Meet the Volunteers

Cat is a picture book author who loves to write simple stories to make children laugh! Although she writes in English, her debut book, 'Poes!' (aka 'Cat!'), was published in the Netherlands by Gottmer. Amazingly, 'Poes!' was selected as one of the top 10 picture books of 2026 and will be featured in Reading Week later this year! 'Poes' was also given out to 32,500 newborns in 2025 as part of Belgium Boekstart. Her second book,'Ik Heb Honger!', will be out in August. Cat lives in Cornwall with her husband, two sons and two dogs. They all love adventuring on the mining trails, baking yummy goodies, and being silly together! To learn more, visit catparkerauthor.com or @catparkerauthor on Instagram

Zahra Amini is a London-based children's book illustrator. She holds an MA in Children's Book Illustration & Graphic Novels from Middlesex University, and her work focuses on bringing warmth, character and a strong sense of storytelling to picture books for young readers. She has illustrated five children's books to date, including two bilingual titles published in English and Arabic by HBKU Press in Qatar, which have been showcased at major international book fairs including Frankfurt, Bologna and London. Her books have gone on to win international awards and have been recognised by several prestigious illustration competitions. Alongside book illustration, her work has been shown in international exhibitions and public art projects, including painted sculptures for city-wide art trails. To learn more, visit www.zahraamini.com

Rob loves to write and illustrate picture books. He was initially inspired by an Eric Carle talk about The Very Hungry Caterpillar at work. Then he found himself reading picture books, long after his children fell asleep. Today he thinks of very little other than picture books. Rob is still not published but, despite all evidence to the contrary, he knows that one day he will be. Then, maybe just maybe, he will inspire others in the way that Eric Carle inspired him. He works at Cambridge University Press and lives in North London with his wife, two children and a black and white cat.

James writes picture books with rhyming and humour. He particularly enjoys the works of Jon Klassen, Meg McLaren, and Maureen Johnson. He is still looking for homes for his stories, but he does enjoy a small gig writing personalised limerick poems for occasions. James lives in Reading with his partner and two young sons. Since around 2023 he has been a full time dad and home educator, and his background is in law enforcement. His greatest achievement to date is driving a mile from Reading station to home with a large Sprite on his roof, without spilling a drop.

Kat Steele is an emerging writer, studying towards a master’s degree in creative practice. Her work forms a constellation supported and enabled by her community of readers, writers and other creatives. Currently working on her first series ‘Two Acre Tales’ children’s books, based on stories from the smallholding, where she raised animals and grew food, a life shaped by observing nature and wildlife. Since 2020, choosing to leave bricks and mortar for a life of travel and adventure, she also writes Letters Home for adult audiences describing her inner journey, the challenges and the highlights of nomadic life. Creating a Substack community around her writing, she plans to host ‘The Unhurried Post’ as a subgroup of this, sharing her passion for the epistolary craft of letter-writing and enabling others to use this as a tool for wellbeing. She lives in a self-converted van along with her husband and rescue dog Nipper, between travel adventures they often pet and house sit.

Anna is a native Chicagoan living in London, an aspiring clinical psychologist, and a lifelong reader and writer of YA fantasy. She crafts sweeping fantasy worlds rooted in mythology and folklore, filled with teenagers determined to carve their own paths through destiny, love, and legacy. Her writing is shaped by her academic work on intergenerational trauma, years of travel, and an obsession with the stories families pass down through generations. While not yet published in fiction, her research has appeared in an academic journal. Anna is currently querying her debut novel, Star Speaker, a tale of star-crossed prophets who must break generational curses and uncover their connection before time runs out. When she's not writing, she can usually be found taking winding walks through new cities, jotting down details to remember for future stories in a notebook—or on her hand. Anna's Substack, Self Mythology, will be available soon.

Jenny writes young fiction. Her goal is to write inclusive, empowering stories that appeal to all children, but particularly to reluctant readers. She regularly leads reading, creative writing workshops and storytelling sessions in schools and libraries based around her own stories. The best part of her week, each session teaches her more about how children approach reading and process stories. She lives in Kent with her husband. The younger versions of her children and her two dogs often find their way into her stories. If you have any ideas for articles, please contact Jenny at [email protected]. To learn more, visit Jenny's website.

Aruna Khanzada, formerly a barrister, is a self published author and illustrator who believes in the power of weaving the parallels of cycles in nature and human emotions in storytelling. With a passion for bold colours she creates whimsical and heart-warming characters and worlds that invite children to explore and better understand their feelings. Aruna is the creator of Harrison Braves the Hill featured on World Book Day at aone of her local libraries and Gautam’s Goodbye which is now in the library at Great Ormond Street Hospital to help children deal with loss and grief. She is a passionate cook and experiments with spices in the kitchen and is currently working on an unusual take on introducing spices to children. She lives in Primrose Hill in London with her family and volunteers at the community library and community association. To learn more, visit arunakhanzada.co.uk @arunakhanzadaauthor

Hi I’m Jean, I write YA fiction and live in the wonderful city of Brighton and Hove. I’ve been a SCBWI member since 2022 but decided this year to get involved and become an active member of the writing community. I’m also keen to meet local writers so we can support each other and chat about all things YA. I’ve done various writing courses and most recently in 2023, I studied on the Curtis Brown Creative Writing YA and Children's Fiction course with Catherine Johnson. I’ve worked as a children’s bookseller and English language teacher in the UK and abroad and for the last 16 years in public sector communications. I’m planning various events in person and online for this year, so please contact me if you are interested in finding out more and check future editions of the newsletter.