Yes! That is right! From the 19th of December to the 19th of January we will be on holidays!

That doesn’t mean that you can’t start making plans for your 2015 speakers though. Please take a look at who we have on tour, our new speakers and don’t forget these key 2015 dates:

Sunday March 8 – International Women’s Day
Saturday April 25 – 100th anniversary of the ANZAC landings at Gallipoli
Sunday 14 to Saturday 20 June – Refugee Week
Saturday 22 to Friday 28 August – Book Week

Please don’t hesitate to send us an email and we will be delighted to start planning your next speaker when we are back in the office on the 19th of January 2015.

Happy holidays!

In 2012, Griffith REVIEW 38: The Novella Project played a major role in enabling Australian and New Zealand authors to gain a foothold in the English language revival of the novella.

The Novella Project is now back for its third round and you are invited to submit your work to have a chance at claiming a share in the $25,000 prize pool. Submissions close on the 29th of May 2015 and are limited to Australian and New Zealand authors.

Entries must be original works of fiction that fall between the length of a typical short story and novel. While there is no firm word length requirement, writers are advised that works between 10,000 and 25,000 words are preferable.

For more information and full terms and conditions, please click here.

We are very happy to announce that Isobelle Carmody will be coming to Melbourne in May 2015. With the exception of Thursday the 20th, places are still available in the week of May 17 – 21. Don’t hesitate to take advantage of this exciting opportunity to have one of Australia’s best-loved fantasy authors to visit your school!

Isobelle Carmody is one of Australia’s most highly regarded and prominent authors of fantasy for young adult readers. A consummate and much-loved storyteller, Isobelle has a host of award-winning novels to her credit, including The Obernewton Chronicles and The Legend of Little Fur series. Her latest books are The Red Wind and a collaborative collection of short stories based on fairy tales, with Nan Mc Nab, The Wilful Eye.

To nab a spot in this limited tour, please email the team at Booked Out, or call on 03 9824 0177.

Artist, illustrator, writer and inspirational speaker Gaye Chapman recently visited Auburn West Public School in NSW.

In a newly devised workshop, Gaye drew 100 students around a digital campfire as she introduced them to their new roles as hunters, gatherers, fishers and makers…

Gaye Chapman’s new session encompassing writing, storytelling, art and acting, The Cave, is an interactive and creative workshop suitable for students of all levels of primary and secondary school. In the session Gaye introduces the students to the importance of telling stories through pictures, dance and words.
The students leave the session buzzing with stories and new ideas for tales to come!

The Monthly has recently released Alice Pung’s presentation on bigotry in Australia, as filmed at the Melbourne Writers Festival in August 2014. There is a Q and A session at the end of the video in which Alice appears alongside author Maxine Beneba Clarke and The Monthly editor Nick Feik.

In her talk Alice discusses the policy and subsequent meaning of the then-proposed amendments to the Racial Discrimination Act in Australia.

To view the video, click HERE

The Monthly is available online and in print, and offers a mix of investigative reportage, critical essays and thoughtful reviews.

Reading Matters is Australia’s leading youth literature conference for professionals and YA enthusiasts and it will be coming to Melbourne on Friday 29 and Saturday 30 May 2015.

The 11th biennial Reading Matters conference brings together national and international authors including Sally Gardner, Laurie Halse Anderson and Sara Farizan to discuss big issues, YA trends, and celebrate new and established young adult writers. You can view the full line-up on the Reading Matters website.

Early bird conference registrations are now available until 31 January 2015. Reading Matters is presented by the Centre for Youth Literature and the State Library of Victoria.

Emile Zoey Baker traveled to remote Queensland last month to participate in Channel Country Ladies Day.

This three day festival in the town of Betoota (population 0) is exclusively for women from isolated stations in NSW, Queensland and South Australia to give them a big dose of fun and then send them home again better equipped to deal with the stresses that come with life living in a remote place.

As one woman commented in the story, the weekend is ‘an opportunity for us to leave the dirt and dust behind, to stop and connect and actually have a think about what’s important to us and to make us pretty strong and resilient.’

Emilie kicked off the weekend with some powerful slam poetry, which was followed up with another new experience for many – burlesque dancing.

To find out more about the activities of the weekend, visit ABC Landline and watch Pip Courtney’s story on the event.

Channel Country Ladies Day is a not-for-profit annual event and you can also visit their website:  http://channelcountryladiesday.com.au/

Marc McBride has arrived home after a wondrous tour of West Wyalong on the back of a dragon!

Well… not quite, but he did create many amazing dragons with the students of local schools. Check out this fire-breather on the right.

Marc created 19 dragons all up whilst in West Wyalong and is now known in those parts as the ‘dragon man’…

Cathy from the Bland Shire Library raves about Marc’s visit:

How good was Marc McBride? Ask the children of Bland Shire and they will tell you “he was absolutely awesome!” While Marc’s talent for painting dragons is incomparable, his infectious enthusiasm and ability to engage children of all ages from Kinder up to Secondary is nothing short of awe-inspiring and his generosity humbling. Bland Shire Library would like to thank Marc for an amazing week and hope that he will return in the not too distant future.

Thanks to the schools who hosted Marc, and the Bland Shire Library for having Marc to visit.

Attention all budding writers and illustrators! The Australian Society of Authors have announced that you have just over one week to get your applications in for their Emerging Writers and Illustrators Mentorship Program.

Applications close Friday the 31st of October.

Supported by Copyright Agency’s Cultural Fund, the program provides twenty-five hour mentorships to unpublished writers and illustrators, including graphic novelists.

As one of the most important annual opportunities for unpublished literary creators, this program has supported the careers of many important contemporary Australian authors and illustrators, including Georgia Blain, Karen Blair, Sue deGennaro, Favel Parrett and Edwina Shaw.

Unpublished writers and illustrators wishing to apply for a mentorship should visit https://www.asauthors.org/emerging-writers-and-illustrators-mentorships to download the Eligibility Criteria and Submission Guidelines. They should also read the Frequently Asked Questions before they prepare their application.

Results will be announced in December 2014.

For more details contact the Australian Society of Authors on 02 9211 1004 or asa@asauthors.org

Last week we were very lucky to have a visit from Sean Dooley, aka the twitching bird man.

Along with name dropping some famous bird enthusiasts he has been hanging out with (Bill Bailey!!!) Sean has been working on a new campaign called the Aussie Bird Count.

The Aussie Bird Count is an opportunity for all Australians to join BirdLife Australia’s nationwide bird survey. All it takes is 20 minutes in your backyard, or favourite outdoor space, local park, beach, forest or paddock, to be a part of this exciting event!

The Aussie Bird Count is happening between the 20th and 26th of October, so get in quick to download the app and get your binoculars out and at the ready!

For more information, please visit http://aussiebirdcount.org.au/