Siân Pattenden is an author, artist, musician and illustrator.
After writing a fanzine with Nicky Fijalkowska, Siân got a job as a writer at Smash Hits magazine at 18. She has been a major feature writer for magazines and newspapers including the Face, the Guardian, Select, Attitude, Just Seventeen, Mixmag, Electronic Sound & NME – and has been on telly and radio talking about pop music – including the BBC R4 Today programme, BBC R4 Front Row, Channel 4, Channel 5, BBC2 and BBC4. She has taught arts and music writing at the London School of Journalism, children’s fiction workshops for Chelsea Young Writers and spoken on panels about music and youth culture. She regularly hosts book and culture events at places such as BFI Southbank, Rock n Roll bookclub E17, literary festivals and more. She has a podcast with Pete Paphides about the Heritage Chart Show.
Siân has written six children’s books. The first, The Awful Tale of Agatha Bilke, was published by Short Books in 2006, Children’s Book of the Week in the Sunday Times and short-listed for lots of book awards. The latest series, The Peppers and the International Magic Guys (HarperCollins), was selected for inclusion in the Richard and Judy Book Club 2013 and was short-listed for the Surrey Libraries Children’s Book award 2014.
As an illustrator she has drawn the playing cards for ‘Unhappy Families’; the artwork for the Agatha Bilke series, created many cultural maps for the Soho Create festival, North London boroughs, Haringey council, the Lowther Pavilion and many more. She has created artwork for Art Brut; and art, photography and videos for Luke Haines. She has exhibited her artwork worldwide and had an art shop in London called Grrrr! Siân’s fine art site and online shop is Raw Art.
Having made music in the past, Siân is now back with her band the Sha Sha Shanimals, who have a 7″ single out 2 September 2025 on Agent Anonyme records.
FACTS:
* Siân appeared in some TV dramas as a child, including Doctor Who, playing Young Tegan (wearing a wig). Click here for an article about “Ten of the best Doctor Who walk-on parts“.
* She wrote a play at 16 which went to Edinburgh; she was the fringe’s youngest playwright ever.
* Here is a film made by the Tate a few years ago with Siân speaking about her favourite artist Stanley Spencer and the giant painting Resurrection, Cookham.