The GLL Literary Foundation Takes Off
As BfK readers know, a new foundation to support ‘up and coming’ children’s authors was established in November 2024 by charitable social enterprise and libraries operator GLL.
The GLL Literary Foundation offers up to 20 author bursary placements, alongside a number of additional author support placements, in areas where GLL operates public libraries under its ‘Better’ brand: Bromley, Greenwich, Wandsworth, Dudley and Lincolnshire. This struck us as an innovative and practical initiative, that offers valuable support for authors and creates worthwhile relationships for libraries and publishers so we’re shadowing the initiative in a series of articles. This is the second.
Each author selected for a bursary placement receives £750 as well as further ‘in kind’ support valued at up to £4,000. All authors are partnered with a specialist local librarian ‘champion’, who will help them to deliver a series of author events and provide networking opportunities with local booksellers, publishers, literary festivals and schools. Authors are also offered three online business training courses.
Authors across all genres of children’s literature were encouraged to apply, including picture books, early readers, chapter books, poetry, non-fiction, novels, graphic and verse novels. Entries were submitted by publishers and assessed by a board of trustees drawn from GLL libraries.
In March 2025, children’s authors, librarians and notables from the publishing world gathered at Battersea Library in the London borough of Wandsworth to announce the first cohort of GLL Literary Foundation authors and to celebrate the official launch of the GLL Literary Foundation.
Speakers at the event included GLL’s CEO Peter Bundey, who emphasised the importance of collaboration in protecting, supporting and growing library services. Isobel Hunter MBE, CEO of Libraries Connected talked about the unique role of libraries in uniting publishers, authors and audiences, GLL’s Head of Libraries Rebecca Gediking shared the vision and purpose behind the newly established Foundation, while Wandsworth Council’s leader Councillor Simon Hogg, highlighted the borough’s continued support for libraries as London’s 2025 Borough of Culture.
Nadine Wild-Palmer, author of The Tunnels Below and Nadine’s ‘champion’, Wandsworth Children’s Librarian, October Jones, share their experiences of attending the GLL Literary Foundation launch event.
Nadine Wild-Palmer says:
Walking into the GLL Literary Foundation national launch was like stepping into a wonderland. Not only were there echoes of the Lewis Carroll classic in the teatime refreshments put on by PeonyRose, but it was held at Battersea Library: my memories of studying there as a youth brought the past and the present all together under the ornate glass roof.
Working with the GLL Literary Foundation has already made me feel like I am back where I belong with a lively literary community championing the work of early career authors. It has also renewed my sense of hope and reassured me that I will be able to continue and sustain my career as a children’s author. This had been challenged first by COVID and then when Twitter turned into X, a change which not only made me feel unwelcome, even lost but which severed the communication I had built up with my peers and community, which I have found difficult to repair. I now know from talking to other authors at the GLL launch event that I am not the only children’s author who has experienced this. And so it was, that gathering with the other 19 children’s authors who are supported by GLL has made me feel like I am getting a second chance to commune, contribute and to shine.
The launch itself was beautifully organised and well attended but my main takeaway was the positive connection that the Foundation seeks to reinforce by marrying authors with local libraries which, I still believe, are the heart of the community. Libraries are not just places to read books, they have their own ecosystem. They are places to exchange and share ideas, study, chat, have tea, make friends or, for me, on one desperate afternoon, to breastfeed. Thanks to libraries I have always had a safe place to be.
I am naturally drawn to libraries, and started my career in children’s books in my twenties as an assistant librarian in a school keen to learn what children wanted to read and to discuss books and ideas. When I look back on my life, I realise that whether on my gap year visiting cities around the world or sheltering from the rain or, heartbreak, I find myself at all stages hidden among shelves lined with books. So now, given the opportunity to give back to the institutions that have given me so much it fills me with a sense of homecoming embellished with feelings of gratitude and joy. I’m looking forward to the events and exchanges that will help me grow as an author and hopefully a person through working with the GLL Literary Foundation and would encourage any budding author to apply in the future.
Off the back of an author visit to a beautiful school in Southwest London recently I was reminded that being a children’s author is one of the most fruitful and fulfilling jobs out there, but it can also be lonely, especially when the bank balance is low and you’re feeling a bit dog-eared. Being part of the GLL Literary Foundation – something bigger than myself – provides the support and confidence that someone has my back and that there’s always a library to go to if I ever lose my way!
October Jones says:
At a time when national data paints a worrying picture of falling reading enjoyment and literacy rates among children, GLL has stepped forward with a powerful response: putting libraries, authors, and communities right at the heart of the solution.
The GLL Literary Foundation (GLF25) isn’t just a timely intervention, it’s a bold reimagining of what library-led literacy work can be. More than a single programme, it’s a living, breathing framework that puts equity, creativity, cultural representation, and real community connection front and centre.
The Foundation officially launched in March 2025, with a dazzling celebration at Battersea Library. This landmark event brought together local, regional, and national leaders, industry powerhouses, literacy leaders and supporters and of course, the stars of the show: our author cohort. We were all united by a shared mission to bring back the joy of reading and weave libraries and literature into the fabric of everyday life.
The atmosphere was electric: a tapestry of celebration, hope, and community spirit stitched right into the historic walls of the Battersea reference library. For one magical event, the space was transformed into an enchanted wonderland, complete with stunning décor, sumptuously thematic catering, and the unmistakable sense that we were all witnessing something momentous.
With rousing speeches from Councillor Simon Hogg, Libraries Connected CEO – Isobel Hunter MBE, GLL CEO Peter Bundey, Literary Foundation Founder and Head of Libraries Rebecca Gediking, Patron Joseph Coelho (appearing via video) and Trustee Mo O’Hara, it became clear: this wasn’t just the start of a project, it was the beginning of a movement.
As Wandsworth’s Literary Champion, I felt truly honoured to stand among so many passionate, committed people, all united in the belief that authors, libraries, and communities, together, can light a path towards a brighter future for children’s literacy. Together, we are writing a new chapter, and it’s a thrilling one!
It’s my great pleasure to introduce the phenomenal authors leading that new chapter for Wandsworth: Nathanael Lessore, Fay Evans, Olivia Wakeford, Nadine Wild-Palmer, and Jack Meggit-Phillips. This line-up represents the vibrant, diverse world of children’s literature today, each bringing their own distinctive stories, cultural perspectives, creative energy and their incredible enthusiasm for libraries. Throughout 2025, these authors will be visiting libraries across Wandsworth, delivering three different events: one in a school, one in a library, and one online. This triadic approach will allow us to reach as many children and families as possible.
The GLL Literary Foundation may have only just begun, but it’s already proving what we’ve always known deep down: A good story can change a life. A great library? It can change an entire community!
