National Year of Reading sails through S...

Sydney Harbour is stunningly beautiful. A fleet of sailing boats View from the cliffs of Sydney Heads Author Moya Simons, artist Jules Sevelson, creative thinker Annette and Georgie the pooch  the new writing sensation – watched the white sails go through the heads. I love Sydney. Let’s sail into the new year supporting National Year of Reading taking books and literacy throughout the Australian community www.love2read.org.au and Room to Read taking books and literacy to the children of the developing world.  www.roomtoread.org I am proud to be an...

2012 ~Thankyou for the kindnesses that h...

A year of dramas, highs and lows, loves and betrayals, hopes and friendships, sickness, marriages, death and birth … Lots of travel from Bahamas to Perth. Festivals from All Saints Perth to Ipswich Literature Festival Spoke to 1000′s of young people across Australia Monkey Baa Theatre’s ‘I AM JACK’ third season of performance   Supporting : Room to Read, Cancer Council, The Alannah & Madeline Foundation, NSW Writers Centre, Monkey Baa Theatre,  The National Year of Reading 2012, Australian Day,Books In Homes, SCBWI, The Writers...

A joyous Christmas love Susanne Gervay...

Christmas Wishes So your great wish is to be a successful a writer or an illustrator? Hey, let’s be honest, you want to be JK Rowlings. Harry Potter, move over. Well, here’s some sound advice:-  The wastepaper basket is the writer’s best friend. - Isaac Bashevis Singer  Most writers can write books faster than publishers can write checks. - Richard Curtis  I love being a writer. What I can’t stand is the paperwork. - Peter de Vries  I was working on the proof of one of my poems all the morning, and took out a comma. In the afternoon I put it back...

Bill Bachle USA sculptor supports Montes...

Bill Bachle,  Chairman, The Luxury Marketing Council UK, sculptor, writer, consultant for DreamWorks to United Nations, is in Australia. Had a lovely dinner with him at The Hughenden Hotel Woollahra. He worked on the European segment of Speilberg’s Shoah. Bill’s Sydney exhibition of minature sculptures of elegant and original dresses raised funds for Montessori Education was warmly successful. I loved the small fragile sculptures but would have liked to have seen his major works in marble and carved wood. They’re in Europe/UK. Christmas is nearly here...

Governor Marie Bashir – a remarkab...

One of my favourite photos of 2011 Order of Australia OAM Susanne Gervay is when the Governor Professor Bashir, the first woman to be appointed Governor of New South Wales, presented me with an Order 0f  Australia (OAM) for children’s literature and other associations at Government House Dr Bashir is a leading light in children’s services, psychiatry and mental health services, and indigenous health programs. and when appointed was  Clinical Professor of Psychiatry at the University of Sydney ; Area Director of Mental Health Services Central Sydney ; and...

NSW Writers Centre Christmas Party...

Barbecue, the gardens of Callan Park, writers, board members and staff gather for the NSW Writers Centre Christmas party. It’s been a fabulous year with workshops run by our most respected writers ranging from award winning TV and theatre writer Geoffrey Atherden to brilliant picture book writer and illustrator Tohby Riddle to multi award winning young adult novellist James Roy. There’s so much on at the NSW Writers’ Centre from writers’ groups, first  Friday of the month in conversation with a writer; manuscript assessments; online ezines and...

‘Ships in the Field is a picture b...

THANKYOU FOR THIS BEAUTIFUL REVIEW Ships in the Field by Susanne Gervay, illustrated by Anna Pignataro (Ford Street Publishing) HB RRP $26.95 ISBN 978-1921665233 Reviewed by Francine Sculli for BUZZ WORDS Joining the mastery of award-winning author, Susanne Gervay and award-winning illustrator, Anna Pignataro – Ships in the Field is a picture book filled with significance, beauty and rich subtext. Narrated through the simple, but intuitive eyes of a little girl, this picture book tells the story of life for a refugee family who have fled from their war torn country...

Books in Homes with Plunkett Street Publ...

Plunkett Street Public School, Books in Homes, Susanne Gervay Role Model author for Books in Homes   This was one of the special experiences as an author. The privilege of going to this small inner city school in the heart of the Housing Commission was inspiring. The amazing principal Mr Moran has brought community, teachers, children together in an environment of learning and love. Every child was celebrated. Every teacher was celebrated. Every community supporter was celebrated. Police officers, the pastor from the local Baptist Church, Head of Distance Education,...

Carols, Courtney Severini & singing...

Sound of Music in The Hughenden Victorian lounge with Courtney Severini playing the baby grand and singing carols, joined by our night audit Greg who doubles as an actor and singer; and by Erin our breakfast floor staff who’s a song writer singer. The Hughenden is filled with singers, writers, actors, musicians who also work in all aspects of the hotel. Close to the Australian Film School, Metro Films, Fox studios, music venues, The Hughenden has an artistic/creative soul. The Hughenden supports Room to read, bringing literacy to the children of the developing...

Monkey Baa Theatre Celebrates a Fabulous...

I LOVE MonkeyBaa Theatre. Tim MacGarry, Sandra Eldridge and Eva Di Cesare, the Directors of Monkey Baa Theatre are creative, passionate and have done a brilliant job adapting Australian children’s literature for the stage. Their adaptation of Jackie French’s ‘Hitler’s Daughter’ will be touring North America next year. Next year opens with Tim Winton’s Bugalugs – it’s booked across Australia. However the piece de la resistance is the adaptation of Duncan Ball’s ‘Emily Eyefinger – it was magic – the...