Exhibition Tour with Stephanie Owen Reeder

There is always something new to discover at the National Library of Australia's (NLA) Story Time exhibition.

Today Stephanie Owen Reeder, author of Story Time Stars, guided members of The Society of Children's Book Writers and Illustrators (SCBWI) though the exhibition. She picked a selection of exhibits that would give writers and illustrators insights into the process in creating books.

To being the tour Stephanie showed us the first Australian children's book, A Mother's Offering to her Children, written by Charlotte Waring Atkinson. 

Charlotte is the 4th-great grandmother of authors Kate Forsyth and Belinda Murrell. At a recent book talk Kate revealed that even family members cannot handle this book due to its fragility. However it can be viewed as an online version.

Exhibition: Story Time: Australian Children's Literature

Last night's opening exhibition crowd deemed the new National Library of Australia exhibition, Story Time: Australian Children's Literature, presented in association with the National Centre for Australian Children's Literature, a huge success. 

They were a buzz with excitement and even squealed with delight as each new story was discovered on the walls and in the display cases. 

I guarantee that book lovers of all ages will adore this new exhibition, as it takes you on a journey down memory lane. 

Remember your childhood favourites; Seven Little Australians, Snugglepot and Cuddlepie,  Mary Poppins and Blinky Bill.

Rediscover books from your children's childhood: Possum Magic, Koala Lou, Animalia, Max, The Hidden Forrest and The Arrival.

Or discover some newer childhood favourites: Where is the Green Sheep?, Dinosaurs Love Cheese and The 65-Story Treehouse.

CBCA 2019 Book of the Year Awards Winners

Today in Canberra we celebrated the 2019 CBCA Book of the Year Award at the National Library of Australia. 

What I love about this event is the opportunity to celebrate children's literature and to catch up with my tribe. 

Before the announcement of the winners, the audience was entertained by two talented group of students. 

Students from St Bede's Primary School, Braidwood, performed a voice and action montage showing how Reading is Our Secret Power. The students had the powers of strength, flexibility, speed but most importantly reading. With the secret power of reading they said, 'We can do anything with the power of reading.'  

The second performance was by students from Canberra Girls Grammar School, who retold the story of Noni The Pony Rescues a Joey by Alison Lester, using a great set of face masks.

March Book Launches

On Saturday, 24 March 2019, I attended the book launch for Grandma's treasured shoes, created by Coral Vass and Christina Huynh and published by the National Library of Australia.

Coral has masterfully told a story about shoes while sensitivity revealing the story of a refugee family. Shoes can tell remarkable tales about someone's life; 

Dance in the dark shoes, 

worn and torn shoes, 

escaping shoes, 

school shoes,

and dancing dress shoes.

(shoes types from Grandma's treasured shoes) 

As Christina first picture book illustrations are heartfelt, as it intertwines her own family's story of coming to Australia from Vietnam. We were honoured that she shared treasured items that her family carried on their journey across the sea to Australia.  

Congratulations so Susan Hall and all of the NLA Publishing Team on the publication of another story that shares the past and present stories that shape the nation of Australia. 

CBCA ACT Event for the CBCA 2018 Book of The Year Awards

Congratulations to all of the winners of the CBCA 2018 Book of The Year Awards.

The CBCA ACT Branch hosted a wonderful event at the National Library of Australia.

The audience was entertained by two schools. St Bede's Primary School from Braidwood gave a performance that expressed this year's theme 'Find Your Treasure' so eloquently. They preformed  what they treasured from the traditional idea of pirate's treasure to animals, plants, friends and family.

The second school, Canberra Girls Grammar School, preformed the story The Very Noisy Baby by Alison Lester. This story was named as Honour Book for the  Early Childhood category.

After the exciting announcements everyone had the chance to chat to Canberra Authors and have their book signed.

Canberra Authors who were at the event were: Emma Allen, Pauline Deeves, Tracey Hawkins, Harry Laing, Kerry Malone, Tania McCartney, Gina Newton, Stephanie Owen Reeder , Maura Pierlot, Devon Sillett, Cate Whittle and Shelly Unwin

Photo Gallery of the Event:

National Library of Australia Open Day

There were crowds of people at the National Library of Australia today for their annual Open Day.

On the way into the library I bumped into the author of You can do it Joey, Kerry Malone who had gone to listen to Holly Bidwell tell and preform her amazing stories.

I met up with Tania McCartney and we were both delighted to be introduced to Ron Brooks, award winning author and illustrator. Ron had given two workshops earlier in the morning, coming to Canberra for a day trip all the way from his home in Huon Valley, Tasmania. Unfortunately I was not at the library early enough to participate in Ron's workshops. As an aspiring illustrator I'm sure I would have learnt a great deal from these workshops instead will have to study some of my favourite Ron Brooks illustrated books; John Brown, Rose and the Midnight Cat written by Jenny Wagner and two books written by Margaret Wild, Old Pig and Fox.

As part of the open day Tania McCartney read her new story The Gum Family Finds Home, illustrated by Christian Booth. This is the first time that Tania has read this story to children. They gathered around the storyteller's chair, sitting on sea of cushions, balloons in hand (the occasional one escaping - the balloons that is). The children were very engaged and one gorgeous little munchkin was ready to give Tania an answer for all of her questions. Yes he was from Tasmania (No but his mum was). Koalas needed gum trees to eat gum leaves from and not gum nuts.

Canberra Children's Illustrators March Coffee and Pictures

To meet, share and chat is an opportunity that is too precious to miss. It warms my heart that people keep coming to each meeting.

I know that everyone who wants to come can't always attend because somehow the rest of life manages to get in the way. But when you are able to get together it is special.

These meeting's are scheduled a bit randomly. We try to get together at least once a school term, while trying to work around many other literary events on the calendar.



This month we met at Bookplate at the National Library of Australia. We talked about all things illustration. We discussed: painting techniques, pencils, parchment paper, the brand of watercolours we use, light pads, mechanical pencils, sculpey modelling clay, pens and copic markers.

Danielle has been on the book launch trail.
Jess is busy making clothes.
Kelly and I are loving Nina Rycroft's Picture Book Illustration eCourse.
Tania showed us some of her botanical illustrations, just divine! You can find Tania's illustrations on her Facebook page.
Catherine is working her way through the Character Design Weekly Challenge themes.
Stephanie gave us a seek peek at a map she is drawing for an upcoming book.
Suzy showed us some beautiful small illustrations that are reflecting her stages of pregnancy.
Genevieve is busy with William Brambleyberry, her beautiful family and growing baby number two.

Everyone that came received a two page list of upcoming booky events in the Canberra region. This list also included some online courses, plus a couple of illustration competitions people might be interested. See the list at the bottom of this blog for more information. 

NEXT MEETING:

We discussed the next meeting and thought a trip to the Australian National Botanic Gardens might be a lovely location, plus we could do some sketching of plants while we are there. At the May meeting we will chat over coffee for the first hour and then wonder along some of the pathways and sketch for the other hour. As usual children are welcome.

Canberra Children's Illustrators Coffee Pictures & Sketching
Date: Saturday 12 May 2018 (please note date change as the Sunday is Mother's Day)
Time: 2 - 4pm
Location:  Pollen located at the Australian National Botanic Gardens, Clunies Ross St, Acton ACT
RSVP: Please message me for numbers

Painting By Numbers

David Stuart

I always thought that painting by numbers was a commercial way to help non-artists paint.

I was wrong, totally wrong. I came to this realisation as I listened to David Stuart, former Australian Ambassador to Austria, talk about Ferdinand Lukas Bauer at the National Library of Australia on 20 October 2017.

Around the time of this talk I was mixing my own paints and unintentionally giving them numbers. I used these mixed  watercolours for my illustrations and then used the numbers to help me create hand painted copies of my own work.

Ferdinand Lukas Bauer.
Ferdinand was born in Feldsberg, Austria in 1760 and died in Vienna in 1826.

I found it intriguing how his life was touched by botany and art time and time again. Maybe this is because I find myself drawn again and again to Australian botanical watercolour artists; Dorothy English Paty  and Cheryl Hodges. It might also be the influence of  Australian writer and illustrator May Gibbs on my childhood and shadowing me and my aspirations to be a children's book author and illustrator. Or it could even be my own love of botany from 10 years of running a Landcare group and identifying native flowers on people's properties.

Writing, Book Lists and The Life to Come

It is always exciting to go to author talks but even better when you discover a 'new' author.

Why?

1. A new reading list. Upon attending a 'new' author talk you leave with  not only their latest book but also a back-list of novels to read.
2. You discover new worlds that this author creates.
3. You learn how this author writes their books - a mini master class.
4. With a  'new' author to follow you get a new book to add to your bedside table reading pile every one to two years.

A 'new' author.
The National Library of Australia (NLA) has given me a 'new' author to explore,
Michelle de Kretser, a Miles Franklin Literary Award winner.

A New Reading List

Michelle de Kretser's new release book featured in the NLA author talk
The Life to Come

My new reading list will also include the following books;
The Rose Grower
The Hamilton Case
The Lost Dog
Questions of Travel
Springtime

Diverse Landscapes That Feed Us: Call of the Reed Warbler

What's your interest the rural landscape and farming?

Everyone has a connection to farming via the food that we eat. It is important to be informed about what happens in our landscape and how our food is grown.     

The Reed Warbler called and the National Library of Australia (NLA) theatre filled with people who are interested in their role within the landscape. We gathered to listen to Charles Massy talk about his new book, Call of the Reed Warbler.

We have experienced dust storms in summer. We have heard about the need to plant trees and preserve our wildlife and wilderness. We have heard about how traditional methods of farming have contributed to the degradation of our landscape. We hear about genetically modified food but could our farming practices be impacting our health?

Degradation of Landscapes.
In the early 1980s my family bought land in the Cooma region as a weekend get away. We inherited a degraded landscape. Our hobby farm was a landscape of steep hills, mostly treeless plus some flatter 'farming' land. Walking across the landscape there were noxious weeds growing, introduced pasture grasses, erosion gullies deeper than four metres in some places and a few rabbit warrens.

Susie Beaver: gallery owner and inspirational role model

On a cold winter's Sunday, in July, an audience of over 50 people came to the National Library of Australia to hear a winter's tale from Susie Beaver, co-owner of Beaver Galleries in Deakin.

Susie Beaver is descended from a long line of  family members that have left their mark on Australian history and culture.

Susie's maternal third great-grandfather, Alfred Barker was a seaman on the ship Rapid that arrived at Nepean Bay, Kangaroo Island in 1836. He later became a cattle and sheep farmer in South Australia. Alfred Barker married Priscilla Chambers in 1842, she arrived in Australia on the John Renwick in 1837 to Holdfast Bay, Adelaide. Priscilla's contribution to the St Andrew's School in Walkerville, SA was recognised with a room being named after her in 1901, for more information see here.

One of the many inspirational women in Susie's family was her second great grandmother, Sophie Jane Brown nee Torr, who married Alfred Edward Barker. Sophie is most notably known in the family, for giving birth to around 16 children and then continuing to grow the family further by fostering and adopting orphans.

Artists their Stunners and Love: Beauty in Thorns

Art, poetry, love, beauty, dreams, betrayal, pain and fairy tales are all included in Kate Forsyth's new book, Beauty in Thorns. Kate's Canberra book launch was held at the National Library of Australia (NLA) on 20 July 2017, for the audio and transcript of the talk see here.

I love the stories that Kate Forsyth brings to readers; 

• Eight years ago Kate's series The Witches of Eileanan and Rhiannon's Ride were there to sweep me away to a fantasy world when I was very sick. 
• As a children's librarian I loved reading the adventures of two Romany children in the series The Chain of Charms. 
• Later I soaked up the stories that are linked to fairy tales; The Wild Girl, Bitter Greens and The Beast's Garden.

I first met Kate at an event in Canberra for the launch of her first children's picture book Grumpy Grandpa and was impressed with her gentleness and passion. It is this passion, gentleness and strength that comes to the fore in how Kate writes, researches and how she connects with her fans.

I wish I could read Japanese: Literature Themes of Melodrama in Meiji Japan

I wish that I could read a language other than English, especially Japanese, since visiting the  Melodrama in Meiji Japan exhibition at the National Library of Australia. The exhibition is open until 27 August 2017.

I never thought about the specific content of the books that would be in the exhibition. I was planning to see the exhibition to view the beautiful images, kuchi-e, made from woodblock prints. I went to the May talk by Gary Hickey, curator and scholar of Japanese art, to find out more about the pictures in the exhibition. See here to listen to this talk. 

While viewing the art and reading the information on the section and object labels, located next to the artworks I realised that I was becoming interested in the content of the books. As a aspiring writer and a veracious reader of fantasy, mythology, historical fiction and romance that many of the themes of the kuchi-e and their books intrigued me. 

Why do some artists produce work sporadically?

Card and Envelope
Gigantic Lilly (Doryanthes excelsa), Newcastle, 6 Nov 1835

Ever wondered about the number of works that a female artist produces?

This thought struck me during a recent talk by Treasurers Curator, Nat Williams at the National Library of Australia (NLA), Life and Death - Dorothy English Paty's Newcastle. 

So how many works do artists produce? 
Some artists create works daily, called by their creative need to create continuously. While other artists create sporadically or they express their artistic ability creating less traditional productions.

I wonder if the amount of work that an artist produces and whether we consider ourselves artists could be directly linked to our artistic pursuits towards the end of our high school education? Maybe at this point of our artistic endeavours we could be categorised into three main groups of artistic pursuits. 

1. You were discouraged to pursue your art interest at school beyond year 10 and were told to pick something else as 'Art is not a real subject.'  
2. You studied art for your High School Certificate but followed other pursuits after school.
3. You continued your artistic pursuits well beyond your school years.

If you categorise yourself in groups one and two you have probably dipped in and out of your artistic pursuits, letting less traditional artistic productions be the expression of your creativity.

Trove for Research

Shannon - NLA Newspapers and Family History

At a SCBWI event last month author Stephanie Owen-Reeder mentioned that she often uses Trove and newspapers to research information for her children's books. Coincidentally earlier on the same day I attended a session at the National Library of Australia (NLA) about using Trove for Family Research.

What kinds of things can be searched using Trove?

• Australian Newspapers 1803 - 1954 (except the Canberra Times, up to 1995)
• Government Gazettes
• NSW 1832-2001
• Commonwealth 1901-2011
• Books
• Journals
• Images
• Maps
• Diary and letter archives
• Music, sound and videos
• Websites
• People and organisations

Book Launch: Ten Cities Ten Poets

Cities: Ten Cities Ten Poets anthology was launched at the National Library of Australia Bookshop last night. We gathered in the intimate space between the shelves and when you closed your eyes and listened to the poets read, you were transported to another location, another time and another city.

Cities: Ten Cities Ten Poets is 'not just a collection of poetry is has been produced out of practice or a response to a topic or event' says, Shane Strange. Shane described the book as a creation of poems about 'ten cities, by ten poets, with ten different points of view.'. 

This new anthology from Recent Work Press (other titles from this publisher can also be purchased though the NLA Bookshop) was born from of a discussion between two of the book's poets, Paul Hetherington and Shane Strange, during a car journey to Bungendore, NSW. 

Shane Strange

 

Paul Hetherington

Melinda Smith

Melinda Smith describes this book as a 'fascinating journey' that allows the readers to 'Capture a glimpse of a city through tiny moments in time.' She explored the idea that when we visit cities we have a view about the city from our own viewpoint and then when we revisit a city many years later the city has changed and so have we, Melinda says, 'cities mark us.' 

Rediscovering Hans Heysen

The smell of pine and beeswax floats upon the air as he steps into the front entry of his grandparent’s home. The clinking of tea cups on saucers and voices from a robust discussion spills from the lounge room doorway. Upon entering the room his senses are further awakened by the smell of beautiful coffee and the sight of a table overflowing with home cakes and biscuits. The room is filled with visitors that have come especially to see grandfather and partake in grandmother’s afternoon tea. This image was created in my mind by Chris Heysen’s fond recollections about his grandfather Hans Heysen, his extended family and the family home, ‘The Cedars’ near Hahndorf, South Australia.

Appropriately it was a lovely autumn afternoon when more than 50 people gathered in a conference room at the National Library of Australia to partake in a discussion about the famous German born South Australian artist Hans Heysen and his daughter Nora Heysen.