Full day outline
9.30am–9.45am: Arrive at National Library of Australia
9.50am–10am: Welcome and Acknowledgement of Country
10am–11am: First Dog on The Moon
11.15am–12.15pm: Marly Wells and Linda Wells
1pm–2pm: Amie Kaufman
Session descriptions
Session 1
First Dog on the Moon: Revenge of the Toxic Space Potato
Join award-winning Guardian cartoonist First Dog on the Moon for this creative and delightfully chaotic session. Stripped of their powers and stranded on Mars, the Indefatigable EnviroTeens must stop the sinister Baron Kartuffelpoffen from siphoning all of Earth’s water. Along the way, they’ll navigate a galaxy of absurd villains, unexpected allies, and interstellar challenges. Come for the wacky intergalactic adventures, stay for the sharp environmental satire that will fire you up to protect our planet!
Session 2
Marly Wells and Linda Wells: Desert Tracks
Millie’s extraordinary adventure begins when she borrows a history book because she sees herself and her life reflected on the cover – a rare experience for a young Black reader. Desert Tracks is a captivating time-travelling novel set in Central Australia that explores how the legacy of racist policies continues to shape the present. Authors Marly Wells and Linda Wells will discuss the power of stories to challenge and change perspectives and deepen understanding of our shared histories, along with why it is so important for young people to see themselves represented in books.
Session 3
Amie Kaufman: Everyday Magic
Amie Kaufman is a bestselling, award-winning author whose young adult science fiction and fantasy novels have found readers across the globe. In this session, Amie will share where her ideas come from, and the role storytelling plays in helping us understand ourselves and the world around us. Focusing on her novels Red Star Rebels, The Isles of the Gods and Lady’s Knight, students will gain insights into the creative process and discover what it takes to build characters and worlds that readers care about. Bring your curiosity and imagination and leave inspired to tell your own stories.
Full day outline
9.30am–9.45am: Arrive at National Library of Australia
9.50am–10am: Welcome and Acknowledgement of Country
10am–11am: Session 1: R. A. Spratt
11.15am–12.15pm: Session 2: Sue Whiting
1pm–2pm: Session 3: David Conley
Session descriptions
Session 1
R.A. Spratt: How I Come Up With An Idea
R.A. talks about what it’s like to be an author and the process of writing a book. She will get the audience to vote for one of her books, then explain how she came up with the ideas, characters and plot. Demonstrating how ideas bubble up out of every aspect of day-to-day life. She’ll then read the chapter to show how it all came together, and finish by taking questions from the audience.
Session 2
Sue Whiting: Thrills, Spills and Spine-tingling Chills
Suspense. Surprise. Tension. Worry. What makes a truly thrilling novel? Using examples from Portraits of Celina and Promises and Other Lies, Sue will share aspects of her creative process and explore the central elements required to create a suspenseful, gripping narrative.
Session 3
David Conley: That drawing about what?
Think you can’t draw. It doesn’t matter. David will share how you can harness the power of the humble stick figure to make mythical and legendary mayhem and discover all kinds of weird and wonderful things along the way. Be prepared for moments of make believe and marvellously funny adventures featuring a cast of Gods, monsters, heroes and villains, all with added dinosaurs!
Full day outline
9.30am–9.45am: Arrive at National Library of Australia
9.50am–10am: Welcome and Acknowledgement of Country
10am–11am: Session 1: Sue Whiting
11.15am–12.15pm: Session 2: R.A. Spratt
1pm–2pm: Session 3: Andy Griffiths & Bill Hope
Session descriptions
Session 1
Sue Whiting: The Adventures of Pearly and Pig
This session takes students on a wild story adventure trekking across Antarctica to discover the inspiration for Sue’s popular Pearly and Pig adventure series. Sue will share the story-puzzle pieces used to create each of the books and then challenge students to solve the puzzle and create their own adventure story.
Session 2
R.A. Spratt: How I Come Up With An Idea
R.A. talks about what it’s like to be an author and the process of writing a book. She will get the audience to vote for one of her books, then explain how she came up with the ideas, characters and plot. Demonstrating how ideas bubble up out of every aspect of day-to-day life. She’ll then read the chapter to show how it all came together, and finish by taking questions from the audience.
Session 3
Andy Griffiths & Bill Hope: You & Me And Adventures in Reading
Get ready for the serious business of writing silly stories and playing with words and pictures. Bring your adventure suits and your adventure helmets and Andy and Bill will take you on outrageously funny escapades where reading and writing are the coolest superpowers you can have! And where laughter and silliness is fully guaranteed!
