Carnegie Medal Winner Tia Fisher Inspires Year 9 Students at Ely College

Ely College was honoured to welcome Tia Fisher, acclaimed author and winner of the Yoto
Carnegie Shadowers’ Choice medal for 2024, for a special visit with Year 9 students.
The event, organised by Librarian Anne Shaw, was a highlight of the spring term and formed part of
the College’s wider efforts to promote reading and creative writing across the curriculum.
Tia Fisher, whose award-winning young adult novel Crossing the Line has received national acclaim,
spoke to students about her writing journey, the inspiration behind her work, and why she feels that
connecting through creative writing is so important.
Crossing the Line is a novel in verse aimed at teenage readers, using concrete poetry to explore
complex issues and emotions. It was inspired by the true story of Tia’s friend’s son who became
involved with a drugs gang.

Celebrated as outstanding and important, the novel won the Yoto Carnegie Shadowers’ Choice 2024,
the UKLA Award 11-14+ category 2024, was Children’s Book of the Week in The Times and is in the
2024 Reading for Empathy Collection.
Tia’s talk was followed by a lively Q&A session and a book signing. Selected students with a passion
for creative writing were invited to a writing workshop after the event, where they explored writing
concrete poetry of their own.
Principal, Simon Warburton, said: “It was a privilege to host Tia Fisher at Ely College. Her visit
created a real buzz amongst our students and staff. We have a fabulous reading and writing culture
here at Ely, and we’re passionate about providing positive memorable experiences for our students.
“Tia’s words and experiences brought the world of literature to life in a way that truly inspired our
young people. A huge thanks to Mrs Shaw, Mrs Clark-Hope and the rest of our hard-working English
department for organising such a fantastic opportunity and sharing their passion for creative writing
with our students.”
For more information about Tia Fisher and her work, visit https://www.tiafisher.com.
For more information about Ely College and Bishop Laney Sixth Form, please visit:
www.elycollege.com.