Bursting!

It's been a big week!

Emu has been shortlisted for the Environment Award.

Then there was lunch with Walker and Black Dog peoples from both sides of book-making. I received my copies of the US version of 'Emu'. It has a dust jacket and looks very swish.



That evening I was lucky enough to attend the announcement of the Text Prize. There was a shortlist of four manuscripts and Kimberley Starr won with The Book of Whispers. Look forward to seeing this novel set in the 11C making its way into print.

Friday signalled the beginning of Reading Matters. So many wonderful sessions, so many people to catch up, and to meet. I actually had a conversation with someone who teaches at the school where I was a boarder (many moons ago). What are the odds? The conference opened with a panel of YA readers and finished with video 'Shelfies' from more young readers. Both groups were wonderfully articulate and thoughtful. Laurie Halse Anderson (US) was amazing, as was Sally Gardner (UK).  Priya Kuriyan shared her illustrations. Highlights for me included the discussion between Sean Williams and Jaclyn Moriarty about Science and Magic and the panel with Laurie Halse Anderson and Sally Gardner - very different but equally passionate. I also love the opportunity to mix with so many book people. I saw some sketches for an upcoming book (oh my giddy aunt they're gorgeous!), and realised why another manuscript is still not ready to be a book. There was a wonderful reception in the beautiful Queens Hall in the State Library and then a dinner at Supper In, Melbourne icon. I came away exhausted but full of ideas and inspiration.

Sunday included a celebration for son2's birthday. Always lovely to be surrounded by my boys and their girls.

This morning sees the official release of two new books. 'My Name is Lizzie Flynn' and 'Meet Weary Dunlop'. Asking me to choose a favourite is like asking me which of my children I love best. I hope they both find their way in the book world and that readers enjoy them.

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

Reading Matters

The Reading Matters Conference, held in Melbourne every two years, is a celebration of youth literature. It's also a wonderful opportunity to meet people, renew acquaintances and generally immerse yourself in books and be with book people.

International guests Cassandra Clare and Rebecca Stead shared insights about their research process. Warning: helping Cassandra Clare research has the potential to get you into BIG trouble! Others talked about landscape or setting as character; monsters and more. Karen Healey talked about pre-stressing your protagonist (so that when you deal them more strife, they're already primed!). Brenton McKenna from Broome sees graphic novels as being like an oral story. His graphic novel 'Ubby's Underdogs' is the first of a trilogy and sold out in the bookshop before lunchtime. Paula Kelly reported that although ebook uptake is increasing, Australia's books sales in this format are at around 3 % in contrast to 25% in the US. There was speculation by other speakers that IPad v12 might well grab you by the scruff and pull you into the adventure in a very literal way! Other guests included, Ananda Braxton-Smith, Cath Crowley, Richard Newsome, Oliver Phommovanh, Denis Wright, Kirsty Eagar, Leanne Hall, Lucy Christopher and many many many more.

Cassandra Clare talked about 'urban exploration', looking at parts of the city no longer being frequented/used at all for settings, citing an abandoned smallpox facility just off Manhattan as an example. Others talked about the same idea, of fixing themselves in their fictional landscape by using existing landscapes, so the eventual book landscape feels very authentic. There was discussion of landscape as character. Cassandra also described writers as people with a bizarre group of interests that become obsessions. Nice.

Kate Burridge, language guru from Monash Uni, shared a great deal of bad language with us and introduced us to some new terms: verbal cuddling...eg 'hello, you mangy old bugger' where the words were perhaps considered swearing but the tone of delivery removes any offence. Another new term was the 'infix' (as apposed to suffix and prefix) eg absa-bloody-lutely, and said there are rules about it's use...no one ever says 'ab-bloody-salutely'!

Others talked about family cultural 'tics' sayings and behaviours that can cue character in meaningful ways.

There were morning teas and lunches, afternoon teas and receptions, dinners and early morning coffees. It was exhausting. My children sent me to bed early on Saturday night, because I was making no sense. I can't promise that I'm making much more now, but the information is hopefully filtering through now and I can begin the week, impelled by the formal and informal conversations of the weekend.

Reading Matters 2

I ran out of time the other day to really finish writing about RM conference, so here we are again.

After the sessions on Friday there was a reception, peopled by delegates and speakers but also by many other Vic creators. It was quite difficult to move really...not because of crowding but because everytime I tried, I'd start another conversation or waylay/be waylaid by other people. Fantastic fun, gorgeous food. Some good potential connections too. The exhibition 'Independent Type books and writing in Victoria' was also opened, but I determined to go back to that another day.

Back to the program...

Cathy Casssidy, Mo Johnson and Chris Wheat talked about romance in their stories, including the appropriate levels of romance for diff age-groups. More books for the wishlist ( CC Angel Cake, MJ Boofheads, CW Screw Loose)

Another session was titled 'Where I'm coming from' and the writers were the blue-haired Anthony Eaton, Mal Peet, James Roy and Randa Abdel-Fattah. Each talked about their background and entry into particular stories. About now, I stopped taking notes really because I just wanted to listen.

So I'm really sorry about the sessions I've missed recording, but the content was inspiring. It was great to spend time with known faces, and to meet new ones. My final job is to empty my bag of all the business cards (okay and that serviette) and sort them.

Reading Matters

I'm just now surfacing after a fantastic weekend at Reading Matters Conference. This conference is held every second year and is an initiative of Melbourne's Centre for Youth Literature. The focus is works for young adults, which includes everything from Libby Gleeson/Armin Greder picture books to crossover novels that could equally be read by young adults and ...well...all other adults.

I didn't take many notes as I was too busy listening but here are a few of the bits that spoke to me...

John Green, author of Paper Towns talked about being an individual around whom the world spins. He said that perspective sometimes changes as we age...but sometimes not. He reported being sure that everyone around him was alien and sneaking out after bedtime to catch his parents out of 'human costume' but they were always too fast.

Teenagers like to read about themselves, AND about 'other'. He also said he often knew his characters much better than he knew even close friends.

Alison Goodman (The Two Pearls of Wisdom) and Isabelle Carmody (The Stone Key) shared a conversation about their writing processes and more.
Isabelle reads non fantasy as inspiration...more for style than content. For her landscape comes from character emotion...bog might indicate depression, a mountain might indicate character is feeling better. For Alison, landscape was setting. Isabelle takes no notes but continues to 'gather' ideas until she has enough to begin writing. Alison reported being much more of a planner.

Reimagining History was the title of a session with MT Anderson (The Astonishing LIfe of Octavian Nothing), Bernard Beckett (Genesis) and Michelle Cooper (A Brief History of Montmaray).

MT Anderson talked about novels being 'alienation from what you know so you can reapproach what you know'

and all talked about their wish to explore the strangeness of the time they wrote about. Each would be keen to visit the worlds about which they wrote...provided they could first be vaccinated!

Several writers read from their novels including Adrian Stirling (Broken Glass), Tristan Banks (Mac Slater: Cool Hunter), Cathy Cassidy (Angel Cake), Mo Johnson (Boofheads.

Libby Gleeson and Armin Greder discussed their collaboration through six books so far.

Other speakers included Anthony Eaton, Mal Peet, James Roy, Randa Abdel-Fattah, Amra Pajalic and (a jet-lagged but you wouldn't have known it)Tim Flannery.

Add in fantastic food, plenty of opportunities to mix with librarians, teachers, publishers, editors and fellow creators and you have the recipe for an exhilarating but exhausting weekend.

I have still to go through my collection of contacts and cards (and yes, even one set of details on a cocktail napkin) but that will all wait for a day or two.

Tomorrow I'm off to Melbourne's south east to do some workshops with Year 9's. Really looking forward to it to.