Dim's Write Stuff

Occasionally I'll attend a writing workshop or seminar that is so absorbing or entertaining, I completely neglect to record it visually. Nette Hilton' s weekend workshop on Picture Books and Junior Fiction hosted by Book Links QLD and its children's writing arm, Write Links , was both these things and more. Nette Hilton , fellow poultry enthusiast and lover of storytelling, is a proflic writer of children's fiction ; many of her award winning works deemed as classics in children's literature such as , A Proper Little Lady and The Web - both favourites in this house. More recent titles include the popular, S mallest Bilby Easters picture book series and the hilarious First Adventures of Princess Peony . * A former teacher, Nette has worked with some of the most notable illustrators and publishing houses in Australia but by her own admission was a complete novice when it came to the world of publishing and storytelling. She only knew she enjoyed shari...

For those of you who are not familiar with Dark Emu , this younger reader rendition by Bruce Pascoe will soon bring you up to speed. Young Dark Emu: A Truer History not only depicts Australia’s pre-European colonisation, it gently prompts school-aged readers to consider a different version of this history. It’s a common, long-held (mis)conception that Aboriginal Australians were a nomadic people living serendipitous lives at the mercy of the land and its inhospitable climate; views that often equate to an uncivilised, lowly race incapable of sustaining long term civilisation. It turns out, nothing could be further from the truth. Using documented, personal eyewitness accounts secured from the records and diaries of the first European explorers and settlers, Pascoe reveals the true nature of Australia’s Indigenous occupants. It’s a fair dinkum coin flip for this information documents the numerous ingenious ways Aboriginals not only harnessed the best qualities of the land ...

Fellow Speed Launchers, Kelly Hibbert, Aleesah Darlinson and Christina Booth As part of the recent spectacle that was the SCBWI Sydney 2019 Conference , I was fortunate enough to be part of a crackerjack collection of creatives involved in what was billed as ' a celebration of books' at The Children's Bookshop in Beecroft but quickly became known as 'a speed launch event'. What is a speed launch? Quite simply, it's less a than handful of minutes which said author has at her disposal to extol the many wonders of her latest picture book publication, wax lyrical about its glorious marriage of art and words, regale listeners with the story behind the story, and tease them into loving the characters so much you have them begging for a signed copy before you've even paused for breath. Phew! It's no mean feat delivering all that in three short minutes. Yes, that's the average amount of time allowed to effectively pitch your wares despite it taki...

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...

A picture is worth a thousand words. Seeing as we are already well and truly on the home run to Christmas, and I've more than likely used up my thousand word quota on the preceding months, looks like you're going have to make do with this collection of pics to bring you up to speed on Dimity Powell - children's autho r (aka Dimity Powell - a fully self-funded, not for profit organisation). Scroll to your heart's content. Laugh out loud if you want. I won't hear it. Feel free to comment on the superb quality,composition and stunning content of the shots. Or not. Be thankful that I don't post copious, catch-up, look-what-I-did posts more frequently. (insert chubby cheeked smiley face). And so, the story thus far: The Beginning (Feb - March) Joined the welcoming fold of  the Society of Children's Book Writers and Illustrators Went for the stimulating presentations and support... ...like Peter Allert, stayed for the eats. Visited a galaxy ...