Danielle Jawando is an English writer best known for her young adult novels. Her second novel ''When Our Worlds Collided'' (2022) won the

Jhalak Prize The Jhalak Prize for Book of the Year by a Writer of Colour is an annual literary prize awarded to British or British-resident BAME writers. £1,000 is awarded to the sole winner. The Jhalak Prize was launched in 2016 and was created by writers ...

and the

YA Book Prize The YA Book Prize is a British literary award established by publishing magazine ''The Bookseller'' in 2014. The accolade is given to Young adult literature, young adult novels published by an author in the United Kingdom or Ireland in the previou ...

Early life and education

Jawando was born in

Manchester Manchester () is a city and the metropolitan borough of Greater Manchester, England. It had an estimated population of in . Greater Manchester is the third-most populous metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, with a population of 2.92&nbs ...

to an Irish-Nigerian father and an Irish-Ghanaian mother. Her father also has Brazilian heritage through his grandfather. Jawando attended Oakwood High School (now Chorlton High School). She graduated with a

Bachelor of Arts A Bachelor of Arts (abbreviated B.A., BA, A.B. or AB; from the Latin ', ', or ') is the holder of a bachelor's degree awarded for an undergraduate program in the liberal arts, or, in some cases, other disciplines. A Bachelor of Arts deg ...

(BA) in 2009 and a

Master of Arts A Master of Arts ( or ''Artium Magister''; abbreviated MA or AM) is the holder of a master's degree awarded by universities in many countries. The degree is usually contrasted with that of Master of Science. Those admitted to the degree have ...

(MA) in 2012, both in Creative Writing from the

University of East London University of East London (UEL) is a public university located in the London Borough of Newham, London, England, based at three campuses in Stratford, London, Stratford and London Docklands, Docklands, following the opening of University Squar ...

(UEL). After completing her MA, Jawando pursued a Post-Graduate Certificate (PGCE) at the

University of Greenwich The University of Greenwich is a public university located in London and Kent, United Kingdom. Previous names include Woolwich Polytechnic and Thames Polytechnic. The university's main campus is at the Old Royal Naval College, which along wi ...

. She later received the 2021 Alumni Change Maker Award from UEL.

Career

Jawando began her career teaching English and Creative Writing at a

further education college Further education (often abbreviated FE) in the United Kingdom and Ireland is additional education to that received at secondary school that is distinct from the higher education (HE) offered in universities and other academic institutions. It ...

(FEC) and started her writing career upon publishing the short story "Paradise 703" for ''DeadInk''. In 2015, Jawando worked as a storyline writer for the

ITV ITV or iTV may refer to: Television TV stations/networks/channels ITV *Independent Television (ITV), a British television network and company, including: **ITV (TV network), a free-to-air national commercial television network in the United Kingd ...

soap opera ''

Coronation Street ''Coronation Street'' (colloquially referred to as ''Corrie'') is a British television soap opera created by ITV Granada, Granada Television and shown on ITV (TV network), ITV since 9 December 1960. The programme centres on a cobbled, terraced ...

''. She became an Associate Lecturer in Creative Writing at

Manchester Metropolitan University Manchester Metropolitan University is located in the centre of Manchester, England. The university has 40,000 students and over 4,000 members of staff. It is home to four faculties (Arts and Humanities, Business and Law, Health and Education ...

and the

University of Roehampton The University of Roehampton, London, formerly Roehampton Institute of Higher Education, is a public university in the United Kingdom, situated on three major sites in Roehampton, in the London Borough of Wandsworth. The University traces its r ...

, as well as a Writer-in-Residence at ''

New Writing North New Writing North, set up in 1996, is an Arts Council England agency based in the North of England to support writers in the region. History New Writing North was established in 1996 in Newcastle upon Tyne, working with writers across the Nort ...

''. Jawando got her first agent in 2016. Her short story "The Deerstalker" was a finalist in the 2017 We Need Diverse Books competition. In 2019, she wrote a non-fiction installment of

Laurence King Publishing Laurence King Publishing is an publishing house based in London, with offices in Europe and the USA. It was founded by Laurence King in 1991. Laurence King Publishing publish over 120 new titles every year for the mainstream adult, children's an ...

's ''Little Guides to Great Lives'' series on

Maya Angelou Maya Angelou ( ; born Marguerite Annie Johnson; April 4, 1928 – May 28, 2014) was an American memoirist, poet, and civil rights activist. She published seven autobiographies, three books of essays, several books of poetry, and is credi ...

. Jawando signed a two-book deal with

Simon & Schuster Simon & Schuster LLC (, ) is an American publishing house owned by Kohlberg Kravis Roberts since 2023. It was founded in New York City in 1924, by Richard L. Simon and M. Lincoln Schuster. Along with Penguin Random House, Hachette Book Group US ...

, through which she published her debut fiction novel ''And the Stars Were Burning Brightly'' in 2020. Set in

Wythenshawe Wythenshawe () is an area of Manchester, England. Historically part of Cheshire, in 1931 Wythenshawe was transferred to the City of Manchester, which had begun building a large housing estate there in the 1920s. With an area of approximately , ...

, the novel follows 15-year-old Nathan who grapples with his older brother Al's suicide. ''And the Stars Were Burning Brightly'' won Best Senior Novel at the Great Reads Award and was shortlisted for the

Waterstones Children's Book Prize The Waterstones Children's Book Prize is an annual award given to a work of children's literature published during the previous year. First awarded in 2005, the purpose of the prize is "to uncover hidden talent in children's writing" and is the ...

, the

, and the

Branford Boase Award The Branford Boase Award is a British literary award presented annually to an outstanding children's or young-adult novel by a first-time writer; "the most promising book for seven year-olds and upwards by a first time novelist." The award is s ...

. It was also longlisted for the Carnegie Medal. The following year, Jawando's second novel ''When Our Worlds Collided'' followed. ''When Our Worlds Collided'' won the Jhalak Prize, the YA Book Prize, and the Diverse Book Award. Jawando then signed another two-book deal with Simon & Schuster, through which she published her third novel ''If My Words Had Wings''. The novel follows a teenager named Tyrell who discovers his voice through spoken word poetry in a young offenders' prison. It explores the disparities within the justice system, mental health and Joint Enterprise. Suzi Feay of ''

Financial Times The ''Financial Times'' (''FT'') is a British daily newspaper printed in broadsheet and also published digitally that focuses on business and economic Current affairs (news format), current affairs. Based in London, the paper is owned by a Jap ...

'' named ''If My Words Had Wings'' one of the best summer 2024 YA novels.

Publications

Novels

* ''And the Stars Were Burning Brightly'' (2020) * ''When Our Worlds Collided'' (2022) * ''If My Words Had Wings'' (2024)

Non-fiction

* ''Maya Angelou'' (2019)

Short stories

* "Paradise 703" in ''DeadInk'' (2012) * "The Deerstalker" (2017)

Awards

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Jawando, Danielle Living people 1988 births Academics of Manchester Metropolitan University Academics of the University of Roehampton Alumni of the University of East London Alumni of the University of Greenwich Black British women writers British women writers of young adult literature English people of Brazilian descent English people of Ghanaian descent English people of Irish descent English people of Nigerian descent Writers from Manchester