Professor Melanie Ramdarshan Bold

  • Professor of Youth Literature and Culture (Culture, Literacies, Inclusion & Pedagogy)

Biography

I am a Professor of Youth Literature and Culture in the School of Education, where I teach and research topics related to Children's and Young Adult literature and book culture. I joined the University of Glasgow in April 2021. Prior to that I was an Associate Professor of Publishing and Book Studies at University College London.

I am an expert in inclusive youth literature and have published widely on the topic; alongside numerous publications about contemporary book culture. I've written/co-written the following books: The Publishing Business (Bloomsbury, 2018, Second Edition, with Kelvin Smith); Inclusive Young Adult Fiction (Palgrave, 2019); The Publishing Business (Bloomsbury, 2024, Third Edition, with Kelvin Smith); YA Anthologies: amplifying voices, building community (Cambridge University Press, 2024); International Bestsellers and the Online Reconfiguring of National Identity (Cambridge University Press, 2024, with Rachel Noorda and Millie Weber); and Paddington: The Good Immigrant (Oxford University Press, 2025, forthcoming, with Aishwarya Subramanian).

 I am the editor/co-editor of the following book series: 'Young Adult Publishing' (Cambridge University Press) and 'Children's Classics Critically' (Oxford University Press, with Phil Nel).

My connection to inclusive youth literature extends beyond academia: I was a judge on the UKYA Book Prize, and am on the Advisory Boards for the CLPE Reflecting Realities project, the Pop-up Pathways into Children’s Publishing project, and the CILIP Carnegie & Kate Greenaway Children’s Book Awards. I have also written articles for non-academic publications such as Pen&Inc, a magazine that celebrates diversity and inclusion in Children's Publishing, and English 4-11, a United Kingdom Literacy Association (UKLA) publication.

I have advised numerous cultural organisations and schools, and served as an expert consultant for publishing initiatives aimed at improving diversity, such as my advisory role with Oxford University Press on creating inclusive reading materials for children.

 

Research interests

My research interests span children's and young adult (YA) reading, publishing, writing, and book culture. I am especially interested in how young people engage with literature, with a particular focus on participatory approaches that involve them directly in the research process. My research explores the intersections of authorship, reading, issues of exclusion and inclusion, and the publishing industry, investigating how these dynamics shape children's and YA literature. I have worked closely with both academic and industry stakeholders to better understand the evolving roles of authors, readers, and publishers in shaping literary landscapes for young audiences. My work is committed to amplifying youth voices in the study of literature and its surrounding cultures.

Publications

List by: Type | Date

Jump to: 2024 | 2022 | 2021 | 2020 | 2019 | 2018
Number of items: 14.

2024

Ramdarshan Bold, M. (2024) “I felt her poems were more like my life”: cultivating BPoC teenagers’ writer-identity through a poet residency. Literacy, (doi: 10.1111/lit.12386) (Early Online Publication)

Ramdarshan Bold, M. (2024) Women of colour in British Young Adult fiction: Subverting stereotypes and expanding identities. In: Wilson, N., Battershill, C., Heywood, S., Joseph, M., La Penna, D., Southworth, H., Staveley, A. and Willson Gordon, E. (eds.) The Edinburgh Companion to Women in Publishing, 1900-2020. Edinburgh University Press: Edinburgh. ISBN 9781399500340 (Accepted for Publication)

Smith, K. and Ramdarshan Bold, M. (2024) The Publishing Business: A Guide to Starting Out and Getting On. Bloomsbury: London. ISBN 9781350259386 (Accepted for Publication)

Ramdarshan Bold, M. (2024) YA Anthologies: Amplifying Voices, Building Community. Cambridge University Press: Cambridge. (Accepted for Publication)

Ramdarshan Bold, M. , Noorda, R. and Weber, M. (2024) International Bestsellers and the Online Reconfiguring of National Identity. Cambridge University Press: Cambridge. (Accepted for Publication)

2022

Ramdarshan Bold, M. (2022) The commodification, "diversification", and Walliams-fication of the British children’s book market. In: Coats, K., Stevenson, D. and Yenika-Agbaw, V. (eds.) A Companion to Children's Literature. Wiley: Hoboken, NJ, pp. 426-440. ISBN 9781119038221 (doi: 10.1002/9781119038276.ch34)

Ramdarshan Bold, M. , Kennon, P. and Morrissey, S. (2022) Impacts of COVID-19 on Children’s and Young Adult Literature Creative, Cultural, and READING Communities in Scotland and Ireland. Project Report. Children's Books Ireland.

Ramdarshan Bold, M. (2022) Representation of People of Colour Among Children’s Book Authors and Illustrators. Project Report. BookTrust.

2021

Ramdarshan Bold, M. (2021) Leading the way: women-led small presses of inclusive youth literature. In: Colby, G., Marczewska, K. and Wilson, L. (eds.) The Contemporary Small Press: Making Publishing Visible. Series: New directions in book history. Palgrave Macmillan: Basingstoke. ISBN 9783030487843 (doi: 10.1007/978-3-030-48784-3_9)

Ramdarshan Bold, M. (2021) The thirteen percent problem: authors of colour in the British young adult market, 2017-2019 edition. International Journal of Young Adult Literature, 2(1), pp. 1-35. (doi: 10.24877/IJYAL.37)

2020

Ramdarshan Bold, M. (2020) Representation of People of Colour Among Children’s Book Authors and Illustrators (2018-2019). Project Report. BookTrust.

2019

Ramdarshan Bold, M. (2019) Is ‘Everyone welcome’?: Intersectionality, inclusion, and the extension of cultural hierarchies on Emma Watson’s feminist book club, ‘Our shared shelf’. Participations: Journal of Audience and Reception Studies, 16(1), pp. 441-472.

Ramdarshan Bold, M. (2019) Inclusive Young Adult Fiction: Authors of Colour in the United Kingdom. Palgrave Macmillan: Cham. ISBN 9783030105211 (doi: 10.1007/978-3-030-10522-8)

2018

Ramdarshan Bold, M. (2018) The return of the social author: negotiating authority and influence on Wattpad. Convergence: The International Journal of Research into New Media Technologies, 24(2), pp. 117-136. (doi: 10.1177/1354856516654459)

This list was generated on Wed Dec 4 05:34:17 2024 GMT.
Number of items: 14.

Articles

Ramdarshan Bold, M. (2024) “I felt her poems were more like my life”: cultivating BPoC teenagers’ writer-identity through a poet residency. Literacy, (doi: 10.1111/lit.12386) (Early Online Publication)

Ramdarshan Bold, M. (2021) The thirteen percent problem: authors of colour in the British young adult market, 2017-2019 edition. International Journal of Young Adult Literature, 2(1), pp. 1-35. (doi: 10.24877/IJYAL.37)

Ramdarshan Bold, M. (2019) Is ‘Everyone welcome’?: Intersectionality, inclusion, and the extension of cultural hierarchies on Emma Watson’s feminist book club, ‘Our shared shelf’. Participations: Journal of Audience and Reception Studies, 16(1), pp. 441-472.

Ramdarshan Bold, M. (2018) The return of the social author: negotiating authority and influence on Wattpad. Convergence: The International Journal of Research into New Media Technologies, 24(2), pp. 117-136. (doi: 10.1177/1354856516654459)

Books

Smith, K. and Ramdarshan Bold, M. (2024) The Publishing Business: A Guide to Starting Out and Getting On. Bloomsbury: London. ISBN 9781350259386 (Accepted for Publication)

Ramdarshan Bold, M. (2024) YA Anthologies: Amplifying Voices, Building Community. Cambridge University Press: Cambridge. (Accepted for Publication)

Ramdarshan Bold, M. , Noorda, R. and Weber, M. (2024) International Bestsellers and the Online Reconfiguring of National Identity. Cambridge University Press: Cambridge. (Accepted for Publication)

Ramdarshan Bold, M. (2019) Inclusive Young Adult Fiction: Authors of Colour in the United Kingdom. Palgrave Macmillan: Cham. ISBN 9783030105211 (doi: 10.1007/978-3-030-10522-8)

Book Sections

Ramdarshan Bold, M. (2024) Women of colour in British Young Adult fiction: Subverting stereotypes and expanding identities. In: Wilson, N., Battershill, C., Heywood, S., Joseph, M., La Penna, D., Southworth, H., Staveley, A. and Willson Gordon, E. (eds.) The Edinburgh Companion to Women in Publishing, 1900-2020. Edinburgh University Press: Edinburgh. ISBN 9781399500340 (Accepted for Publication)

Ramdarshan Bold, M. (2022) The commodification, "diversification", and Walliams-fication of the British children’s book market. In: Coats, K., Stevenson, D. and Yenika-Agbaw, V. (eds.) A Companion to Children's Literature. Wiley: Hoboken, NJ, pp. 426-440. ISBN 9781119038221 (doi: 10.1002/9781119038276.ch34)

Ramdarshan Bold, M. (2021) Leading the way: women-led small presses of inclusive youth literature. In: Colby, G., Marczewska, K. and Wilson, L. (eds.) The Contemporary Small Press: Making Publishing Visible. Series: New directions in book history. Palgrave Macmillan: Basingstoke. ISBN 9783030487843 (doi: 10.1007/978-3-030-48784-3_9)

Research Reports or Papers

Ramdarshan Bold, M. , Kennon, P. and Morrissey, S. (2022) Impacts of COVID-19 on Children’s and Young Adult Literature Creative, Cultural, and READING Communities in Scotland and Ireland. Project Report. Children's Books Ireland.

Ramdarshan Bold, M. (2022) Representation of People of Colour Among Children’s Book Authors and Illustrators. Project Report. BookTrust.

Ramdarshan Bold, M. (2020) Representation of People of Colour Among Children’s Book Authors and Illustrators (2018-2019). Project Report. BookTrust.

This list was generated on Wed Dec 4 05:34:17 2024 GMT.

Supervision

  • Hsieh, Natalie Naihuei
    Encountering Windows and Mirrors in the Diaspora: Using Young Adult literature to explore the stories and counterstories of East Asian young persons
  • Khan, Amber
    British Muslim adolescent women in UK Muslim young adult