Bath Children's Literature Festival is facing criticism after its founder emailed authors asking them to delete social media posts about the festival's lack of diversity in its 2026 programme. Authors said that their comments criticising the festival for its lack of representation under a post on its Instagram page were deleted, with the original post later removed and comments limited on other posts.
Founder's email sparks backlash
Several authors said they received emails from one of the founders, John McLay, on Monday evening asking them to delete their comments because they hadn't “investigated the full line-up before hitting the keyboard”. John McLay, a children's literary scout, founded the festival 19 years ago alongside his wife Gill, an agent at Bath Literary Agency. Gill McLay defended the decision to contact authors directly, saying the festival wanted a post with incorrect information, which claimed there were no writers of colour in the programme, to be removed. The email cited seven authors of colour in the programme, one of whom is UK-Cypriot, as evidence that the complaints were inaccurate. The programme features almost 100 events in total, and bills itself as the UK's largest children's literature festival. The festival also contacted one author's agent to ask them to retract their comments.
Festival apologises but concerns remain
“Maybe it wasn't the right way to respond to it, and we have since apologised for that,” said Gill McLay. “It certainly wasn't our intent to silence anybody at all. It was purely to just try and ensure that it was the right information.” Children's author Sophie Anderson, who received the email, told the Guardian: “To have someone so powerful in the industry sending these quite threatening and bullying emails is just horrible.” Alexandra Sheppard, an author whose video about the situation has amassed more than 20,000 views, said that “the fear of being blacklisted for critiquing powerful organisations feels very real”. She is now organising an open letter to be sent to the festival.
Broader representation issues
In an Instagram statement, the festival said it is “very proud of this year's line-up”, but had “listened to the comments made”. While it “chose authors and illustrators from the selection put forward by publishers”, it said it will “work harder to ensure we have greater representation”, adding that it has “already brought new people into the management of the festival to help us with this”. Authors argue the issue reflects a broader pattern, with similar concerns raised about other events including the London children's literature festival. “In 2026, we need to do better,” said author Iqbal Hussain. “We are not living in Regency Bath, nor 1950s London.”
Statistics highlight disparity
The row comes amid wider concerns about representation in children's books. Recent Department for Education figures show that 38.7% of school-age pupils in England are from minority ethnic backgrounds, but the eighth Reflecting Realities survey, run by the Centre for Literacy in Primary Education, found that only 24% of books had main characters from racial minorities, down from 30% in 2022. “I've seen countless conversations, panels, articles and social media posts about how publishing can better reflect the young readers it serves,” said Sheppard. “If an organisation like BCLF still lacks meaningful inclusion, the reason is simple: they don't want it.” Campaigners warn that limited representation can further alienate young readers who struggle to see their lives reflected in books. Gill McLay told the Guardian that the festival is working to improve, citing steps such as introducing a steering committee. “All we're asking of people today is that they give us the opportunity to do it better,” she added.
