Danielle Jawando

Jawando was born in Manchester to an Irish-Nigerian father and an Irish-Ghanaian mother. Her father also has Brazilian heritage through his grandfather.^[2] Jawando attended Oakwood High School (now Chorlton High School).^[3] She graduated with a Bachelor of Arts (BA) in 2009 and a Master of Arts (MA) in 2012, both in Creative Writing from the University of East London (UEL). After completing her MA, Jawando pursued a Post-Graduate Certificate (PGCE) at the University of Greenwich.^[2][4] She later received the 2021 Alumni Change Maker Award from UEL.^[5]

Jawando began her career teaching English and Creative Writing at a further education college (FEC)^[6] and started her writing career upon publishing the short story "Paradise 703" for DeadInk.^[7] In 2015,^[8][9] Jawando worked as a storyline writer for the ITV soap opera Coronation Street.^[10][11] She became an Associate Lecturer in Creative Writing at Manchester Metropolitan University and the University of Roehampton, as well as a Writer-in-Residence at New Writing North.^[12][13]

Her short story "The Deerstalker" was a finalist in the 2017 We Need Diverse Books competition.^[8] In 2019, she wrote a non-fiction installment of Laurence King Publishing's Little Guides to Great Lives series on Maya Angelou.^[14] Jawando signed a two-book deal with Simon & Schuster, through which she published her debut fiction novel And the Stars Were Burning Brightly in 2020. Set in Wythenshawe, the novel follows 15-year-old Nathan who grapples with his older brother Al's suicide.^[15][16] 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,^[17] the YA Book Prize,^[18] the Jhalak Prize,^[19] and the Branford Boase Award.^[20] It was also longlisted for the Carnegie Medal.^[21]

Jawando's second novel When Our Worlds Collided was published in 2022.^[22] When Our Worlds Collided won the Jhalak Prize,^[23] the YA Book Prize,^[24] and the Diverse Book Award.^[25] It was also shortlisted for the Books Are My Bag Readers' Choice Award and longlisted for the Carnegie Medal. It was also called a book to change the world by Laura Bates.^[26] In 2023, Bernardine Evaristo in British Vogue named Jawando a breakthrough Black British female novelist.^[27]

Jawando then signed another two-book deal with Simon & Schuster,^[28] 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.^[29] Suzi Feay of Financial Times named If My Words Had Wings one of the best summer 2024 YA novels.^[30] If My Words Had Wings was longlisted for the Carnegie Medal and shortlisted for the YA Book Prize, UKLA Book Awards, Diverse Book Awards and the Peter's Children's Book of the Year.