Australia Day & the Fabulous CIRCUS...

Circus Oz is now 30 years old. It’s an animal free circus with multi skilled performers who sing, play multiple instruments, tumble, swing from the trapeze, dance, are funny, sad, amazing – the talent captures you. Circus Oz has a social conscience and supports disadvantaged groups, kids and  people impacted by war and loss of their homes. Tory and I loved Circus Oz. A great Australia Day experience. You should see...

Paper Tigers Ezine ROUND the WORLD Readi...

  PaperTigers – is a wonderful website devoted to multicultural books from around the world for children and young adults, with a particular focus on the Pacific Rim and South Asia. www.papertigers.org JOIN & ENJOY. Subscription is complimentary www.PaperTigers.org Pacific Rim Voices 300 Third Street, #822 San Francisco, CA 94107 (415) 648-4528 Round the World Reading Challenge It was especially felt to have ‘Always Jack’ and a book by David Almond paired as recommended read for the Round the World Reading...

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...

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...

Keeping Books Alive ~ Australian Childre...

I was so impressed that librarians and teachers came from not only Melbourne, regional Victoria and even South Australia to this fabulous conference on a Saturday. They were enthusiastic and inspiring.  Special hello to Lulu and Faye  and Jim. Keeping Books Alive Conference opened with an informative keynote on the state of publishing and the rise of the e-book. Dianne Bates and I spoke about issue based novels. Dianne’s YA novel ‘Cutting the Skin’ is published by Ford Street Publishing. My first picture book, ‘Ships in the Field’ will be...

Ford St Publishing Literature ~ Fabulous...

Authors and illustrators piled into Bendigo Catholic College for a festival of literature. Special bravery award to exhausted but brilliant Meredith Costain who  came to the festival after a week touring the Outback doing workshops, then driving to Bendigo and back for the Festival. Second special bravery award for Di Bates who just did 2 weeks of workshops in an outback school, then happily headed for the festival. But she didn’t drive. Third special bravery award to me for having spoken at so many schools that I’d forgotten where I was. I managed to miss my...

Children’s Book Council, Lady Cutl...

Margaret Wild is a leading Australian children’s author. She has more than 70 picture books  with so many awards that I’ve lost count. The adaptation of her brilliant multi award winning  picture book FOX illustrated by Ron Brooks and adapated into an opera by Monkey Baa Theatre www.monkeybaa.com.au was one of the great experiences of theatre. The Lady Cutler Award gift of an illustration by the beautiful illustrator Julie Vivas will be deeply loved. Edward Coffey who established the Lady Cutler Award which was sponsored by Hodder Publishers spoke about the...

Artist Charles Blackman, Christabel Blac...

I love Melissa Egan’s work which captures the spirit of the childhood in amazing magical lyrical sophisticated ‘Alice in Wonderland’ and Spanish influenced works. There’s this feeling of the uniqueness of childhood and narrative with the sophistication of adult foibles in stunning works by this acclaimed award winning artist. I’ve known Melissa for many years as she stays at The Hughenden Woollahra and we’ve been known to party late into the night. She’s vivacious and fabulous and I may take up her offer of staying with her in...

Maurice Saxby launched brilliant picture...

Sarah Davis’ spooky model of the haunted house was centre stage at the launch of ‘Sounds Spooky’, a brilliant picture book illustrated by Sarah Davis and written by Christopher Cheng. Maurice Saxby gave a wonderful reading of Sounds Spooky celebrating the originality of the book’s design, unique three dimensional models created by Sarah and the spooky words of Chris. Publisher and former President of the CBCA Margaret Hamilton, illustrator Serena Geddes, author Wendy Fitzgerald, librarians, children and friends came to celebrate. People crowed into...