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The prestigious Philippa Pearce Lecture is an annual event that celebrates excellence in literature for children. It provides a platform for the very best children’s authors, poets and illustrators to reflect on their art. Always thought-provoking, the lectures have tackled such topics as the significance of time, the place of fear, and what poetry is for.

The lectures were established in 2007 by the family, friends and colleagues of the highly distinguished children’s author, Philippa Pearce. They attract a regular and wide-ranging audience of academics, writers, publishers and lovers of children’s literature. A video recording is always made available.

“She was one of the very finest writers British children’s literature has ever had, and everything she wrote has a touch of the particular vision and understanding of human nature that was hers alone.” Philip Pullman

The Philippa Pearce Lectures are held in association with Homerton College, Cambridge.

NEWS

The Philippa Pearce Lecture 2022 began with a welcome instruction to “imagine that it is still 2020. For the next couple of hours, you are licensed to indulge the welcome fantasy that the past two years simply haven’t happened,” said Homerton Vice-Principal Dr Louise Joy in her opening remarks. The event was originally scheduled to take place in April 2020, marking Philippa Pearce’s centenary year. Its speaker, Geraldine McCaughrean, the double Carnegie Medal winning author of over 170 books including Peter Pan in Scarlet and Where the World Ends, was described by Dr Joy as: “One of the most prolific Read More

Video of the 2022 Lecture

GERALDINE MCCAUGHREAN:
A HUNDRED YEARS OF GRATITUDE