Verna Wilkins

Verna Allette Wilkins
FRSL
Born1940s
Grenada
Occupation(s)Publisher and author of children's books
Known forFounder of Tamarind Books
Notable workDave and the Tooth Fairy (1993)
Children2

Verna Allette Wilkins FRSL (born 1943)[1] is a Grenada-born publisher and author, now resident in London. In 1987 she founded the children's books imprint Tamarind Books, "producing quality inclusive literature that featured Black, Asian and minority ethnic children and children with disabilities" out of her concern about the effect on children who did not see themselves represented in books.[2][3] Tamarind was acquired 20 years later by the Random House Group and became part of Random House Children's Books. Wilkins is also the author of more than 40 picture books and biographies for young people.

Background

Wilkins was born in Grenada, where her father was a head teacher who was instrumental in introducing Caribbean History to a curriculum dominated by Britain's past.[4] Wilkins has said: "He told us stories relevant to our lives. Stories from Africa and the Caribbean – stories that included people like us. He worked hard to give his children and his pupils self-worth. He used the imported European stories to broaden our horizons outside our small tropical island."[5]

Publishing

Wilkins, a former further education teacher,[6][7] realised the powerful impact of early learning material after one of her two sons, soon after starting school as a five-year-old, came home with a "This is Me" booklet in which he had coloured himself pink. However, when she offered him a brown crayon to use instead, he refused, saying that the image he had drawn of himself had to have pink skin because it was for a book: "He had already learned, at that early age, that he did not qualify for entry into the world of books."[3][8] When she researched the matter further, she arrived at the conclusion that her child and other children from the ethnic minorities were so under-represented in children's books that they were being denied an important stage in their learning, so Wilkins was motivated to begin producing books to meet that need.[9]

Starting Tamarind Books in 1987, Wilkins ran the company from her home, writing many of the books herself. New titles were published only when there was enough money in the company bank account, and in the early years she sold the books herself.[10] As she later wrote: "On the kitchen table, with the support of my partner and our sons, we began a business which lasted for a quarter of a century. I was aware of the discourse on race and cultural diversity as early as the 1960s, in response to the UK's growing population of immigrants from the Caribbean, India, Pakistan and Bangladesh, with discussions abounding about 'multicultural education'. So I went to schools and spoke with teachers; there was a captive audience of hundreds of thousands of children, attending schools that were advised to produce an inclusive curriculum. At that time, I was also working as a lecturer."[11]

As Tamarind Books found success, Wilkins decided that the imprint needed "growth, expansion and a committed team to take it to the next stage of development as an international publishing concern", and in 2007 it was acquired by Random House Group Ltd and became an imprint of Random House Children's Books (UK),[12] with Wilkins retained until she handed over to a new team in 2009.[13]

In 2008, Tamarind Books was awarded the Decibel Cultural Diversity Award in the British Book Awards (Nibbies).[8][14]

Building on her achievement with Tamarind, in 2016 Wilkins set up Firetree Books,[11] which she ran as a pilot venture until 2017.[15] As part of the Firetree project, which had Arts Council support, Wilkins produced the books A Visit to City Farm and Abdi's Day in collaboration with primary school children, who featured as co-publishers and whose names were included within the books.[16][17] Wilkins has also worked in schools in Uganda, involving children there in the editorial process of books in which they could see themselves portrayed.[5]

Writing

Wilkins is the author of more than 40 picture books and biographies for young people,[18] and her books have featured on the National Curriculum and on BBC children's television, and been among titles chosen as Children's Books of the Year.[19]

Wilkins wrote two of the best-known titles published by the Tamarind Books imprint: The Life of Stephen Lawrence (2001),[20] and Dave and The Tooth Fairy (1993), which featured a black tooth fairy and sold more than 200,000 in its first edition.[6] Tamarind also published biographies written by Wilkins for a series called Black Profiles, celebrating the lives of role models such as Malorie Blackman, Benjamin Zephaniah, Rudolph Walker, Baroness Scotland, Chinwe Roy, David Grant and Samantha Tross.[21]

Wilkins contributed an essay to the 2019 anthology New Daughters of Africa (edited by Margaret Busby) in which she explains that she began her work creating books in diverse classrooms in the belief that the process must start with children: "They should see themselves as the authors, editors, designers, illustrators and publishers of the future."[22]

Other literary work

Wilkins chaired the former trade association Independent Black Publishers (IBP), with a view to sharing experiences and maximising mutual strengths so as to increase the impact of UK black publishers, with Margaret Busby as patron.[23][24][25][26] In 2007 at the London Book Fair a joint IBP stand showcased the books of Bogle-L'Ouverture Press, Tamarind Books, the X Press, Ayebia Clarke Publishing, Joan Anim-Addo's Mango Press, Jessica Huntley's Bogle-L'Ouverture Publications and other Black ventures.[27]

Wilkins has served as a judge for literary prizes including the Burt Award for Caribbean Literature[28] and the Jhalak Prize, and is also internationally regarded as an acclaimed speaker, facilitating conferences in the UK, Europe, Africa and the Caribbean.[29]

She was elected as a Fellow of the Royal Society of Literature in 2021.[30]

Awards

Selected bibliography

  • Dave and the Tooth Fairy, illustrated by Paul Hunt, Tamarind Books, 1993, ISBN 978-1870516136. Reissue, illustrated by Carl Pearce, Templar Publishing, 2019, ISBN 978-1787415409.
  • Are We There Yet?, illustrated by George McLeod and Lynne Willey, Tamarind Books, 1995, ISBN 978-1870516297.
  • Martin Luther King, Tamarind Books, 1998.
  • Benjamain Zephaniah, illustrated by Gillian Hunt, Tamarind Books, 1999, ISBN 978-1870516389; paperback, 2008, ISBN 978-1848530027.
  • Samantha Tross: Surgeon, Tamarind Books, 2000.
  • The Life of Stephen Lawrence, Tamarind Books (2001); 2012, ISBN 978-1848531055.
  • Chinwe Roy: Artist, Tamarind Books, 2002, ISBN 978-1870516594.
  • Malorie Blackman: Author, illustrated by Virginia Gray, Tamarind Books, 2003, ISBN 978-1870516495.
  • Hurricane, illustrated by Tim Clarey, Tamarind Books, 2004.
  • The History of the Steel Band (with Michael La Rose), illustrated by Lynne Willey, Tamarind Books, 2006 ISBN 978-1870516747.
  • Rudolph Walker, Tamarind Books, 2008.* A Visit to City Farm, illustrated by Karin Littlewood, Firetree Books, ISBN 9781911402077.
  • Abdi's Day, illustrated by Karin Littlewood, Firetree Books, ISBN 9781911402060.

References

  1. ^ "Verna WILKINS personal appointments - Find and update company information - GOV.UK".
  2. ^ Serroukh, Farrah; Karen Sands O'Connor (21 February 2020). "Go deeper: Reflecting on Black presence in children's books". Discovering Children's Books. British Library. Retrieved 16 February 2021.
  3. ^ a b Agnew, Kate (7 October 2008). "Imaginary worlds where everyone is the same colour". The Guardian.
  4. ^ "Verna Wilkins". SPLA. Retrieved 16 February 2021.
  5. ^ a b "An Interview with Verna Wilkins". Red Earth Education. 10 May 2016. Retrieved 16 February 2021.
  6. ^ a b "Beyond Janet and John | My big break". The Guardian. 20 November 1999.
  7. ^ Williams, Elaine (19 March 1999). "The story of my life;Subject of the week;Literacy;Interview;Verna Wilkins". TES.
  8. ^ a b Wilkins, Verna, "Tamarind Books: Redressing the balance", British Book Industry Awards (BBIA), Publishing News. Archived 17 September 2009 at the Wayback Machine
  9. ^ "Tamarind Books' Verna Wilkins talks to Michelle Brooks about Making her Mark on Children's books – OHTV interview". YouTube. 24 August 2010.
  10. ^ Shercliff, Emma (18 August 2014). "Books for the Masses? Publishing Genre Fiction in Africa: Africa Writes, 13 July 2014". Africa in Words. Retrieved 16 February 2021.
  11. ^ a b Wilkins, Verna (4 November 2016). "'Books have the power to include, to exclude and to create heroes'". The Bookseller. Retrieved 16 February 2021.
  12. ^ Flood, Alison (7 December 2007). "Random House acquires Tamarind". The Bookseller. Retrieved 16 February 2021.
  13. ^ Horn, Caroline (4 November 2009). "Wilkins retires from Tamarind". The Bookseller.
  14. ^ James, Philip (14 May 2008). "Foyles and CCV pick up nibbies". The Bookseller. Retrieved 16 February 2021.
  15. ^ "A list of Black British Book Publishers". All About African Publishers – African publishers on the continent and in the Diaspora. 3 July 2017. Retrieved 16 February 2021.
  16. ^ "A Visit to City Farm by Verna Wilkins, illustrated by Karin Littlewood". Dolphin Book blog for younger readers. 11 November 2016. Retrieved 16 February 2021.
  17. ^ "Abdi's Day". New Beacon Books. Retrieved 16 February 2021.
  18. ^ Busby, Margaret, ed. (2020). "Verna Allette Wilkins". New Daughters of Africa (paperback ed.). Myriad. p. 93.
  19. ^ "Verna Wilkins". Book Trust. Retrieved 16 February 2021.
  20. ^ McGavin, Harvey (20 April 2001). "Life and death of a south London schoolboy". TES.
  21. ^ Verna Wilkins (15 April 2008). Samantha Tross: Surgeon. Tamarind. ISBN 978-1-870516-48-8.
  22. ^ Busby, Margaret (9 March 2019). "From Ayòbámi Adébáyò to Zadie Smith: meet the New Daughters of Africa". The Guardian.
  23. ^ Busby, Margaret (4 November 2016). "'Is it still a case of plus ça change?'". The Bookseller. Retrieved 26 March 2021.
  24. ^ a b Publishing News, 2008. Archived 13 April 2008 at the Wayback Machine
  25. ^ "Verna Wilkins | The reluctant publisher – 20 years on", The Galley Club, 2008–2009.
  26. ^ Cox, Debbie (13 July 2020). "Blazing a trail for Black British writing: Jacaranda's Twenty in 2020". English and Drama Blog. British Library.
  27. ^ Andrews, Margaret (2014). Doing Nothing Is Not An Option: The Radical Lives of Eric & Jessica Huntley. UK: Krik Krak. pp. 149–50.
  28. ^ "Top three manuscripts selected for Burt Award 2015". Repeating Islands. 10 April 2015. Retrieved 16 February 2021.
  29. ^ "Our Judges". Jhalak Prize. Retrieved 16 February 2021.
  30. ^ "Verna Wilkins | Elected: 2021". Royal Society of Literature.
  31. ^ IPG (March 2007). "Independent Publishing Awards: The Pick of Independent Publishing". Independent Publishers Guild. Archived from the original on 13 May 2007. Retrieved 25 September 2013.
  32. ^ "Honorary Graduates", Newman University Birmingham.
  33. ^ Bayley, Sian (6 July 2021). "RSL launches three-year school reading project as new fellows announced". The Bookseller. Retrieved 6 July 2021.