Crystal Kite award for Katrina Germein and Mandy Foot

Congratulations to author Katrina Germein on being awarded

Crystal Kite Award (Australia/New Zealand) for

Bev and Kev

illustrated by Mandy Foot

Bev and Kev is a early childhood picture book published by Little Book Press

April 2022

Bev is tall and Kev is small.
An unlikely pair!

Could this be the beginning of a very big friendship?
A heart-warming tale about learning to love yourself
and the value of a true friend.

2023 CBCA Early Childhood Shortlist

The annual Crystal Kite Award is a peer-given award to recognise great books from 15 SCBWI regional divisions around the world.

Congratulations to Katrina Germein and Mandy Foot!

Interviews and Overviews - Sydney Conference Vox Pop

The SCBWI Conference Blog would be but an empty flower pot if not for the commendable efforts of our Roving Reporters. Through their reports, images and carefully crafted thoughts, the blog has blossomed into a veritable jungle of facts, figures, writing advice, publishing know-how and illustrative wonder.

I hope you have enjoyed our coverage of the 2019 Australian NZ SCBWI Conference and maybe have even discovered a little nugget of information that will help your writing or illustrating careers germinate into something special. Please join me in thanking our fabulous team - the RRers!

Here’s what some of you had to say about your SCBWI Conference experience.

‘It’s great seeing firsthand that agents and publishers are real people’ Michelle

‘Being altogether’ Jo

‘The camaraderie and how approachable everyone is is phenomenal. The sessions really crystalise one’s knowledge’ Candice

‘Feeling the love and genuine sense of community from the crowd’ Katrin (read Yvonne’s full interivew with Katrin post her Illustrating Award win, here.)

‘I learned how to accept feedback and how important that is’ Giuseppe

‘The friendliness and open welcoming inclusive nature from everyone was great’ Maria

‘The constant reminder that nothing else matters except story - it’s all about story’ Serge

‘Memorable because of the all round friendliness and Julia Marshall’s advice in “celebrating the quiet”’ Emma

‘The amazing support from everybody throughout my near disaster episode of losing my portfolio - and then getting it back in the nick of time!’ Thea

‘Loved my first time illustrators’ showcase experience’ Bethany

‘Appreciated the immersion with kidlit themes and the intensity of the whole experience. Loved catching up with online friends in real life, too’ Elizabeth

‘The best thing was the collective wisdom’ Liane

‘I loved the vibe and energy and particularly, the Illustrator Duel!’ Jo

‘Loved my critique session with Mira Reisberg and her knowledge. Enjoyed meeting my online critique group IRL, too!’ Nicole

‘Loved Julia Marshall’s masterclass and her advice on marketing. Learned how to hone my writing skills so I can take control of my career’ Heather

For many, this summarised what the conference confirmed for us all -

‘That just as we are the masters of our own pens and paintbrushes, so too are we the captains of our own careers.’ Dimity

Till the next time I get to don my gardening gloves,

Rove ya later!

Dimity (Head Gardener)

www.dimitypowell.com

#SCBWISyd

Illustrations by Tania McCartney

Interview: Mira Reisberg Keynote Speaker SCBWI Sydney 2019 Conference

I was able to jump in and drag Mira away from her fans in between speaking sessions to have quick chat.

Mira loves Australia and the Australian sense of humour, the land, and the food, especially the tropical fruit and barramundi.

I cheekily asked her how to become her best friend.

“Getting to know her,” she said, “it would be important to understand that she is approachable, a perfectionist and has a warm personality.”

Illustration courtesy of Katrin Dreiling

In stories she prefers heart, humour or stories with a deeper meaning, but mostly books that resonate with children.

“READ EVERY BOOK TWICE”

She looks for books that would have helped her as a kid, and prefers stories that include many forms of diversity.

Hot tip for authors:

1. See if you can find a mentor

2. Read every book twice

3. Consider writing stories in an urban setting and graphic novels

Hot tip for illustrators:

1. Play

2. Use your non-dominant hand

3. Draw upside down

4. Explore new materials

5. Always look for the emotion and the heart in a story

When first receiving a manuscript for illustrating, Mira suggests that, when paginating the story, you note in the margin where the emotion is on each spread. Then she said to deepen the text by adding personal symbols and connecting the story to your own heritage.

Mira was passionate in her believe that authors can and should learn to illustrate and illustrators can and should learn to write.

“Everyone can write AND illustrate,” she said. “It is usually because someone has been told when they were a child that they weren’t good at it that they gave up, or they may have been held back exploring all their creative sides because there already is an established artist or author in the family.”

by Yvonne Mes

#SCBWISyd