Circle Yuen (she/her)is an award-winning author and illustrator from Hong Kong, now based in the UK. Her work offers a unique 'Own Voice' perspective, rooted in personal experiences, and centres on universal themes of family, resilience, and social justice. 

 

She recently finished her MA in Children’s Book Illustration at the Cambridge School of Art. Alongside her MA studies, Circle collaborated with separated families support groups to co-launch Today is Friday, a crowdfunding project for community education addressing family restructuring and co-parenting in Asia. Half the picture books were gifted to needy families and frontline professionals.

 

In 2024, Circle was honoured with the FAB Prize - Publisher’s Prize Art Winner and was a finalist for the Bologna Illustrators Exhibition with her project the hiding kite: A Story of a Family Storm. These accolades highlight her ability to transform complex emotional experiences into accessible, healing narratives for children.

 

Circle is currently based in Nottingham, where she works from her home studio. Her debut picture book, Our Dance: Living Apart, Time Together, will be published by Graffeg in June 2025. This pioneering book is the first UK picture book to introduce the concept of child contact centres and was created in collaboration with the National Association of Child Contact Centres (NACCC). Looking ahead, she is also creating another picture book exploring themes of family restructuring, set to be published in 2026.

​​

​​

​

SELECTED AWARD/EXHIBITION​

​

Illustrators' Exhibition, Bologna Children's Bookfair - Finalist / 2024

 

The FAB prize - Publisher’s Prize Art Winner / 2024

 

Golden Pinwheel Young Illustrators Competition - Finalist / 2024

 

《The NAE OPEN 2024》 (Group) UK / 2024​

​

Unpublished Picture book Showcase 3 - Longlisted (EU) / 2021

​​

​

INTERVIEWS/PRESS

 

Interview: 2025.6.10 Resonate

Circle Yuen’s ‘Our Dance’: A Picture Book Addressing Family Change for UK Kids​

 

Interview:2021. 9.19 Sunday Mingpao

​

Interview: 2021.8.18 Hong Kong Economic Times

​

Interview: 2020.3.8 South China Morning Post, The Week in Asia Interview

Five Asian Women who will make you rethink Gender Equality.

​

Online sharing of an excerpt of【Two Nests, Love From Both Shadow Theatre】Please view from 02:00（English Subtitles) Click here

​

Interview: 2020.5.22 HKGoodPost "Child-focused, Co-parenting" Art Education Program : A Life Long Project

 

Journeys of change:piloting social innovation (P116-129)

​

​

​​​

​

CONTACT

​

 yuenlokling@gmail.com

​

​

​

​