Bec Kavanagh

Education Consultant, Curriculum Specialist

Bec Kavanagh is a reviewer, freelance writer & YA fiction specialist. She is the founder of A Thousand Words Festival, which celebrates and encourages the reading and writing of young adult fiction. In 2010 she appeared at the Melbourne Writers Festival and AussieCon4 (the 68th World Science Fiction Convention).

Where were you born?

Whyalla, but I grew up in the Adelaide Hills. When I was younger during school holidays, I would get up early and hide down the side of my bed so that I could read without being dragged outside to weed the garden.

Where have your works been published?

Viewpoint, Bookseller & Publisher,Australian Book Review, Squawk! and teachers notes through individual publishing houses.

What have been the highlights of your career?

The first A Thousand Words in 2009. Kids coming into one of the first bookshops I worked in and telling me that they loved reading because of a book that I suggested. MWF and AussieCon – talking about books I love with people that I’ve admired.

What are you passionate about?

Trusting your instincts. Finding your own ‘normal’. Reading because you want to. Writing because you need to. Making a home for animals that need one.

Haven’t I seen you before?

If you’ve been to A Thousand Words before then probably! Hopefully I was doing something exciting and not running around like a maniac. Or you may have seen me at the Melbourne Writers Festival or AussieCon4 talking about my favourite things – books!