Singing Grass

16/05/2026

An inspiring evening at the China Pavilion opening ✨

Hosted at the historic Royal Mint Court site, this year’s theme of Love, Family, Unity brought together craftsmanship, storytelling and contemporary Chinese design in a beautiful setting.

Wonderful to also meet and see a new generation of makers bringing fresh energy to cultural exchange 🌍

13/05/2026

One clear signal from this year’s British Book Awards:

Children’s publishing is now at the centre of the UK’s cultural conversation.

From rap poetry and graphic novels to YA fantasy and crossover readerships, the definition of “children’s books” in the UK continues to expand — reflecting changing reading habits and emotional engagement across generations.

From a UK–China perspective, many of these formats and reading cultures are still only beginning to emerge in China’s mainstream market.

12/05/2026

11/05/2026

Nanjing moments 🇨🇳

Last month, joined Phoenix Publishing for a session on UK–China reading trends and how audiences are evolving across markets.

So much energy in the room — and always interesting to see how readers in different cultures are becoming more alike than we expect.

More conversations to come ✨

07/05/2026

3 signals we’re tracking 👀

From recent conversations across publishing, licensing and China’s creative industries:

1️⃣ Emotion > ownership
2️⃣ Products → companions
3️⃣ Culture flows both ways

What’s clear: it’s no longer just about what travels — but how it resonates.

More in our latest

Publishing

29/04/2026

3 shifts from Bologna ✨📚

Two weeks on, these ideas are still resonating:

→ Stories no longer move in one direction
→ Emotion is shaping new formats
→ New global publishing connections are forming

From licensing to poetry to partnerships, the landscape is shifting fast.

ChinaMarket

27/04/2026

From factory to fandom — in real time 🧸📦📱

At Yiwu, China’s global wholesale hub, we saw how collectibles and designer toys move at incredible speed:

✨ livestream selling on the ground
🧸 “kidult” toys driving the biggest crowds
🎥 real-time demand, real-time conversion

This isn’t just retail.

It’s where IP, content and commerce collide — instantly.

SingingGrassInsights

23/04/2026

Submissions closed ✨

Thank you to everyone who entered the Voices of Today Literary Translation Prize — we’ve been inspired by the quality and passion behind the entries.

Winners announced in June.

16/04/2026

What an amazing week at

13/04/2026

Ciao Bologna 🇮🇹📚

We’re here at Bologna Children‘s Book Fair + BolognaBookPlus — ready for a few days of ideas, conversations and global storytelling.

From licensing to poetry to cross-cultural trends… lots to explore.

If you’re here, come say hi 👋

07/04/2026

Bologna next 🇮🇹📚

We’ll be at + in two weeks — exploring:
✨ Asian influences on Western markets
✨ The global rise of poetry
✨ New publishing corridors led by women .events

All part of a bigger shift: stories are travelling differently.

See you in Bologna 👋