To make it easier to find posts you find interesting, I've listed all the featured guest posts here with brief descriptions of the topics covered:
Kids' Lit Quiz
Wayne Mills, the founder and quizmaster of the Kids' Lit Quiz opened our festival on 1 November by welcoming both our guest authors and our international audience to this month-long reading adventure. Wayne also reviewed the 2013 Kids' Lit Quiz competition and previewed the 2014 competition.
A few weeks earlier, Nicole Deans, the Australian national coordinator, detailed the 2014 Kids' Lit Quiz Australia competition and invited schools near Ipswich, Orange, Canberra and western Sydney to register their teams for the "sport of reading". It's still not too late to join! And it's easy to get involved - just contact Nicole at kidslitquizaustralia@gmail.com. The Australian heats take place in February and March 2014.
The 2013 Kids' Lit Quiz world final, held in Durban South Africa in the first week of July was a wonderful occasion. Have a look at the reports here and here.
Author Posts
Isobelle Carmody began our guest author series of posts with her aptly-titled photo essay, The Story Road. Accompanied by Jan Stolba's photographs, Isobelle takes readers on a writer's journey, where the transport and the destination may be known but the route is uncertain.
Meredith Costain shares her love of poetry with us in Playing with Words and introduced us to a number of poets and some of her favourite poems, including Hilaire Belloc's Cautionary Tales for Children, first published in 1907.
How Scary is too Scary? As Clare Havens observes, dark themes and scary subjects have long been an integral part of children's literature. Where do you draw the line? Does a line need to be drawn?
Mark Carthew's Poetry Sucks! introduces some of the writing tools that poets use in their poetry and reminds us that the main thing that a good poem does is make the reader or listeners respond and think.
Sarah Davis provides a fascinating insight into the work of a book illustrator in Someone Else's Story.
In The Magic Exists, Donna Hosie writes about her work as a Fan Consultant with Warner Bros and EA Games, providing a different perspective on the publishing phenomenon that is the Harry Potter series of books.
Anita Heiss' My Top Ten Indigenous-authored Books reviews a diverse and beautifully illustrated selection of recently published picture books by Indigenous writers and illustrators.
A Reader's Story is an understated, elegant piece of writing by playwright Finegan Kruckemeyer, reminding us of the power of language and the importance of communication.
In Beyond Godzilla, Cristy Burne, introduces us to some fabulous Japanese monsters (and also explains the inspiring relevance of science and history).
Rod Clement reminds us why reading is everything in his entertaining and extremely visual short story, The Squid and the Whale.
In Twins, Sean Williams introduces the concept of d-mat, a cloning device that could change the world. It seems like a good idea, doesn't it?!
Favourite Picture Books is Emma Allen's thought provoking reflection on the picture books she loved as a child.
Book Industry Posts
Erica Wagner's Mirrors and Windows was the first in our series of posts on the book publishing industry, intended to give our audience an introduction to various aspects of the book industry from the perspective of people who work with authors and books.
Erica says that "books at their best are mirrors and windows - as mirrors, reflecting ourselves back to ourselves, and as windows revealing different lives and cultures and ideas. This ability of books to facilitate self-knowledge as well as compassion and empathy is what keeps us all doing what we do."
In Supporting Creativity, Jacqui Dent tells about the services the Australian Society of Authors provides to advance and protect the interests of Australian writers and illustrators.
Fiona Inglis outlines the work of a literary agent in The Business of Writing. Fiona also recommends some fantastic books, many of which are recent award-winners.
A Thrilling Journey by Shelley Kenigsberg describes the work of book editors, how they "do the needful" to make authors' manuscripts the best they can be. (I wish I had an editor!)
In Working with Books, Jenny Stubbs tells us about her work as director of the StoryArts Festival Ipswich, a children's literature festival which is ENTIRELY FREE for children to attend!
And, throughout each of these posts, intended to promote discussion and provoke thought, are lots and lots of recommended books, authors, poets, illustrators and other creators for you to discover and explore in your continuing reading adventures.
Guest Posts: May 2013
There are also the guest posts from our May festival, some very good writing by more of our generous and talented guest authors.
Other Posts
From time to time, we write about subjects we think you might find interesting:Friday Recaps: written each Friday during the on-line literary festivals to sum up that week's activities and provide updates and news. The last recap from the last festival can be found here. See also the November 2013 Festival Wrap post, here.
Other topics you can read about (and find some recommended books):
Prisoner 44664: A visit to Robben Island in July 2013;
The Big Five: Photographs and book recommendations about iconic African animals;
Movies from Books: Information about recent films being made from popular books;
On John Steinbeck, Gratitude and Dedications.
Happy reading, everyone!
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