An Evening of Talks With Annie Atkins and Chris Haughton

Annie Atkins – Mastering the Art of Levitation
A look at how handmade documents—from paper film props to magic spells in children’s books—help elevate fictional worlds and make them feel lived in and emotionally real. The talk coincides with the release of Atkins’ new book Cackle Crackle: Letters from the Witch. With ten letters and spells to pull out and keep, this is a picture book about children looking for help and going to the first grown-ups they think of…witches.

Chris Haughton – The History of Information
A talk by illustrator, designer, and best-selling author Chris Haughton exploring the evolution of knowledge, communication, and information. This talk forms part of a project that Chris Haughton has been commissioned to design for Design Week 2026, supported by the Design and Crafts Council of Ireland.

Followed by a drinks reception.

€18/€15 concession – one ticket covers both talks and the reception, booking essential.

This event forms part of The BIG Type Festival – Celebrating 30 Bold Years of the National Print Museum

Annie Atkins is an author and designer based in Dublin, who specialises in creating paper props for period filmmaking, including old newspapers, maps, letters and official documents. She has worked on films directed by Wes Anderson, Steven Spielberg and others, and designed the map featured in Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny. Her book Fake Love Letters explores the craft of designing graphic props for filmmaking, and her first picture book, Letters from the North Pole, was picked by the Sunday Times as one of its top children’s books of the year. Her latest picture book, Cackle Crackle: Letters from the Witch, is now available to pre-order.

Chris Haughton is an author, illustrator and designer, and serves as Laureate na nÓg 2026–2029. His debut picture book, A Bit Lost, has been published in 35 languages and won numerous international awards, including the Bisto Book of the Year Award (now the KPMG Children’s Books Ireland Award) in 2011. His subsequent titles, including Oh No, George!, Shh! We Have a Plan and Goodnight Everyone, have also received major awards in Ireland, the UK and the USA. Originally from Killiney in Dublin, he lives in East London. His most recent book is The History of Information, published by DK.