Dim's Write Stuff

October marks a myriad of mental health milestones. And while the swirl of acronyms and dates, hashtags and headlines may set your mind tumbling into confusion, take heart in the solid certainty that now, more than ever before, the acknowledgement of and support for people in mental distress and decline is growing. And that is a good thing, too great to measure. Why? Because it allows people to recognise, accept and most importantly, REACH OUT for help when  they need it most rather than live in quiet shame and agony. This is an admission I myself am slowly coming to realise, as well... How though does this all relate to my advocacy to create Kids' Lit with heart, soul and purpose? Well,  occasions like: OCD Awareness Week, Mental Health Month , Disability Awareness month to name but a few, all serve as avenues for sufferers of mental illness or those whose peers and or family are afflicted with mental disorders and conditions, to explore and learn more. In short to become...

Forever. A notion that suggests everlasting, enduring conditions or effects. But haven't we been told that nothing is forever? Be that as it may, the good folk at Forevability ably headed by Tabitha Page believe that sustaining hope for those whose forever-afters may appear more bleak than others is something worth pursuing.  Their mission is to: support, understand, empower and teach by offering people with various health conditions, disabilities and mental disorders a veritable library of hope beautifully encased in a huge (and growing) collection of children's books. The titles range from picture books, early readers, middle grade fiction and young adult fiction. There are even a few cross over 18+ selections. Each genre is subdivided into subject areas that address certain conditions: mental health, disabilities, own voice, grief, medical procedures, anxiety and so on. The titles are carefully curated to match the subject area and offer visitors an amazing cross section o...

The last month or more has been a flurry of Facebook posts, well intended emails and quite a bit of self-trumpeting all with the soul purpose of making Flick's introduction into the world of children's stories as smooth, memorable and meaningful as possible. Who is Flick you ask? She is the little girl who ' lives beneath the beech woods at the end of Holyrood Lan e', and the life and soul of my latest picture book with Nicky Johnston, At The End of Holyrood Lane - in case you live a fabulously social media free life and missed everything. Photo courtesy of Sandy Pages Noosa Bookshop In the publishing world, one has very limited time to spin hay into gold, so whilst the sun shone, Flick and I took our story to the road. Signing books for adoring book lovers (granted some had no choice but to come in out of the filthy weather - thank you Mother Nature) made me realise though, that no number of endorsements or promises to instill hope could match real life stories....

Feeling unsafe in your own home is a bleak reality for many children, with family violence putting kids at risk of psychological as well as physical harm. Writing a picture book addressing this repugnant social issue is therefore no light matter. That so many in the industries of child welfare, psycho-education and counselling have gainfully supported and applauded this story, is almost something I cannot comprehend. Over the next few weeks, preceding the launch of my new picture book, At The End of Holyrood Lane , I hope to highlight some of the touching sentiments given so generously by those dealing with the fall out of domestic violence on the front line. Here is the first from the woman who inspired Flick's story, Deirdre Hanna . Paradise Kids has helped heal the heartache of children’s grief for over 20 years. Many children coming to Paradise Kids have experienced the trauma and loss of innocence of childhood from domestic violence. Children feel helpless in th...

Families matter. So much. Family might be one singular special person, an unrelated confidant, or a tribe of mismatched siblings but they all matter because they are the ones that are always there for you, listening, disagreeing, rescuing, upbraiding, loving. Caring. This week is National Families Week . I was almost too busy keeping the wheels spinning on my family wagon to notice. But here it is, 'celebrating the vital role that families play' . You can find out more about getting involved, here . Early Childhood Australia is one of the many wonderful organisations advocating stronger families through strong communities. I'm delighted to see that The Fix-It Man is listed by the ECA as one of their ' recommended quality-assured resources '. It truly does warm the cockles of my heart knowing this story, with its subtle sensitive message of hope, is reaching out and touching the hearts of others. Illustration by Nicky Johnston

As weeks slip away into months I want to share one last session round up from my time in Singapore at the Asian Festival of Children's Content . It is the session I was asked to present on Bibliotherapy as part of the Writer's and Illustrator's Conference . My objective was to: Explore the value of creating bibliotherapy themed diverse picture books (PBS) and debate their usefulness in combating various social issues affecting children. To discuss what works, what doesn't and why. This sounds straight forward enough but past experience has shown me that when you add the word therapy to anything relating to Kids' Lit, it has an immediate polarising effect; people either love the term and what it infers or they are vehemently against its implications. So what exactly is Bibliotherapy and its implications? Melissa Tan's impression of my session - she tells me, she was too involved in the topic to illustrate profusely. I first introduced delegates t...