SPINNING GOLD- The New Zealand Children’s Book Writing and Illustration Conference will take place at Capital House, Melrose, Wellington in 2009, September 18 (2pm)-20th (5pm) Run by the Wellington Children’s Book Association, there will be opportunities for emerging and experienced Writers and Illustrators to learn new skills, network and take their craft to The Next Chapter- into the 21st Century.
The core strands in the conference will be:
New Technologies-Escape beyond the pen, the paper and the ‘puter.
Business–The money and how to legally keep as much as you can.
Marketing and Promotion- Getting your name out there... Beyond Traditional Marketing.
Professional Development- Publishing without paper- Ways to live without getting a real job.
There will be Master Classes, Workshops, Publishers, Agents, Panels and Informative Keynote Speakers. There will be social events and a built in trip to a mystery location. The venue, Capital House, is in an affordable location for a residential conference set in large grounds overlooking the harbour. Bed and Breakfast living in at the conference will be optional (but we recommend it) Come for a day or for all three. Early bird registrations will open in April 2009 Spaces are limited to the first 80 people! If you want to register your interest and get on our mailing list for updates and advance warning of registration opening dates... Contact the Wellington Children’s Book Association by email. the.wcba@gmail.com
Well it was a great Quiz night at the Southern Cross with spot prizes, much laughter and scratching of heads to find the right answers and a huge amount of creativity as shown by the results of Limerick competition. We gave everyone the first line:
There was a keen writer from Taita….
We thought they were such fun that they should be published. You should note that none of the authors are identifiable by their team’s name and there was a fair amount of wine involved in the creative process.
The winning limerick team Where the Wild Hair Is channelled alcohol:
There was a keen writer from Taita
He drank as he wrote and got tighter
He drank gin, he drank wine
He ate grapes off the vine
And his writing got shiter and shiter.
Les Blancs knew what desperation is:
There was a keen writer from Taita
Who set fire to his tale with a lighter,
The manuscript burned
No money was earned
So his purse strings got tighter and tighter.
Edward and the Cullenary Delights aimed for literary success:
There was a keen writer from Taita
With his eye on the Pulitzer Prizer
But where talent lacked
His punch it did pack
He found victory; he was a fighter!
The Cherubs penned an important lesson on the value of editing:
There was a keen writer from Taita
Who suffered a heavy all-nighter
As she stumbled on home
She was struck by a tome
Which she wished was a few chapters lighter.
The T.Team went for a bodice ripper approach:
There was a keen writer from Taita
Who found fairytales could excite her
She loved Humpty, Prince Charming
But oh, ‘twas alarming
When the Dragon and George did ignite her!
And the Quizlits were ever mindful of the hips.
There was a keen writer from Taita
Who wanted to be slightly lighter
She gave up on food, which ruined her mood
And made her manuscript triter.
So on that note, we’d like to say thank you to everyone who came to the night and made it such a lot of fun and huge thanks to Johanna Knox, Margaret Cahill and Dylan Owen for coming up with the questions and to Louise Davies for organising the room and the food. The Southern Cross is a great venue and they generously donated a dinner voucher as part of the prize pack. The committee members of the WCBA all worked together to make this a great evening and now it is over we are working on the Conference plans.
We will be making an announcement here on Monday, so check back in then and open your diary to pencil in a weekend in September you won’t want to miss.
