This post has been written by Jenny Barker, Editor-in-Chief of Spinning Gold, a student-led children’s and YA literature journal at Goldsmiths, University of London.

With three pathways – Theoretical Approaches, Creative Writing, and Children’s Illustration – the MA Children’s Literature at Goldsmiths, University of London caters to a plethora of interests and talents. When attending my first class in September 2022, it was immediately apparent to me that the diversity of the student body was going to be an asset to the program.

Dr Rudine Sims Bishop’s idea of books functioning as mirrors, windows, or sliding glass doors came to life in classes where students brought their own experiences and identities to the table when responding to children’s and YA literature. The need for authentic representation in books for young people was an issue that we kept circling back to in our discussions, and many of us felt compelled by the question: What can we do about it?

The concept of a student journal for our program was first discussed and shared by students Adrianna Ryn and Maria Jarero in early 2023, and ten more of us quickly jumped on board to create the editing team of what became Spinning Gold. Our aim was to create a showcase journal for students on the MA, opening up a new space for authentic voices. On our editing team of 12, we represented 6 different countries, and we wanted to ensure that our final product was reflective and celebratory of this diversity.

Our call for submissions from students on the course asked for pieces of creative writing for children and young adults, illustrations, and discussion pieces on contemporary issues in the field of children’s and YA literature. Along with student-led interviews with Michael Rosen, Sita Brahmachari and Bruce Ingman, 42 student submissions went into Spinning Gold Volume 1, which launched digitally and with a limited print run in September 2023. The digital version of Volume 1 can be accessed here.

As editor-in-chief for Spinning Gold in its second year, I’ve aimed to build on what we achieved last year. With an editing team made up of 9 students, we have opened our submissions to any student who has taken a module from the Children’s Literature MA, further diversifying the pool of students whose work can be featured. This has led to some exciting collaborations with students on the Translation Studies MA. Inspired by author and teacher Sita Brahmachari’s patchwork storytelling quilt, through which she weaves together a physical quilt to represent the worldbuilding threads of her stories, we voted to introduce a theme for submissions: A Patchwork Project. We believe that the field of children’s and YA literature is a patchwork of lived experiences, so we invited students to share work that represents a piece of themselves, their journey through life, and their love for children’s and YA literature. Our ambition is for Spinning Gold to continue to develop in the future, growing as a space for emerging voices in the field, and we hope you’ll be able to join us.

Find out more from @spinninggoldlit on Instagram.

Jenny Barker is a student on the Creative Writing pathway of the MA Children’s Literature and a primary school teacher. She loves to write middle grade and YA fiction and is really excited to put together the second volume of Spinning Gold with such a talented team. When she’s not writing, you’re likely to find her crocheting, watching football, or listening to Taylor Swift.

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GLLI’s 2024 International YA Literature Month has been curated by Dr Emily Corbett. She is a lecturer in children’s and young adult literature at Goldsmiths, University of London, where she leads the MA Children’s Literature: Theoretical Approaches to Children’s and Young Adult Literature programme. Her research focuses on the growth and development of YA from literary, publishing, and cultural perspectives. She is also General Editor of The International Journal of Young Adult Literature and was founding Vice President of the YA Studies Association. Her monograph, In Transition: Young Adult Literature and Transgender Representation (2024), is forthcoming with the University Press of Mississippi in June. You can find her contact details on her institutional website and connect with her on Twitter and Instagram via @DrEmilyCorbett.

Opinions expressed in posts on this site are the individual author’s and are not indicative of the views of Global Literature in Libraries Initiative.