Owen Sheers and Helen Stephens performance

Owen is a poet, author and playwright. Brought up in Wales, as a child he liked playing in the local woods, tree-climbing and playing rugby. He began writing poetry when he was young and this has remained his first love, although he has also written novels, plays and screenplays for TV. He is the co-founder of a new college focused on sustainable futures, and a patron of The Children’s Bookshow! He lives in the Black Mountains in Wales with his two daughters.

Helen is an award-winning author, illustrator, best known for her international bestselling How to Hide a Lion series. Her books are published in about 30 languages worldwide. Helen loves to try new ways of working: some books are made by hand on paper, some are a hybrid of handmade and digital, and recently Helen made a picture book entirely on Procreate. She lives on the windy Northumberland coast with her family and her dog, Peggy. Her most recent book, Smelly Peggy, is named after and inspired by her dog and published by Walker Books.