Kit de Waal

Kit de Waal is an award-winning writer known for her poignant exploration of identity and the care experience. In this engaging discussion, she delves into her debut novel, My Name Is Leon, highlighting the struggles of a mixed-race boy in the 1980s Birmingham foster system. Kit shares the importance of authentic narratives in portraying adoption and sibling separation. She also reflects on the redemptive character of Maureen and the supportive relationships that shape Leon's future amid adversity. This heartfelt conversation showcases the power of storytelling.

Kit de Waal, author of My Name Is Leon, talks about how reading saved her, being mixed race and working class, her failure to read enough women and adopt a child, and her failure to ride a bicycle. She also discusses her upcoming memoir about her childhood with a Caribbean father and an Irish Jehovah's Witness mother.