Matt Goodfellow announced as BookTrust’s new Writer in Residence
Poet Matt Goodfellow is the new BookTrust Writer in Residence. His tenure begins today, 1 September.
The Writer in Residence programme provides a platform for the country’s best loved children’s authors and illustrators to explore and share themes they are passionate about, while inspiring children and their families to discover the joy and lifelong benefits of reading. Matt Goodfellow takes over from Camilla Reid and previous role-holders include Patrice Lawrence, Michael Rosen, Cressida Cowell and Nick Sharratt.
Describing his plans for the role, Matt Goodfellow said, ‘It’s a privilege to be working with BookTrust as their Writer in Residence. My residency theme is ‘voice and choice’ which is something incredibly important to me in the work I do as a poet and author, especially when it comes to meeting young people at events in schools and festivals around the UK. We know that children benefit from choosing the books that reflect their voices and communities, and this is the message that I give to young people all the time – that their voice, their story, their life matters.
‘Over the next few months, I am looking forward to sharing some of my favourite authors and poets, and exploring all the ways in which
Clippa 2024 taken on the 12th July 2024 at the National theatre
books and stories can offer hope and joy to children and their families when they can see their own lives and the lives of people around them inside the pages.’
Matt Goodfellow won the CLiPPA Children’s Poetry Award with The Final Year (2023), illustrated by Joe Todd-Stanton, which was also shortlisted for the Carnegie Medal for Writing, the Branford Boase Award and the Children’s Book Award. Its sequel The First Year was published in April 2025.
Annie Crombie, Co-CEO of BookTrust said, ‘We are thrilled to welcome Matt Goodfellow as our new Writer in Residence. Matt’s passion for giving children the confidence to see themselves in stories, and to discover the joy of books that reflect their lives, is inspiring.
His energy, warmth and ability to connect with children through poetry and performance will bring so much to this residency, and we can’t wait to see the creative ways he’ll help children find both their voice and their love of reading.’
Find out more about Matt Goodfellow in our Authorgraph interview.
BookTrust started the Writer in Residence project in March 2009 and has appointed a range of brilliant authors and illustrators since then. These include: Cressida Cowell, Sita Brahmachari, Patrick Ness, Polly Dunbar, Bali Rai, Matt Haig, Laura Dockrill, Chris Riddell, Nicola Davies, Cerrie Burnell, Sarah McIntyre, Philip Ardagh, Taran Matharu, Nadia Shireen, Candy Gourlay, Phil Earle, Ed Vere, Smriti Halls, Onjali Q Raúf, Dapo Adeola, Michael Rosen, Nick Sharratt, SF Said, Michelle Robinson, Rashmi Sirdeshpande, Patrice Lawrence MBE and most recently, Camilla Reid.
