Sunshine Coast Lighthouse Residency

Fancy a room of one’s own to work on a project? A room with a view? SCBWI QLD members have the remarkable opportunity to undertake a creative residency in a most unusual place - a lighthouse!

The Lighthouse

Caloundra is a beach holiday town situated at the southern end of the Sunshine Coast. It boasts two lighthouses, an historic 1896 structure and a 1965 signal tower. Both have been decommissioned but remain popular with local history buffs and tourists.

The signal room in the tower sports glorious 360° views to the Glasshouse Mountains, the Sunshine Coast Hinterland, Moreton Island, the Pacific, and long stretches of coastline to the north. The space includes everything a creator could need—inspirational views, solitude, a sturdy desk, a kettle, and a loo.

 The Residency

A creative residency provides a creator with dedicated time and space to work on a project of their choice. The change of scenery minimises mundane distractions while administering a tonic to boost creative flow. Most of all, a residency—the gift of space and time—affirms the artist and the importance of their work to the community. 

SCBWI QLD is grateful to the Sunshine Coast Council and the Friends of the Caloundra Lighthouses for making this opportunity possible and recognising the valuable work of the creators of children’s literature.

The Sunshine Coast Lighthouse Residents:

Kristy Bushnell an editor, bibliophile and mother to one sweet child. Based on the Sunshine Coast, she loves promoting children’s and young adult literature in school and public libraries. She is currently writing her first young adult verse novel while drinking copious amounts of tea.

Christine Cornwell has a background in medicine and law. She retired to Queensland in 2018 after 35 years in Canberra where her writing was confined to medical and legal reports. Retirement liberated a long dormant passion for writing but she is still trying to find her genre. Having tried fantasy and historical fiction she is currently working on her first middle grade novel – an adventure story set in the Sunshine Coast hinterland. 

Cindy Darabi is an emerging children’s author and illustrator from the small town of Maleny on the Sunshine Coast Hinterland. After almost two decades of telling stories for young people through performance and circus, Cindy is following the call deeper into the world of story via the written word. Cindy has written her first picture book and is currently working on a middle grade fiction featuring a resilient and feisty young female protagonist that she can't wait to explore in the lighthouse.

Caroline Magerl was born near Frankfurt in Germany and came to Australia when she was two. She lived on the yacht her family built until she was fourteen. In 2001 Caroline won the Children's Book Council of Australia (CBCA) Crichton Award for new talent in children's book illustration for her picture book Grandma's Shoes (written by Libby Hathorn). Since then she has been awarded two May Gibbs Fellowships and her latest picture book Nop was a CBCA honour book.

 Ali Stegert is focusing on advancing her writing career and building creative community After retiring from a rewarding career in school counselling and moving to the Sunshine Coast,. Her picture book Boogie Woogie Bird debuts in March 2022, and her middle grade historical-espionage-adventure The Remarkables will be published in 2023 by Chicken House Books. Ali is the ARA (assistant regional advisor) for SCBWI QLD.

Interview: Katrin Dreiling Winner HarperCollins Illustrator Showcase Award

I caught up with Katrin Dreiling the day after she received an illustration portfolio mentorship award with Lisa Berryman at HarperCollins.

Katrin with HaperCollin’s Lisa Berryman

How are you Katrin, you looked completely overwhelmed when hearing your name on the night.

I felt surprised, stunned and speechless at the time. But I do remember very clearly the cheering in the room, it was a beautiful feeling of community, I feel very grateful.

If you could have prepared a speech, what would you have included?

I would have thanked SCBWI and Lisa Berryman and the judges for their support. I would have thanked my friends and colleagues for their never-ending support. And I would have thanked my family and especially my husband for their support and last but not least, I would have loved to thank the printroomeditions’ Jon and Stella who printed my Portfolio.

What was your favourite moment of the conference (apart from the portfolio win):

I had so much fun with my room mate (aww, thanks Katrin) and I loved the words of wisdom from Essie White who said that “You can’t force education on kids, you have to engage them.”

I also loved the entertainment of the 3-minute book launces at the Children’s Bookshop at Beecroft and the Pitch Perfect sessions at the conference as it showed how subjective feedback is at any stage of someone’s career.

Thank you Katrin!

by Yvonne Mes

#SCBWISyd

Behind the Scenes: Meet the Faculty Dimity Powell

So far, being head gardener, aka Conference Blogging Coordinator, has been a breezy time of cultivating new expectations and enjoying a bouquet of happy memories. I can’t wait to make more with you all very soon. Meantime if you not sure who I am - for shame! - here’s a wee overview of the infamous?, exceedingly talented??, Dim but nice, Dimity Powell.

Briefly state your conference role and conference responsibilities:

I’m the mad nutter who’ll be shoving a camera and notebook into everyone’s faces under the umbrella of National Blogger Coordinator. This will be the third conference I’ve assumed a Roving Reporter role. Overseeing the RRers is one of the highlights for me. They are a fabulous team, willing and able to go to any extreme to cover every image, syllable and story the conference uncovers. My role is to ensure we report on each of the sessions, including the master classes and all the fun bits and publish them on the Conference Blog. See Write Share.

I’m also one of the authors at The Children’s Bookshop Celebration of Stories event Sunday afternoon before the Conference. Plus, I’m on the panel for one of the PD sessions as part of the awesome Creating Creative Writers auxiliary Conference, Tuesday 26 February.

Celebrate these authors and illustrators’ stories at The Children’s Bookshop, Beecroft

Describe your most notable achievement or proudest moment in Kids’ Lit to date:

It came as a genuine surprise to be shortlisted for the Western Australian Premier’s Book Awards for, The Chapel of Unlove, the digital narrative commissioned for the incredible Story City app. I had an absolute hoot writing this multi ending, interactive, locative fiction and am so proud and pleased to see it recognised in this way.

I actually think any word of mine that makes it onto any public publishing forum is a huge step forward.

What is the most memorable (SCBWI) Conference experience you’ve had to date, or hope to have?

The overall vibe of these conferences is stupendous but one of my glowing memories was being in the same room for the first time with Holyrood Lane’s illustrator, Nicky Johnston and EK Books publisher, Anouska Jones. It was the first time I laid eyes on Nicky’s roughs for Holyrood Lane, too. When she showed Anouska and me, it felt like receiving a book of magic.

Name one thing you can’t live without:

I tend to spiral into a spin if I forget my hairbrush and I know for sure I’d seize up like a rusty gate if I didn’t have yoga in my life but for me, ice cream is my Band-Aid; it makes EVERYTHING better and therefore is a life essential.

Provide at least one Fun Fact from a SCBWI Conference you’ve attended or organised (anywhere in the world)

A few months before the 2016 Sydney Conference, I met this girl in a bookshop in Brisbane. When I say met, I mean she accosted me in a non-threatening but completely unexpected ‘BOO!’ kind of way. She seemed to know me but stupidly, I didn’t know her. When my heartbeat returned to normal, I acknowledged I was happy to make her acquaintance.

Turns out, that girl was the incredibly gifted, supremely funny, Queensland illustrator, Sophie Beer who was later awarded for being incredibly gifted at the official 2016 Conference Dinner Dance. When I heard her name read out, I leaped from my chair and screamed like a banshee in delight. It felt like being at the Logies, even though I’ve never been to the Logies! I may have cried a bit too, sook that I am.

Well folks, it’s not long now till we all find our respective ways to Sydney. Join me later this week for a pre-conference, last-minute, wrap-up of Who’s Who and Doing What. Till then,

Rove ya’ later!

Dimity (aka Head Gardener)

www.dimitypowell.com

#SCBWISyd