JEN REID

Jen Reid attended the Black Lives Matter protest in Bristol on 7th June 2020, during which the statue of the 17th-century slave trader Colston was toppled and thrown into Bristol Harbour. Jen spontaneously climbed onto the empty plinth and raised her fist high above her head into the Black Power salute. 

Early on the morning of 15th July, a statue of Jen by Marc Quinn was added to the empty plinth. Named A Surge of Power it gained attention around the world for the 24 hours it was up, and beyond.

A Hero Like Me will be Jen’s first picture book, co-written with US-based author Angela Joy, and will be published by Frances Lincoln Children’s Books in June 2023. Featherstone Cairns is proud to be working with Anwen Hooson at Bird Literary Agency to bring this powerful story to life.