Media
You can delve deeper into my journey and insights by exploring my story and interviews here. I am an artist, and I find solace and purpose in art. When I began writing, reflecting on my past and the experiences of others initially seemed to divert me from my artistic path. However, I realized that these encounters are transformative, blending life and art seamlessly—akin to alchemy. Life itself is a canvas and a blank page, waiting to be painted or written on with our unique stories and experiences.
Thrown Away Child – Award Winning Film
Failed by a care system that continuously ignored evidence of the abuse she suffered as a child, Louise was ultimately saved by her determination to escape home and become an artist.
Fifty years later, the award-winning film Thrown Away Child, based on her life in care, explores how her case slipped through the cracks — and how she now uses her past to fight for the rights of looked-after children.
BBC Radio 4 – Front Row
Art in response to trauma: Louise Allen & Maude Julien
Louise Allen and Maude Julien discuss their memoirs — Thrown Away Child and The Only Girl in the World, respectively — in which they reflect on their abusive childhoods and how art and literature provided a lifeline during very dark times.
ITV – This Morning
Beaten by my mother... but I still love her
Adopted in 1968 when she was just six weeks old, Louise was expected to find sanctuary, a family, and a future in her new mother’s loving care. But her adoptive mother turned out to be a deeply disturbed woman with a horrific past of her own.
BBC Radio 4 – Saturday Live
It really dawned on me I was not safe
Artist and writer Louise Allen on running away from her abusive adoptive mother.
Secure The Insecure – Book Club Podcast
My father was a paedophile and my mother was 12 when she was groomed by him
On this episode you will hear from foster carer Louise Allen who opens up about being bought up through the care system and how she changed her life around to being a foster carer. Louise is the writer of the Thrown Away Children series.