Dinner with Virginia Lowe

‘Stories, Pictures and Reality:Two Children Tell’ studies children's perceptions of reality and imagination in the context of the written and pictured text. It uses a detailed case study of a boy and a girl from infancy to eight. Dr Virginia Lowe, from Australia, an English and Creative Writing Lecturer, author and manuscript assessor, speaks about her findings.
Dinner with Virginia Lowe
Monday 30th June, 7pm- The Parade Cafe; upstairs function room, Oriental Parade, Wellington. Numbers limited, $40 per head; includes main,dessert and tea/coffee
e-mail the.wcba@gmail.com to book.

Something to get you started

Joy Cowley – Getting Started as a Children’s Book Author
Interested in writing for children? Award-winning children’s book writer Joy Cowley will talk about what’s involved, how to get started, where to send work off to, having an agent, the role of the Bologna Children’s Book Fair, what some current gaps in the market are, and much more.

Upper Chamber, Arts Centre, 61-69 Abel Smith Street, Monday, 25 August, 7.30 pm

AGM & MORE

Here's the the AGM details for the WCBA and also a dinner evening planned for the end of the month. If you click on the image, it will enlarge in another window. Print it off, put it on your fridge, make a diary date and we'll see you there. All welcome.

Children's Writers & Illustrators Conference 2009

Expressions of interest are being sought, by us, for a proposed Children’s Writers and Illustrators Conference to be held in Wellington 2009.

We are proposing to host a conference for New Zealand Children’s Writers and Illustrators and the wider Children’s Literature community in 2009.

History
In the mid 90s three hui for children’s writers and illustrators were held, the first at Joy Cowley’s home in the Marlborough Sounds and then in Wellington. Up to 50 writers and illustrators attended each one. From the first, organized by Joy, the late Gaelyn Gordon and Tessa Duder, came the idea of the Storylines Festival of New Zealand Children’s Writers and Illustrators, now in its 15th year. Storylines ran Writers’ Hui in Auckland in 2006 and 2008, and will be pleased to support the proposed 2009 conference in Wellington, along with others in the children’s literature community including Kate de Goldi and John McIntyre (The Children’s Book Shop).

What We Propose for September 2009
A two day residential conference, consisting of Keynote speakers, panel discussions, workshops and an informal chance to meet others in the industry.

What would YOU like us to offer?
This is your chance to tell us what topics you would like to see covered!
Ideas so far... tax, contracts, master-classes, promotion....
What would you like to do or learn? Let US know!
Are you available to present a workshop, be on a panel, (drink wine)?
Would you like to sponsor something, have a stand or promotion, do business, at the conference? Tell us if you would like to meet other Authors, Illustrators, Editors, Publishers, Agents, Booksellers, in the Children’s Literature community.

Email us at: the.wcba@gmail.com
With YOUR ideas, and proposed attendance, at the conference, by the end of July 2008.

Or write to us at:
Conference
Wellington Children’s Book Association
P.O.BOX 1242, Wellington

This would help us to plan, and apply for funding, to give you the conference YOU deserve.
We look forward to hearing from you,

The committee of the WCBA.

Child's Play: Performing the School Journal

Sarah Delahunty's First Gear Productions performs a set of stories adapted from the book "A Nest of Singing Birds: 100 Years of the School Journal", written by Greg O'Brien. More than a dozen stories have been shaped into a performance by leading children’s playwright and director Sarah Delahunty and a cast of talented teenagers. The stories to be performed include: “The Summit” by Sir Edmund Hillary, “The Lion in the Meadow” by Margaret Mahy and “Wobbling” by Witi Ihimaera.

Together, the performances are called “Child’s Play: Performing the School Journal”. The show will be introduced by Gregory O’Brien and Learning Media are kindly donating sets of ten postcards, featuring School Journal covers from the past 100 years, as a gift for each audience member.

Entry is koha but bookings are advised. To book, please email reception@bookcouncil.org.nz with the words “Child’s Play” in the subject line. Be sure to include your full name, contact details and the number of tickets you want.

When: Wednesday 4 June, 7 – 8pm (Café L’Affare coffee available from 6.30pm)
Where: National Library Auditorium, Aitken Street, Thorndon

Many thanks to Pelorus Trust, the National Library of New Zealand and Learning Media for supporting this event.

ANZAC Day Bookcrossing

To commemorate ANZAC day, the WBCA have distributed 5 specially marked copies of the children's book Papa's Island by Nelson author Melanie Drewery, illustrated by Wellington based artist, Fifi Colston.

Somes/Matiu Island in Wellington Harbour was used as a prisoner of war camp for 'Alien Enemies' during the 1st and 2nd World Wars. Papa's Island tells the story of a girl whose Italian father was taken away- and she struggles with understanding 'why?'

We left one on the Dom Post ferry that travels between Wellington and Eastbourne; and stops at Somes/Matiu Island, one in Lower Hutt, one at Island Bay Park in the War Memorial that is dedicated to U.S Submariners, one at the War Memorial in Buckle St and the last at Johnsonville Mall by the Coke machine. We hoped to cover 4 points of the compass this way.

You can check out their progress and perhaps release books into the wild yourself by going to http://www.bookcrossing.com/ . Its a fun thing to do and everyone benefits from the giving away of a book that might otherwise just linger on your bookshelf. Share it with the world at large!

Panel Speakers

Next Tuesday's event is promising to be a very interesting evening and you can expect some forthright views, so come armed with questions!
Our panel is comprised of:

A Bookseller: John McIntyre- The Childrens Bookshop Kilbirnie, and childrens book reviewer on Nine to Noon

An Editor (well two in fact): Katie Haworth from Mallinson Rendel Publishing who are of course the home of Hairy Maclary by Lynley Dodd and many award winning childrens books by David Hill, Fleur Beale and other wonderful New Zealand authors.
Plus Margaret Cahill from Learning Media, the educational book publishers so many New Zealand writers and illustrators have been launched from.

A Creative Writing Teacher: Fleur Beale, a Finalist in the NZ Post Childrens Book Awards this year (and many previously). Highly respected for her literary work, Fleur teaches and mentors aspiring writers.

Chair: Fifi Colston, writer, illustrator, Convenor of the WCBA and a judge in this years NZ Post Book Awards.