Katapult - Edition 4 - Newcastle Writers Festival - April, 2018

Welcome to Katapult!

In this edition I would like to reflect on what a wonderful time everyone involved had during the 2018 Newcastle Writers Festival last week. The festival had three main parts: the Schools Program, the Main Program, and the Family Fun Day.

The Schools Program was held over two days. The first day (Thursday) was hosted by Cessnock Library and involved Kate and Jol Temple, Yvette Poshoglian and Tristan Bancks presenting in lots of schools in the Cessnock area. I heard they all had a hoot! 

Books by Yvette Poshoglian

Books by Jol and Kate Temple

Tristan Bancks (photo from NWF 2014)

The second day (Friday) was held in Newcastle between Newcastle Region Library and Newcastle City Hall. Wonderful presenters included Leigh Hobbs, Yvette Poshoglian, Jess Black, Paul Russell, Kate and Jol Temple, Liz Anelli, Gregg Dreise, and Tristan Bancks. The kids were treated to presentations and workshops that left them inspired to read and write. This is always my favourite day of the festival. It takes me back to my teaching days.

There may be a story about a bus full of kids attending the festival getting a flat tyre before they even arrived which could have caused me as a program supervisor a minor breakdown, but everything worked out in the end - thank goodness :)

Liz Anelli

Books by Leigh Hobbs

Books by Jess Black 

That night I attended the festival's opening night event: Jimmy Barnes - Working Class Man at the Civic Theatre. Jimmy told the story of his life in the Cold Chisel days as well has his solo career. He laughed, cracked jokes, sang, and shared his very personal journey with suicide, drug and alcohol addiction, and depression. I was left wondering how he's still alive! 

Civic theatre just before Jimmy Barnes took the stage

On the Sunday, the festival hosted the Family Fun Day. Kids and their families were entertained by a host of guests and local talent including Zanni Louise, Gregg Dreise, Lynn Jenkins and Kirrili Lonergan from Lessons of a LAC, Renee Price from Digby Fixit Live!, and Emily S. Smith and Graham Davidson from Storytime Lane. This was another jam-packed event full of fun, dancing, entertainment and inspiration.

 

Zanni Loiuse and Digby's Moon Misison by Renee Price

  

Images from Lessons of a LAC

Of course I had to buy books at the festival. Here's a few of my purchases. My kids ran off with them as soon as I brought them home. Now I need to find them so I can read them.

Books by Jol and Kate Temple, and Zanni Loiuse

Congratulations to all involved in bringing the festival alive again this year. Thanks to all the schools and parents who brought their kids along. And congratulations to all the kids who threw themselves into the activities and stories presented to them. 

    Family Fun Day marquee in Wheeler Place

If you want to keep up with out-of-festival events and next year's festival to be held 5-7 April, subscribe to the NWF newsletter here.

One of these upcoming out-of-festival events: Terry Denton and Andy Griffiths are coming to Newcastle on the 15th July to present their new book, The 104-Storey Treehouse. Ticket still available here. Hurry! Tickets selling fast. I'll be there!

I look forward to doing it all again next year. I may even launch a book or two!

(Of course Blogger and my computer are not talking today so only a few 

of my photos have loaded. Head over to my author Facebook page  

and my general Facebook page to see more photos.)

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Feel free to leave a comment or drop me an email: author@katrinamckelvey.com

I’d love to hear from you!

Blast from the past: A photo of Matt Ottley and myself (NWF 2015).

Kids & YA Festival, 2016

The NSW Writers' Centre hosted its biannual Kids & YA Festival on Saturday, 25th June.

Aleesah Darlison developed a wonderful program full of industry favourites. Anyone who attended the day left feeling elated, inspired and with lots of new friends.

This festival meant a lot to me this year. I caught up with my author and illustrator friends from all over the country, met friends I'd connected with on social media, picked up new tips to help improve my writing, and I appeared on my first panel as a published author. More about that later.

The Keynote Speaker for this festival was the mesmerising Tristan Bancks. He entertained us by revealing his writing process and by sharing some of the stories behind his stories including one about a knitting needle embedded 7.5cm into a buttock. Long story ... you had to have been there! (Not his own buttock btw - ha!)

For the rest of the day the program broke into two streams. It was so hard to pick which session to attend.

Next, I was on a panel called, 'Picture Book Parade'. Aleesah Darlison, Meredith Costain, Andrew Daddo and I were in conversation with Sandra Wigzall about how we started our picture book publication career. The panel was constructed with a wonderful mixture of experiences from using slush piles, to networking at conferences, and to being discovered via writing competitions. 

I was extremely nervous even though our panel was designed to be an informal but informative conversation. We received wonderful feedback so hopefully a few people enjoyed our stories and grabbed some ideas to help them on their publication journeys. 

I was quoted on twitter during this session - how bizarre but fun! I've never had that happen before. I'm very new to Twitter, I only retweet usually, so to be quoted as a tweet by someone else was a little exciting. Thank you so much to NSW Writers' Centre, Michelle Worthington and Debra Tidball for these tweets and retweets photographed below. I look like I slightly know what I'm talking about in that photo, Deb! 

True story!

I had to miss the panel, 'Turning Facts Into Fiction - How do you turn the cold facts of history and modern-day reality into something children and young adults want to read? with Pamela Rushby, Jan Latta, Kylie Fornasier, Libby-Jane Charleston (Chair) as it was on at the same time as ours, but the feedback was wonderful.

For the next short while, I debriefed with my fellow panel members while the program continued. However I did manage to catch the end of the panel, Writing For The World Stage: What are the various paths you can follow to get your book published – and selling – overseas? with Susanne Gervay, Jacqueline Harvey, Michelle Worthington, Sophie Masson (Chair). The snippet I listened to was very insightful!

Sophie Masson, Michelle Worthington, Jacqueline Harvey, Susanne Gervay  

LUNCH TIME! It was a little cold outside during lunch (ok ... a lot) but it was so lovely to mingle among the Jacarandas, eat, chat, sip tea and buy books. 

Pamela Freeman and Liz Anelli launched their stunning picture book, Dessert Lake on the verandah during lunch. Pamela shared the highs and struggles she experienced while bringing this story to life and Liz demonstrated her illustration talent. (She was half frozen but still managed to draw better than most of us!)

Also during lunch, Susan Whelan and Sandy Fussell hosted a seminar titled: 'Paying Forward, Giving Back: Networking for Authors and Illustrators'. It was sold out with all proceeds going to the Indigenous Literacy Foundation. I heard the girls presented an outstanding session full of hints and tips everyone could implement into building a successful career while supporting others in the industry. Clever girls!

After lunch I snuggled into the session, 'Publishers and Agents: What They’re Looking For and How to Impress Them' withTara Wynne (Curtis Brown), Anouska Jones (EK Books), Holly Toohey (Random House), Rochelle Manners (Wombat Books) and Aleesah Darlison (Chair). Great industry tips filled this room from some of the most talented children's publishers in Australia.

Gosh, I wish I could have also attended the session called, 'Learn How Authors and Publishers Write and Develop Series' with Wanda Wiltshire, Chrissie Perry, Meredith Costain, Jodie Wells-Slowgrove and Jessica Owen (Penguin) (Chair). If only I could have been in two places at once. My next adventure is down this path. Watch this space!

To challenge my thinking and to learn more about a genre I'm not very familiar with, I next attended the session, YA All The Way: What makes young adult fiction so enticing to read – and to write? with Tristan Bancks, Steph Bowe, David Burton, Will Kostakis and Adele Walsh (Chair). This panel was fun! The diverse experiences on the panel made it extremely interesting.

Meanwhile, next door another dynamic panel was in place, 'Illustrators Incorporated: Being a successful children’s book illustrator involves more than just drawing pretty pictures' with Michael Salmon, Serena Geddes, David Hardy and Georgie Donaghey (Chair). How I would loved to have been in this room. I did find a leftover whiteboard illustration by Michael later in the day.

And the last two sessions for the day involved pitching. One for picture books and one for kids and YA novels. I didn't pitch this year but I felt so nervous for the people who did. I attended the picture book session and I learnt so much from listening to other people pitch. Listening to live feedback was priceless also. It was a fresh reminder of what to keep an eye on when constructing picture book manuscripts. This was very timely for me as I'm just about to submit a manuscript for an assessment during the upcoming SCBWI conference.

It's always a thrill to see your book in a bookshop, then have people buy it and come up to you to get it signed. And of course I couldn't stop myself from adding to my signed book collection as well.

My day ended with a well deserved social outing in a beer garden at a Balmain pub with my Newcastle author and illustrator friends (and Serena too!). A full tummy certainly did help with the long drive back home after a jam-packed day.

Thanks to the NSW Writers' Centre, Aleesah Darlison, and everyone behind the scenes who helped bring this festival to life. 

I still pinch myself at how many beautiful, talented and caring people I have met in the children's publishing industry during my own publication journey. 

Until the next one, may your writing and illustrating be full of amazing ideas!

Kids & YA Festival, 2016

The NSW Writers' Centre hosted its biannual Kids & YA Festival on Saturday, 25th June.

Aleesah Darlison developed a wonderful program full of industry favourites. Anyone who attended the day left feeling elated, inspired and with lots of new friends.

This festival meant a lot to me this year. I caught up with my author and illustrator friends from all over the country, met friends I'd connected with on social media, picked up new tips to help improve my writing, and I appeared on my first panel as a published author. More about that later.

The Keynote Speaker for this festival was the mesmerising, Tristan Bancks. He entertained us by revealing his writing process and by sharing some of the stories behind his stories including one about a knitting needle embedded 7.5cm into a buttock. Long story ... you had to have been there! (Not his own buttock btw - ha!)

For the rest of the day the program broke into two streams. It was so hard to pick which session to attend.

Next, I was on a panel called, 'Picture Book Parade'. Aleesah Darlison, Meredith Costain, Andrew Daddo and I were in conversation with Sandra Wigzall about how we started our picture book publication career. The panel was constructed with a wonderful mixture of experiences from using slush piles, to networking at conferences, and to being discovered via writing competitions. 

I was extremely nervous even though our panel was designed to be an informal but informative conversation. We received wonderful feedback so hopefully a few people enjoyed our stories and grabbed some ideas to help them on their publication journeys. 

I was quoted on twitter during this session - how bizarre but fun! I've never had that happen before. I'm very new to Twitter, I only retweet usually, so to be quoted as a tweet by someone else was a little exciting. Thank you so much to NSW Writers' Centre, Michelle Worthington and Debra Tidball for these tweets and retweets photographed below. I look like I slightly know what I'm talking about in that photo, Deb! 

True story!

I had to miss the panel, 'Turning Facts Into Fiction - How do you turn the cold facts of history and modern-day reality into something children and young adults want to read? with Pamela Rushby, Jan Latta, Kylie Fornasier, Libby-Jane Charleston (Chair) as it was on at the same time as ours, but the feedback was wonderful.

For the next short while, I debriefed with my fellow panel members while the program continued. However I did manage to catch the end of the panel, Writing For The World Stage: What are the various paths you can follow to get your book published – and selling – overseas? with Susanne Gervay, Jacqueline Harvey, Michelle Worthington, Sophie Masson (Chair). The snippet I listen to was very insightful!

Sophie Masson, Michelle Worthington, Jacqueline Harvey, Susanne Gervay  

LUNCH TIME! It was a little cold outside during lunch (ok ... a lot) but it was so lovely to mingle among the Jacarandas, eat, chat, sip tea and buy books. 

Pamela Freeman and Liz Anelli launched their stunning picture book, Dessert Lake on the verandah during lunch. Pamela shared the highs and struggles she experienced while bringing this story to life and Liz demonstrated her illustration talent. (She was half frozen but still managed to draw better than most of us!)

Also during lunch, Susan Whelan and Sandy Fussell hosted a seminar titled: 'Paying Forward, Giving Back: Networking for Authors and Illustrators'. It was sold out with all proceeds going to the Indigenous Literacy Foundation. I heard the girls presented an outstanding session full of hints and tips everyone could implement into building a successful career while supporting others in the industry. Clever girls!

After lunch I snuggled into the session, 'Publishers and Agents: What They’re Looking For and How to Impress Them' with Tara Wynne (Curtis Brown), Anouska Jones (EK Books), Holly Toohey (Random House), Rochelle Manners (Wombat Books) and Aleesah Darlison (Chair). Great industry tips filled this room from some of the most talented children's publishers in Australia.

Gosh, I wish I could have also attended the session called, 'Learn How Authors and Publishers Write and Develop Series' with Wanda Wiltshire, Chrissie Perry, Meredith Costain, Jodie Wells-Slowgrove and Jessica Owen (Penguin) (Chair). If only I could have been in two places at once. My next adventure is down this path. Watch this space!

To challenge my thinking and to learn more about a genre I'm not very familiar with, I next attended the session, YA All The Way: What makes young adult fiction so enticing to read – and to write? with Tristan Bancks, Steph Bowe, David Burton, Will Kostakis and Adele Walsh (Chair). This panel was fun! The diverse experiences on the panel made it extremely interesting.

Meanwhile, next door another dynamic panel was in place, 'Illustrators Incorporated: Being a successful children’s book illustrator involves more than just drawing pretty pictures' with Michael Salmon, Serena Geddes, David Hardy and Georgie Donaghey (Chair). How I would loved to have been in this room. I did find a leftover whiteboard illustration by Michael later in the day.

And the last two sessions for the day involved pitching. One for picture books and one for kids and YA novels. I didn't pitch this year but I felt so nervous for the people who did. I attended the picture book session and I learnt so much from listening to other people pitch. Listening to live feedback was priceless also. It was a fresh reminder of what to keep an eye on when constructing picture book manuscripts. This was very timely for me as I'm just about to submit a manuscript for an assessment during the upcoming SCBWI conference.

It's always a thrill to see your book in a bookshop, then have people buy it and come up to you to get it signed. And of course I couldn't stop myself from adding to my signed book collection as well.

My day ended with a well deserved social outing in a beer garden at a Balmain pub with my Newcastle author and illustrator friends (and Serena too!). A full tummy certainly did help with the long drive back home after a jam-packed day.

Thanks to the NSW Writers' Centre, Aleesah Darlison, and everyone behind the scenes who helped bring this festival to life. 

I still pinch myself at how many beautiful, talented and caring people I have met in the children's publishing industry during my own publication journey. 

Until the next one, may your writing and illustrating be full of amazing ideas!