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Bec Kavanagh
Author, Education Consultant
Bec Kavanagh is a writer, literary critic and academic. She has been published in a variety of publications including Overland, The Big Issue, and The Guardian, and writes teaching notes for a number of publishers. Bec is the Youth Programming Manager at the Wheeler Centre, and a sessional tutor at La Trobe University and the University of Melbourne.
https://twitter.com/beckavanagh (@beckavanagh)
What other jobs have you had?
I’ve worked in the book industry for over twenty years – as a bookseller, a reviewer – even as a speaking agent for Booked Out! For the last four years I’ve been teaching creative writing to tertiary students, alongside freelance work and running the programming for teens at the Wheeler Centre.
What themes are recurring in your work?
My work explores the representation of female bodies in coming of age narratives. I’m especially interested in stories and forms that allow us to experiment with the absurd realities of our lives, and my PhD project is a collection of experimental short stories.
What are you passionate about?
I’m passionate about making space for new voices and new writers. In my work at the Wheeler Centre I’ve been incredibly proud of developing programmes that bring the best and brightest teen voices to the main stage. I love teaching tertiary students, and working with them to find the right platform for their writing and their ideas.
Haven’t I seen you before?Maybe – probably in a rush from one thing to the next! |
Testimonials
(Panel Feedback) All three speakers were excellent. The panel worked very well with it being a balanced input from all speakers and Bec moderating the discussion. Bec, Tim and Declan were all very generous with what they spoke about and their time. It was due to the panel that the audience felt engaged, inspired and therefore felt a part of the discussion.
In recent years our literary has been an informal drinks function and this format has proved to be very successful. In 2012 instead of having an author promote their books, our committee decided to celebrate Australia’s National Year of Reading by inviting Bec to talk about the latest trends in young adolescent fiction. Feedback from the event has again been overwhelmingly positive! Bec was so easy to listen to and the time literally flew. She clearly demonstrated her knowledge and enthusiasm for YA literature.
Bec spoke to the Year 9 students. She was natural, speaking as though she was having a chat with a group of friends. Her talk was full of pertinent advice related to her own experiences as a reader and reviewer and the students appreciated that. Their feedback about her the next day was very positive “I thought Bec spoke really well. She included a lot of humour. Nothing she said got boring. I found myself always engaged when she spoke. She included a lot of great advice for people who are passionate about writing.”
My sincere thanks to all who helped in the selection and arrangements for Bec to join us on Friday for PD. I found the information about the genre of Young Adult Fiction and Reluctant Readers succinct, helpful and very relevant to the classroom issues I face in Year 10 in particular.
Further her wealth of knowledge about books to read in certain genres and as ways to understand the crossovers in Young Adult fiction was a welcome road map to an area which is developing so quickly. I left with at least two dozen titles to go away and read which could help me either advise or engage in reading discussions with students.
It is such a blessing to have not one but two PD sessions which hit the mark and leave you feeling like your time was well spent and you really are ‘Professionally Developed’ because of the experience.
Many thanks to all, including Bec for the valuable presentations on Friday.
Bec Kavanagh, the organiser of the “A Thousand Words” writing festival, is a young woman with a strong background within the publishing industry and a passion for literature. When she visited Ruyton last week to speak to Yr 10 students, she proved to be a lively and thoroughly engaging speaker. Well informed, her perception and enthusiasm shone through as she spoke about the types of books that students should not overlook as they move beyond teenage literature to more adult titles.