On a night slightly too early to be considered as midyear, SCBWI SA members met at the British Hotel in late April with high hopes for a mouthwatering meal and conversation centred around creating.
And we met on this date because we simply couldn’t allow the opportunity of hearing Sue Whiting speak pass by while she was in little ol’ Adelaide for a Creative Time Residential Fellowship with May Gibbs Children’s Literature Trust.
Being the consummate professional, Sue took technical hitches in her stride and employed her retired ‘teacher voice’ to share snippets of wisdom and a selection of stories to a room full of enraptured ears.
Conversations followed during dinner with many comments made in relation to Sue’s journey to publication of Beware the Deep Dark Forest. Members became even more aware of the need to believe in their work as Sue did and to hold ever so tight onto hope through numerous pitfalls and seemingly endless setbacks. And Sue’s unwavering determination paid off - with a place on the longlist for the CBCA Book of the Year awards in February.
The obligatory group photo - left a lttle late. *Sincere apologies from the photographer to those not appearing above.
Thank you, Sue, on behalf of SCBWI SA.