Join us for this special event to highlight some prominent authors writing for young adults; and to celebrate the National Year of Reading. We bring you four NI-based writers with new books: come meet them, hear about their books and get your copies signed. There will be snacks, and some space to read! 

Thanks to the National Literacy Trust, Northern Ireland, for supporting this event.

Jenny Ireland’s YA romances include strong female characters and represent teenage disabilities; Stephen Daly’s debut novel gives a new voice for a coming-of age LGBTQ+ audience; Kelly McCaughrain’s new novel has been called an ‘addictive enemies-to-lovers romance’ and  Sue Divin’s Runaway Road is a riveting and moving story of family and belonging set in contemporary Northern Ireland.

The event is for readers of all ages. The YA (young adult) genre refers to material specifically written for readers aged 12 to 18, focussing on teenage protagonists and themes of coming-of-age, identity and first love. As the books feature fast-paced narratives and emotional authenticity we know there’s a significant adult readership out there too! 

Meet the writers

Stephen Daly is an author and photographer from Belfast. With a background in theatre, Stephen knows that storytelling is the best way to reflect the complexities of life.His debut novel The Last Death Poet has personal resonance. Stephen grew up as a queer young man during the Troubles and left the country at eighteen to try and be himself. He believes it’s time to tell more queer Irish stories.

Sue Divin is a Derry-based writer but, hailing originally from Armagh, can’t quite classify herself a ‘Derry Girl.’ With a Masters in Peace and Conflict studies and a ‘day job’ in Community Relations/Peace building for over fifteen years, Sue’s writing often touches on diversity and reconciliation in today’s Northern Ireland.

Jenny Ireland is a Young Adult writer who lives outside Belfast with her husband, two children and border collie. She is a Law and French Law graduate. Her debut novel, The First Move, was published by Penguin in 2023 and in subsequent years published, The Boy Next Door and Matched Up. French Kisses will be published in June 2026.

Kelly McCaughrain is a YA author from Belfast. Her debut novel, Flying Tips for Flightless Birds, won a hat-trick of Children's Books Ireland awards, as well as the Northern Ireland Book Award. Her second book, Little Bang, was shortlisted for the 2025 Carnegie Medal and won the Children’s Books Ireland Honour Award for Fiction and the Junior Juries Award. Her new book, Just Another Dead Boy, is a high-stakes enemies-to-lovers romance set in a world where everyone knows their own death date. Kelly was the Queen’s University Belfast Children’s Writing Fellow 2019–2021 and mentors teen writers for Fighting Words NI. When not writing, she enjoys the adrenaline rush of driving an old and mechanically unsound VW campervan around countries where she can’t say “fanbelt” in the local language.