YABBA

... and the winners are ...

Congratulations to all the winners! The YABBA Awards are children's choice book awards for Victoria. Other states have their own versions - WAYBRA, KOALA (go on, work out what the acronym spells) and more. 

Local and interstate authors are invited to attend, and share the fun of meeting students from a wide variety of schools. This year, we gathered at Haileybury in Brighton. Students offered a dramatisation from Andy Griffiths' Just Macbeth and an interactive song and body percussion performance. I can confirm that the students were much more skilled at the percussion than the assembled authors and illustrators seemed to be.

This year, there was an added poignancy to the event, the first since the death of President and all around larger-than-life character, Graham Davey.

And after the formalities of the Awards, and morning tea, authors and illustrators sat around the auditorium while students gathered signatures and chatted.

The weekend that was

Saturday morning saw the official opening of the 10th Williamstown Literary Festival and the presentation of the Ada Cambridge Prose and Poetry Awards. My poem, Accidental Historians, was a Commended Poem. All short listed stories and poems are included in a book, which is lovely. Fascinating to read other entries. 

Here are some of the short listed people, Terry Bracks (Festival Patron) and Angela Altair (Hobsons Bay mayor and President of the Willy Lit Fest committee).

Preparing for Seadog launch.

Angela was back to introduce the launch session.

Waiting for the fun to begin. And fun there was. Andy was almost upstaged by small people at the front who were suggesting some titles for the next book, and sharing stories of their own. Then there was the reading of Seadog - and a few stanzas for a sequel!
Fantastic to share the launch with many good friends and family and other book lovers.

This weekend

Melbourne is the place to be at the moment. Emerging Writers Festival, Reading Matters, Williamstown Literary Festival. It's all happening.

The launch of the Willy Lit Fest is 10 am Saturday and that's also when the announcement will be made of the winners for the Ada Cambridge Short Story and the Poetry Prize. I've a poem shortlisted which is exciting.

Saturday 1.30 pm I'll be running a two hour workshop on picture book writing in the Williamstown Library. Looking forward to that.

Sunday 2.00 pm, with the help of Andy Griffiths, I'll be launching my newest picture book, Seadog.

It's going to be a big weekend!

Details of the program can be found here

Squish rides again

Today at the wonderful Little Bookroom in Carlton North, Andy Griffiths launched Katherine Battersby's Brave Squish Rabbit, sequel to Squish Rabbit. Like Squish's first outing, this is a lovely gentle story about overcoming fear for friendship. Beautifully told and illustrated. Go Katherine!

Andy however, couldn't keep his hands to himself. There he was, not content with two hands, but had to unleash a third on his audience. They responded enthusiastically if unpredictably. That's all I'm saying about that!

Then it was Katherine's turn to sit in the story chair. Gradually, she brought all the little eyes, all the little ears to her, ready to tell Squish's new tale.

Independent Type: Books and Writing in Victoria exhibition

Last night my friend Jackie Kerin and I attended the opening of the Independent Type: Books and Writing in Victoria exhibition at Altona Meadows library. The exhibition celebrates the development of writing in Victoria from markings on possum-skin cloaks through to contemporary offerings. The exhibition, initially mounted at the State Library is now making its way around Victoria via selected public libraries.



Last night was the opening of the Independent Type: Books and Writing in Victoria exhibition at Altona Meadows library. The exhibition celebrates the development of writing in Victoria from markings on possum-skin cloaks through to contemporary offerings. The exhibition, initially mounted at the State Library is now making its way around Victoria via selected public libraries.

Local authors were asked to provide material to supplement the touring exhibition and now features work from Andy Griffiths, Jackie Kerin and me.

Independent Type Exhibition

The wonderful Independent Type Exhibition that appeared in the State Library last year is on the move. It's opening in Hobson's Bay at Altona Meadows Library on Thursday. The exhibition curator, Steve Grimwade, will be doing the officials.

The local exhibition will feature works by local writers including Jackie Kerin, Andy Griffiths and moi!