Dear SCBWI (VIC) members
The wintry weather is slowly approaching but we warmed up at SCBWI Vic’s second official gathering of the year in the performance space, ‘Library at the Dock’ in Melbourne on Saturday, 16 May.
We were delighted to welcome lots of new members and see friendly familiar faces. Our attendee numbers were at maximum capacity which created a lovely vibe.
The afternoon commenced with a warm welcome and run down of the afternoon’s program from our ever hardworking and welcoming Victorian ARA, Caz Goodwin.
This was followed by a heartfelt tribute by author Claire Saxby on the passing of a wonderful person and talented poet and author, Lorraine Joy Marwood. Lorraine was a much-loved person and made an outstanding contribution to the children’s book world and industry. No doubt Lorainne’s words and stories will continue to shine and delight.
Our popular ‘Show & Tell’ segment followed and you can see how many fabulous members shared their latest book release or award or other bookish news. Congratulations to everyone!
Our first member speaker was award-winning illustrator Prue Pittock who spoke about her creative journey which began in advertising before moving into album cover design. Prue focussed on how she got started illustrating her first book when she was straight out of art school and how it took her many years to return to her love of illustrating stories for kids. One of the key points I took away from Prue’s talk was the importance of observing what she was up against when comparing her work to that of her peers, and how it helped her to continue to develop and improve her style. There was time for Q&A with Prue which was much appreciated.
Next, we heard from member speaker, illustrator/author Sarah Zweck. Sarah discussed her personal journey from working as a childrenswear designer in London before embarking on a career in illustration. Sarah spoke about her studio, her use of traditional media and how she loves creating loose lines, and how she finds rhythm in working in the moment. Her work is often centred on helping young readers interact with the world around them.
We then enjoyed afternoon tea in the Activity Room downstairs. There was plenty of time for people to catch up, network, meet new members and enjoy a tea or coffee with a delicious cannoli or croissant.
Once back in the performance space, we settled in to listen to our guest speaker, Susannah Chambers, publisher at Albert Street Books, an imprint of Allen & Unwin. Albert Street has a keen commercial focus, with a vision to publish books for babies to 12-year-olds that are warm and charming, funny, and friendly, and easy to sell, to buy, and to love. Susannah shared some of the things she has learned about publishing commercial children's books since beginning the Albert Street imprint six years ago. Can you make really good books that appeal to the commercial market? Who is buying books in Australia, and where are they buying them? Is it worth chasing trends? And what are Albert Street and A&U looking for?
I’m sure everyone got a lot out of Susannah’s talk which was honest, real, insightful, and generous. There was time for Q&A which added to the depth of information shared already.
To finish of our event, Susannah dipped into a special helmet provided by Judy Watson and drew two lucky door prize winners who each won a fabulous book by Prue Pittock or Sarah Zweck.
Thank you again to our wonderful and generous speakers Susannah Chambers, Sarah Zweck and Prue Pittock. We always learn so much from every gathering and leave feeling inspired.
Susannah Chambers, Sarah Zweck, Prue Pittock
And thank you to our SCBWI Vic Team, Caz Goodwin, Amy Adeney, Judy Watson, and me (Kaye Baillie) and a big thanks to everyone who joined us to make it a special afternoon. Mark your diaries for our next event on September 5 which will be another stimulating gathering at Docklands. Stay tuned for details!
Amy Adeney, Judy Watson, Kaye Baillie, Caz Goodwin