Maz 'hopes to inspire youngsters' after being named children's champion
The award-winning writer is helping shape this year's Budleigh Salterton Literary Festival
Westcountry author Maz Evans says she signed up as the 'children's champion' for this year's Budleigh Literature festival to help try and inspire youngsters.
The award-winning writer says she wants to help persuade kids to put down the screens and have a better life balance - after she limited screen time for her own children.
The Who Let The Gods Out writer will work with the festival team to curate children’s events and activities - beginning with this year’s festival, which takes place from September 23–27.
"The challenges that I hear from parents about getting their children to read, a lot of it is about screens and we can't get around it - screens are the 'opium' of the young people," she said.
"I'm not anti-screen at all. I think they have a place and this is the world that children are growing up in. In the same way our parents felt about television, there is a place for them and there is a use for them. When it comes to the detriment of anything else such as reading, exercise, socialising or family time I think that's when we need to intervene as parents."
She jokes sometimes that 'reading happened as a virtue of a lack of alternative' in her home, after she banned screens in rooms and at certain times for her kids.
The Dorset-born writer suggests parents should 'find a book your kids wants to read' and don't force on them 'what you want' - suggesting 'take them to a library, take them to a book shop and let them engage' as 'all reading counts'.
She added: "In terms of getting children to read, part of it is modelling, do it yourself as kids do follow what their parents do. Do it with them.
"Sit down and read with them. It's a really special time at the end of the day just to sit in bed with a child and read them a book - sit on the sofa at night, or sit down for the weekend together, or try an audio book together as a family.
"I think also as parents we have a responsibility, there's no point in saying 'oh my kid won't come off a screen'.
"You're the parent, you set the rules. I'm sure they want to eat sweets for breakfast but you don't let them do that.
"I'm sure they don't want to go to school sometimes but you don't let them do that. They don't want injections, they don't want to go to the dentist, it is our job as parents to do things for children which we know is in their own good."
The writer says she supports audio books and 'anything, such as poetry, it doesn't have to be long' gives a benefit - adding 'one of the greatest indicators of social advancement is reading' as 'outcomes in later life are automatically better'.
Kate Abbey, Artistic Director of Budleigh Salterton Literary Festival, said the appointment was a timely one, in line with 2026 being designated a National Year of Reading by the Department for Education.
She said: “Appointing Maz as our Children’s Champion in this National Year of Reading is a bold and exciting step forward for the festival. We are passionate about opening the doors wider for families and young readers making events accessible, affordable and truly irresistible."
As well as a family weekend, which features free activities – this year with a Winnie the Pooh theme – Budleigh Salterton Literary Festival runs a well-established education programme, taking authors into local schools and providing books for school libraries.
There's more about the festival here