Neil Gaiman, Mariken Jongman, and Shaun Tan: PEN Childrens Book Committee

Last week, my friend Yael and I attended Leaps and Bounds, Fits and Starts: The Evolution of a Children’s Book Writer, a panel discussion featuring acclaimed children's book writers Neil Gaiman, Mariken Jongman, and Shaun Tan, hosted by the PEN World Voices Festival.



The event was a panel discussion about what it means to be a children's book writer: where to find inspiration, why we write for children, and what goes into writing material for children. But the talk was so much more than that: it quickly became an intense look at the minds behind some of the best and most challenging children's literature being created today.



Neil Gaiman was particularly engaging. He discussed topics as varied as nightmares to beekeeping, speaking in depth not only about his work in children's literature, but it's relation to his more varied body of work: specifically, how he balances both being a writer for children and adults.



I was fortunate enough to capture much of Neil's always witty dialog on my Vimeo, as well as several excerpts from the other writers in the panel (sadly, only an hour's worth of recording forces one to be picky). Anyway, Enjoy!























To learn more about the panel authors, please visit their sites:

Neil Gaiman
Mariken Jongman
Shaun Tan