On Tuesday, 7 May, sixteen students from Years 7 to 10 journeyed to the State Library of Victoria to participate in the Melbourne Writers Festival Schools Day program. The program consisted of interactive presentations from three authors and one illustrator, as well as a chance to meet the speakers and have books signed.
Speakers included:
Biffy James is a high school English teacher with a not-so-secret addiction to the retro YA series, Sweet Valley High. Her debut novel, Completely Normal (and Other Lies) won the 2023 Griffith University Young Adult Book Award at the QLD Literary Awards and the 2023 CBCA Shadow Judging Award in the Older Readers’ category. It is a CBCA Honour Book that has been shortlisted for multiple other awards.
Mike Lucas is the author of poetry anthologies, picture books and YA novels. His 2022 novel, What We All Saw published by Penguin Australia, was shortlisted for the CBCA Older Readers Book of the Year. He owns an independent bookshop in Adelaide and works fulltime as an engineer.
Steve Mushin is an industrial designer, model maker, illustrator and artist. He crafts captivating exhibitions and immersive adventure spaces, sparking imaginations and delving into the realms of design, physics and biology. Steve collaborates with scientists and engineers to illustrate complex and intriguing ideas. His first book, Ultrawild was published in October 2023. Steve runs design workshops and creates exhibitions with schools, science museums, galleries and festivals to help kids and adults imagine transforming cities into ecosystems.
Astrid Scholte is the internationally best selling and award winning author of Four Dead Queens, The Vanishing Deep and League of Liars. She has worked in film production, including at Industrial Light & Magic and on James Cameron’s Avatar. Shadows of Truth, the sequel to League of Liars, is to be published in early 2024.
Books by all authors are available to borrow from the Learning Centre.
"As I am in Year 7 this year, this was my first time going to the Melbourne Writers Festival. I especially loved being able to attend this festival with some of my friends and share my thoughts with them on which author I thought was the best out of the four. I also really liked receiving different insights on the best ways to write a book since all of the authors had very different strategies!" Scarlett K, Year 7
"The best part about Melbourne Writers Festival is the opportunity to meet some of your favourite authors and being able to learn about how to get into the writing career." Tayah B, Year 9
"Going to the Readers and Writers Festival is so amazing. The best part, in my opinion, is all the things that we learn from listening to what the authors have to say. As someone who enjoys world building and character building, I can confidently say that I have learned helpful methods and skills from the writers." Ruby E, Year 10
"I liked meeting and learning about all the authors and getting tips for our own writing. It was a really fun and inspiring experience for me." Tiasha DS, Year 7
"The authors were hilarious, their books were super cool to look at and they hooked us in just by reading the blurb! The authors interacted with us and signed our books, which made everyone beam with joy! I loved eating at Melbourne Central and talking with my friends! It will be an experience I will never forget!" Siham T, Year 7
