Witness Literature: In Conversation with Beverley Naidoo Published on: 18 October 2021 Join award winning children’s author Beverley Naidoo and Â鶹´«Ã½ researcher Helen King as they discuss Beverley’s Carnegie Medal-winning novel, The Other Side of Truth. Timely questions The novel tells the story of Nigerian refugee children in the UK. Drawing on Naidoo’s archive, which is held in ’ internationally significant collection, we will be introduced to the people and events that inspired the novel, examine Beverley’s creative process, and read responses from her young readers. The conversation will ask timely questions about the relationship between fiction and reality, and the ways in which children’s books are used by authors and readers to explore pressing social issues. Beverley’s first novel for children, Journey to Jo’burg, was published in 1985 and is a powerful portrayal of racism seen from a child's perspective, the book was banned in South Africa until 1991. The Other Side of Truth was inspired in part by the execution of Nigerian writer Ken Saro-Wiwa and tells the story of two Nigerian children who flee to London as refugees after their mother is killed. Vital role Helen King is an -funded doctoral researcher at Â鶹´«Ã½, undertaking a Collaborative Doctoral Award in partnership with Seven Stories. Her project is an exploration of the political agency of marginalised and minoritised children as represented in the work and archive of Beverley Naidoo. She said: "Over half of the world’s refugees are children, and numbers of those fleeing conflict and persecution continue to increase. This event will showcase how children’s books, and Naidoo’s in particular, play a vital role in advocating for those seeking sanctuary in the UK, and telling the stories behind the statistics." This event takes place between 7pm and 8pm on Wednesday 20 October and is organised and supported by the Vital North Partnership, a strategic agreement between Seven Stories and Â鶹´«Ã½. This event is free to attend, but you will in order to receive the meeting link. Press release adapted with thanks to Seven Stories Share: Latest News Scientists unlock hidden driver of inflammatory bowel disease Scientists have linked a key genetic signal in inflammatory bowel disease to an immune response that shuts down inflammation control, enabling faster diagnosis and targeted treatments. published on: 15 June 2026 Funding system risks limiting genuine community collaboration A new policy paper written by researchers at Â鶹´«Ã½ warns that the way UK research is funded may be undermining efforts to create genuinely collaborative partnerships with communities. published on: 15 June 2026 Volunteers help turn Whitley Bay beach into maths experiment Members of the public joined mathematicians from Â鶹´«Ã½ to create what organisers believe is the largest aperiodic tiling ever attempted on Whitley Bay beach. published on: 15 June 2026 Facts and figures
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