Professor Melanie Ramdarshan Bold
- Professor of Youth Literature and Culture (Culture, Literacies, Inclusion & Pedagogy)
https://orcid.org/0000-0001-5558-8807Biography
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.
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
