Schools Day

16 October 2026

A full day of events for local secondary school children at ARK. These sessions are not open to the public.

Find out more about the authors speaking at this year’s Schools Days events:

Emma Read

Emma Read is a former biologist turned author, and is an advocate for bridging the gap between STEM and the Creatives. When she isn't writing, she's mentoring new writers, with WriteMentor and Creative Writing Ink. She is also a freelance novel editor as EmDashED, and owner of StorySpinners – a creative writing club. 

Already a beloved children's author, Emma will be discussing her debut YA novel Darker Water. A totally unputdownable thriller, and first in a brand new cli-fi series. This story is set squarely in the growing genre of climate change fiction, and truly speaks to the fear of teens and the new world they are growing up in.

Felicity Epps

Felicity Epps studied a degree in English Literature before completing a Masters in Eighteenth-Century Studies, where her research focused on female murderers in true crime writing! Felicity finds inspiration in history; researching strange and spooky subjects. She enjoys exploring cemeteries, collecting old books and hunting for ghostly Victorian photographs in antique shops. Felicity currently lives by the sea in Broadstairs, Kent, UK, with her partner, Josh, and their daughter.

Felicity will lead a workshop based on her latest YA novel A Deadly Scandal. The book is the second in her supernatural murder mystery series the Society of Free Spirits. Ada Hawthorne would much rather be hunting for ghosts than for a husband. So when the Society of Free Spirits is invited to host a séance investigating the Spirit Hand - an occult device haunting its owner with threatening messages - Ada can't wait to show off her spiritualist talents to London's elite. But then a guest is fatally stabbed with a hatpin during the séance, and Ada ends up with more on her plate than a fancy dinner!