Don't forget Storylines, Sunday 24 August 10am-3pm at the Michael Fowler Centre!

Wellington Children's Book Assn AGM

Our AGM is coming up in just over two weeks. 

For a change, the committee has decided to hold the meeting on a weekend afternoon in the convivial atmosphere of a cafe:

Time:2:00pm, 

Dare: Sunday July 27th

Place: Mediterranean Food Warehouse

42 Constable St, Newtown

The AGM will be brief, and everyone is welcome to stay afterwards for coffee and a chat. 

In order to know numbers for the cafe, we would be grateful for RSVPs (to the.wcba@gmail.com) by July 20th.

Thanks!

With best wishes

The Committee

Book launch: Snowy the Doganaut

Hi everyone

We've been sent this info about a book launch on Thursday 19 June (more info here):

 

The Embassy of Brazil in Wellington has the pleasure to invite you to the second session of Brazilian Topics at the Embassy for 2014, on Thursday, 19 June.

Brazilian author Diego D’Albuquerque will be visiting New Zealand to launch his book Branquinho, o Dognauta, which has been translated by Peter Dowling and published for the first time in English as Snowy, the Doganaut by Libro International in New Zealand.  Please see in the poster attached all events planned during his visit to Auckland and Wellington.

At the Embassy of Brazil, Diego will do a book reading with kids and also give a presentation about Brazilian children’s literature for adults, together with publisher/translator Peter Dowling.

This special session of Brazilian Topics at the Embassy will be divided into two parts:

1. Reading of the book with kids and book launch. From 4 pm to 5.30 pm. Event suited for children of all ages, but in particular from 5 to 10 years old, and accompanying adults. Reservations: http://goo.gl/wsIbCT

2. Presentation about the Brazilian children's literature market. From 5.30 pm to 7 pm. Event suited for adults and older kids (from 10 years old). Reservations: http://goo.gl/E2Duaq

The book will be available for purchase for NZ$ 20.   

About the book:

Snowy is a dog with a difference — an alien canine with ears where he should have eyes, eyes in the back of his head, a tail on the side of his body. He wears a helmet and walks on two legs. A boy finds him in Earth and decides to take him to a veterinarian. Will he be able to transform him into a normal dog, even if he has to travel to Pluto to do it?

About the author:

Diego D’Albuquerque was only 8 years old when he wrote Branquinho, O Dognauta.  He became the youngest published author when Branquinho was released in 1982. He later graduated in Social Communication from the PUC (Pontifical Catholic University of Rio de Janeiro) and has pursued a career in television and advertising as a scriptwriter and editor. Diego lives with his wife in Rio de Janeiro.

About the translator and publisher:

Peter Dowling is the director of Oratia Media, a publishing services company that also publishes Libro International books. He has had a long career in book and magazine publishing in New Zealand and overseas. Peter fell under the spell of Brazil when living there in 1990 and has returned as often as possible. Peter is an experienced translator and fluent speaker of Brazilian Portuguese. He now lives west of Auckland with his wife and two children.

###

ATTENTION PLEASE:

The Embassy of Brazil has moved to Level 13, 10 Customhouse Quay, Maritime Tower, Wellington. See map below.

Please keep in mind that building access closes at 6 pm. 

If you have any problems registering through the links above, please send us an email cultural@brazil.org.nz or call (04) 473 3521.

THE ACCESS TO THE EMBASSY WILL BE RESTRICTED TO THOSE WHOSE NAME APPEARS ON THE RESERVATIONS LIST. FOR SECURITY REASONS, YOU WILL BE REQUIRED TO PRESENT PHOTO ID BEFORE ENTERING THE EMBASSY.

Eat Your Words

 Hi everyone

WCBA members have been among the successful prize-winners in past Eat Your Words competitions. The 2014 competition is now open to entries. (Deadline: 23 May). 

All the details you need are below. Please feel free to forward this to friends or around your networks.

---------------------

Eat Your Words 2014

Eat Your Words is Whitireia’s biennial café-inspired poetry competition, which has been running since 2010.

This year we are opening the competition to flash fiction as well.

The theme for entries is ‘Words to go with your coffee’.

Entries must be 150 words or under. There is no entry fee.

Prizes and publication

30-40 winning entries will be chosen, and these will receive café-themed prizes and be published in the 2014 Eat Your Words book.

Judge

Highly respected Wellington poet James Brown will judge the main prizes.

Rules

* All entries – whether poetry or flash fiction must be 150 words or under.

* Entries must not have been published before

* Entrants must be from the greater Wellington region.

* Max – three entries per person

There is no official entry form.

Email your entry to:

eatyourwords2014@gmail.com

 by 23 May.

(No entries by post.)

Prize sponsors include:

Emma Makes (handcrafted literary stationery and more)

Prodigal Daughter (Artisan Italian food)

Poesy (artisan pizza bases with poetry cards)

Deadline: 23 May

Book launches at The Children's Bookshop, Wellington

These three book launches are coming up soon at The Children's Bookshop - we hope to see some of you there. 

Tuesday 8th of April @ 6pm

Best Mates by Phiippa Werry, illustrated by Bob Kerr

An ANZAC story published by New Holland

Guest speaker Kirstie Ross – Curator,

 Modern New Zealand, Te Papa.

rsvp to books@thechildrensbookshop.co.nz

Wednesday April 9th @ 6pm

Mrs Mo’s Monster written and illustrated by Paul Beavis

 

Published by Gecko Press

Join us to welcome Paul, a new author/illustrator 

who has shifted here from the UK  recently with his 

New Zealand partner.

rsvp to books@thechildrensbookshop.co.nz

Thursday 24th April @6pm

The Red Suitcase by Jill Harris

Published by Makaro Press

Jill is the author of Sil (NZ Post Honour Award 2006), Missing Toby and At The Lake.

rsvp to books@thechildrensbookshop.co.nz

The Children's Bookshop

Shop 26 Kilbirnie Plaza
Kilbirnie
Wellington 6022

The New Zealand Festival Writers Week

The New Zealand Festival Writers Week programme (Fri 7 - Wed 12 March) has just been released. It is crammed full of wonderful  talks and sessions - and it's the best Writers Week for years for anyone interested in books (both writing and illustrating) for children and young adults.

This session is top of my list:

Sat 8 March 12.15pm: An hour with much-loved local author Jack Lasenby, in conversation with Kate De Goldi. Jack Lasenby is the patron of the WCBA and it would be great to see lots of WCBA members there. But it's on at the Hannah Playhouse which is not a big venue and tickets have been on sale for some time, so you might need to be quick to get in.

If you are wondering what else to choose, here are a few more suggestions (Sunday in particular looks like a busy day):

Sun 9 March 9.15am: Creating readers - results of a survey of 7,000 young readers about their reading habits, by Kids Lit Quiz creator Wayne Mills and early childhood specialist Celeste Harrington

Sun 9 March 10.45am: Kei reira nga weriweri: Learn to read a classic picture book (Where the wild things are) in te reo Maori.

Sun 9 March 12.15pm: An hour with Swedish writer Ulf Stark, in conversation with his translator and publisher in New Zealand, Julia Marshall of Gecko Press.

Sun 9 March 3.15pm: The man that books built - an hour with Francis Spufford, author of The child that books built, in conversation with Kate De Goldi. (Spufford also appears in another session on Sat 8 March at 12.15pm: Having faith in the 21st century.)

Sun 9 March 6pm: an invitation from Gecko Press to the launch of Mary McCallum's first novel for children, Dappled Annie and the Tigrish, at St James Theatre

Mon 10 March 9.15am: Ideas that go bang! - an hour with Belgian illustrator and writer Leo Timmers, in conversation with Simon Waterfield, award-winning designer for Learning Media

Mon 10 March 10.45am: Comicsville - this session includes cartoonist, writer and illustrator Dylan Horrocks.

Mon 10 March 12.15pm: Idea + design + text = ? with Aleksandra and Daniel Mizielinksy (who produced the brilliant H.O.U.S.E. and D.E.S.I.G.N. books.)

Mon 10 March 4.45pm NZ Book Council lecture by Eleanor Catton. However, if you do book this, be prepared to shove your way out of the crowds at the Embassy and sprint across town for:

Mon 10 March 6.15pm 2014 Janet Frame Memorial Lecture by Gavin Bishop. This is an annual literary "state of the nation" speech sponsored by the NZSA and given by the NZSA President of Honour. This year, Gavin proposes to focus on "the value and standing of children's literature and of illustration." (Gavin's talk is second on my list.)

Wed 12 March 4.45pm: Letting the ghosts in - an hour with Elizabeth Knox, in conversation with Steven Gale

And for some lucky illustrators, there are two workshops:

Live drawing with Leo Timmers, Mon 10 March 2pm (2 hrs; $45)

Icons, symbols and illustration (with the Mizielinksys), Wed 12 March 9.30am (2 hrs; $45)

Most sessions are $18 (some are more) which means you have to pick and choose carefully, but there is also free stuff:

Big ideas for breakfast, from 7.45am on Mon 10 - Wed 12 March at the Jimmy Cafe and Bar, St James Theatre. (Free except for the price of an early morning coffee.)

The Curioseum: stories read by Joy Cowley, Kyle Mewburn, Jo Randerson, Dave Armstrong, Antonio Te Maioha and Elizabeth Knox at Te Papa, Sat 8 March 20pm in Te Marae

And there is plenty, plenty more - get hold of a copy of the programme or look it up online and try and get along to some of these sessions. It would be great for the Writers Week organisers to see how much we appreciate having talks in there that are directed at members of the children's writing and illustrating community.

Jack Lasenby Award results

The WCBA is delighted to announce the results of the 2013 Jack Lasenby Award.


Winner: 'A choice to make' by Ben Espiner

Highly commended:

'Bird flyers' by Emma-Kate Coleman

'The old man' by Eva Albiston

'In the garden' by Ella Underhill

'Luna' by Niamh Vaughan and 'Rocky' by Mia Yule


We thank judge Eirlys Hunter. Her judge's report is here.