SCBWI Conference, 2016

What a time was had by all participants of the SCBWI Conference over the last two days!

Roving Reporters have captured every session across the 2-day conference and will upload their reports over the next few days so I will not give loads of details here. You can find the official SCBWI Conference blog here. And the first report is about the EK Books panel featuring Anouska Jones, Kirrili Lonergan, Gwynneth Jones and Belinda Landsberry, chaired by me.

I also took photos of almost all sessions and posted them on Twitter. 

Feel free to use the hashtag #scbwisyd to find out all the gossip, or visit my twitter feed.

This was my first SCBWI Conference and lucky me got to chair the first panel of the first day of the first conference I attended. Talk about pressure!

This was the second time I had chaired a panel and I had so much fun. But I have to admit I had a flurry of butterflies hiding in my tummy, arms, legs, and ear lobes beforehand. Once the conversation started, they fluttered away thank goodness.

I loved being able to help highlight the recent achievements of EK Books while sharing my personal journey with them. I didn't mind throwing in a few jokes here and there either.

I am so grateful for the opportunity to chair. To continue to develop my chairing skills is a personal goal for me. I would love to chair many more festival and conference panels in the future.

Our EK Books panel about to start
Photo: Penny Morrison

EK Books panel in action
Photo: Georgie Donaghey (Creative Kids Tales)

Anouska, Belinda, Kirrili, Katrina, Gwynne
Photo: Lynn Jenkins

A conference is always so much better when experienced with friends. Thanks Kirrili, Lynn, Gwynne, Jenni, Liz, Anouska, and all my extended literary family members who helped make this conference a roaring success. My literary family expands across Australia now and an event like this just reminds me of how lucky I am to be part of such a warm, supportive and caring community.

Jenni, Katrina, Lynn, Kirrili, Gwynne

We missed our local and interstate friends who could not be with us this time, but we can't wait to cross over with you soon. You just never know when or where.

Good luck to everyone with future submissions and book deals.
It's conferences like these that give hope and inspiration to everyone.

Thanks to the SCBWI committee (Susanne, Deb, Sarah and Marjorie) and the extended team (it is huge!) for all the hard work to bring such a magnificent experience to so many people. The educational benefits are priceless and the social benefits are forever remembered in our hearts.

See you at the next SCBWI Conference in 2018!

Highlights from the CBCA National Conference, 2014

The CBCA National Conference, 2014 is an event I will remember fondly for a long time. I loved mingling with respected children’s authors and illustrators for two and a half glorious days. Here are ten of my favourite highlights. I could have listed a hundred!

1) Meeting Stephen Michael King and Glenda Millard

Glenda Millard, Kirrili Lonergan, Katrina McKelvey, Stephen Michael King

Stephen and Glenda are such a gentle yet powerful team. The themes in their stories run deep into my heart and touch me profoundly. 

2) Drinking champagne in the foyer of the National Library with much loved children’s authors and illustrators

Photo by Tania McCartney

What a way to start a conference! There is no better place to host literary events and toast wonderful publication news than here. Can you find me in this photo?

3) Watching Bob Graham sign my first edition of ‘Rose Meets Mr Wintergarten’

I was given this copy while I was at university studying my Bachelor of Education degree in the early 1990’s. My copy is very worn as it has had many children inside its pages. I attended Bob’s workshop at the Sydney Writers’ Festival two years ago and he talked about the story behind his latest picture book, ‘Silver Buttons’. Now I have my own signed copy. 

4) Canberra in Autumn

Photo by Tania McCartney

Photo by Tania McCartney

The colours were amazing! I enjoyed sharing breakfast Sunday morning on the banks of Lake Burley Griffin while chatting to Canberra’s local authors and illustrators. Every colour of the rainbow was represented in the trees that surrounded the lake. A breathtaking site indeed!

5) Dinner in the Australian War Memorial

Words cannot explain the atmosphere of this night. Being in the Australian War Memorial seated in a dimly lit room underneath the tail of a war plane was incredible. We were moved to by war stories by Jackie French. Morris Gleitzman’s ‘Loyal Creatures’ (a war horse story) was dramatically performed by a solo artist. Very moving!

6) Andy Griffiths - legend

I ‘accidently’ ran into Andy in an empty foyer. What else could his biggest fan do other then ask for a photo? See – he is happy to see me! We made a date to cross over at this year’s Byron Bay Writers’ Festival. Now I can’t let the man down can I?

My copy of ‘The Bad Book’ was signed by Andy at the Byron Bay Writers’ Festival in 2012 (For Katrina, the very bad teacher) and ‘The Very Bad Book’ was signed at this conference (For Aidan, the very bad son). I could go on and on about how bloody amazing this man is but I won’t. You should already know!

7) Catching up with people who I have connected with on Facebook

There were many people I chatted with who I follow on Facebook, but it was just beautiful to especially catch up with this talented one  – Tania McCartney.

8) Mixing with respected children’s authors and illustrators

Freya Blackwood, Katrina McKelvey, Libby Gleeson

Katrina McKelvey and Julie Vivas



Jackie French signing one of my favourite picture books, 'Queen Victoria's Underpants'

Lynn Jenkins, Kirrili Lonergan, Choechoe Brereton, Katrina McKelvey

I lined up for a long time across the weekend (often while eating my lunch with a knife and fork standing up) to see Libby Gleeson, Freya Blackwood, Julie Vivas, Glenda Millard, Stephen Michael King, Bronwyn Bancroft, Choechoe Brereton, Bob Graham, Barry Jonsberg, Michael Gerard Bauer, Jackie French and Andy Griffiths. I managed to get no less than 36 of my books signed (most of them I bought from home). Is that a record?

9) Being inspired by Jackie French

Jackie's passion for children’s literature is contagious, inspiring and overwhelming. No wonder she is the current Australian Children’s Laureate. My only regret is that I couldn’t go on the visit to her property on the Monday.

10) Taking some time out of my life as a busy mum, wife and volunteer to refocus and be reinspired to write my little heart out.

It was so luxurious to take a few uninterrupted deep breaths. Thank you to my beautiful family for helping me take some time out and be self-indulgent – even if it was only for a few days. I feel like a new person.

Quote of the conference for me: ‘You cannot be all things to all people, but you can do the impossible.’ Thanks Erica Wagner (Allen and Unwin publisher) for this reminder I needed to hear.