address to the conference, in which he set out in plain and powerful terms his deeply felt and passionate opposition to the scheme (a copy of his speech can be found at www.notoagebanding.org). His palpable anger might have upset a few (we aren’t very used to one of our number expressing their views with quite such vehemence) but he spoke for many who considered they had found in him a fearless champion and his speech was rapturously received.

Philip Pullman was followed by Kate Wilson, who showed not a little personal bravery in agreeing to appear before us. Most people in the auditorium appreciated her coming, whether they agreed with her, or not. She had not come as a representative of the Publishers Association, but because she thought a publisher should be there to present the case for putting ages on books. She explained that the publishers saw this as a way to expand the book market, in a harsh commercial climate, by making it easier for adults to choose books to buy for children. She linked this to the continuing importance of reading for pleasure in children’s intellectual and cultural development, when many other interests compete for their time. She said that publishers regretted deeply the way the issue had been handled.  She finished by re-iterating that no author would have the age printed on a book against his or her wishes and made a plea for the end of what she sees as a damaging division.

At this point, the two main speakers joined a panel for a discussion chaired by Stephanie Nettell, who had kindly agreed to step into the breach after the scheduled chair could not attend due to a family bereavement. The panel included Becky Stradwick, Head of Children’s books, Borders UK, author Anne Fine, from the No to Age Banding Campaign, who reported on the current state of affairs with the campaign (for Anne’s statement, go to www.notagebanding.org) and Celia Rees, Chair of CWIG.

Each panel member made a short statement to allow time for questions and comments from the floor. There followed a spirited discussion, with a variety of views expressed, both for and against. Some matters were clarified. Kate Wilson confirmed that the age on the book referred to content and that there will be some sort of evaluation process to assess the impact of the initiative. 

Alan Gibbons' Campaign for the Book

On Sunday afternoon, Alan Gibbons, another last minute addition, took up a ten minute slot to explain his Campaign for the Book (for details go to www.alangibbons.net). He was followed by Graham Marks, author and former Children’s Editor of Publishing News, talking with Eleanor Updale about issues that could affect us all in the future: ebooks and digital downloads.

Michael Rosen, Children's Laureate

Michael Rosen, the Children’s Laureate, ended the conference speaking on ‘Laureate Matters’, voicing his concerns that, in the National Year of Reading, children in our schools are reading excerpts instead of whole books,  phonics and cards have replaced learning to read from real picture books and reading is being reduced to a functional, fact finding activity. To combat some of these damaging tendencies, the Laureate is initiating the Roald Dahl Funny Prize, poetry on You Tube and the Big Picture Campaign. He went on to emphasise how important real books are to the development of reading and just how important reading is in the intellectual development from child, to adolescent, to adult.

This was an unusually stimulating, and at times dramatic conference and one that delegates are unlikely to forget. Despite some of the gloomy predictions, the feeling that people took away with them was overwhelmingly positive. Over the two days, powerful themes had begun to emerge: a strong sense of a belonging to a wider community and the need to cooperate and collaborate. We have to recognise the importance of our own position within the publishing industry. Philip Pullman said in his speech about age guidance:

‘Without us there would be no editors, no designers, no marketing teams, no publicity people, no secretaries, no helpful personal assistants, no senior executives, no expense account lunches, no pension schemes, no company cars, no sales conferences in attractive places, no publishing industry whatsoever.’

But without them (the publishers) our books would not be read. We need to work together, if we are to find ways to increase awareness among adult book buyers, create more readers and to bring a wider variety of books to children who already read.

Robinson College was an excellent choice of venue, with plenty of space, friendly staff and excellent accommodation. Organising a conference like this is a big task and the committee, together with the CWIG staff at the Society of Authors worked very hard to make it a success.

We could not have done it without our Organiser, Enid Stephenson, who coped with all the alterations and changes and dealt with everyone with the same friendly firmness to make sure that the delegates had the best possible experience during the weekend.

The next conference will be in three years’ time and by then there will another committee and another Chair. Things are changing so quickly that it is impossible to predict what will be occupying us by then but whatever the agenda, I will be looking forward to going along as just another delegate, happy to absorb it all from the floor.

Celia Rees
Chair, Children Writers and Illustrators Group, Society of Authors