As lockdowns remain in place around much of the country, our speakers are continuing to deliver fabulous online sessions, bringing joy to kids during these otherwise unusual times. ⁣
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Here is just some of the glowing feedback we’ve received, which we think speaks for itself!
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AILSA WILD – Penleigh and Essendon Grammar, August 2021⁣
‘Our Prep – Year 6 students responded with great enthusiasm to Ailsa Wild’s visit. Ailsa adapted our author visit to an online format and it couldn’t have been better. She got the students moving and they jointly began constructing a story which many have written their own endings, or written a new story inspired by her ideas. Ailsa was a fabulous and inspiring guest speaker.⁣’
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DAVINA BELL – St Thomas the Apostle, August 2021⁣
‘The Prep to Two classes had a wonderful time and were engaged and captivated from the moment Davina spoke. The students loved the writing ideas and how she incorporates life experiences into her stories. It was interesting to hear the step by step process it takes to write books. Although it was an online session the students were still able to participate and enjoy the love for books and the celebrations that come with Book Week. Thank you Davina for sharing your passion for writing and books.⁣’
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NAT AMOORE – St Andrew’s Cathedral School, August 2021 ⁣
‘Nat was absolutely fantastic! The kids LOVED her. We were limited to a digital experience and Nat managed to jump right through our screens. Cannot recommend her highly enough.⁣’
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JACK HEATH – Haileybury, August 2021⁣
‘Jack was able to back up four sessions in a row with high energy. The teachers really loved some of his writing tips too, especially when he spoke about editing your writing. Students enjoyed the mini workshop element Jack brought to the second half of his talk… it was interactive and used zoom chat function so all were involved.⁣’
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Our speakers can do online sessions regardless of whether your students are in a virtual classroom or a real one. To book a speaker for Term 4, call us at (03) 9824 0177 or send an email to bookings@bookedout.com.au.

You made it! Term 3 is finally over, and we couldn’t be happier it’s the holidays!

With cherry blossoms bursting on every corner and sunlight slowly lengthening the ends of our days, it’s the perfect time to take a breath and pat yourself on the back for getting through a super tough term.

Booked Out will be here and working throughout the break (with a window cracked open for a warm breeze!), so don’t hesitate to get in touch if you have any questions at all.

However, we will be enjoying a long weekend this week, with Friday, 24 September as a public holiday in Victoria for the Grand Final Weekend – we can’t wait!

Did you know that tomorrow is Australian Reading Hour? ⁣⭐📚
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Organised by Australia Reads, this fantastic initiative is a celebration of reading, encouraging everyone to pick up a book for one hour tomorrow, wherever you may be!⁣ 📖💚
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Reading is a great way to unwind, educate and connect with others – whether it’s people you read to, read with, or read about on the page. Any book is a good book, and all reading is good reading!⁣ ☄
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If you’re able to join an event, click here to find out more: https://australiareads.org.au/events/⁣

We’ll see you all tomorrow, book in hand! The final question… is one hour enough for all the word nerds at Booked Out? 😮

⭐ It’s time to celebrate with some huge award wins by Booked Out authors! ⁣⭐
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Coming in first is the incredible Cath Moore, winner of the Griffith University Adult Book Award for Metal Fish, Falling Snow 🐟🌧
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The shortlist was packed with 100% Booked Out authors – and we couldn’t be more proud.⁣
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Next is the 2021 ARA Historical Novel Prize, which celebrates the talents of:⁣
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🔸Anthony Hill (The Last Convict)⁣
🔸Nicki Greenberg (The Detective’s Guide to Ocean Travel)⁣
🔸Anna Ciddor (The Boy Who Stepped Through Time)⁣
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Last but not least is the nightly Nat Amoore for the 2021 Environment Award for Children’s Literature, winner for The Power of Positive Pranking! 🌞⭐🌱
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We couldn’t be happier – great work everyone, especially during such tough times 💞

Can you feel it? That magic in the air? That can only mean one thing…it’s BOOK WEEK! 💫⁣
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The Booked Out dream team have been working hard to reorganise all of your bookings, so thanks for bearing with us. We’ve been busier than ever, working towards that bright shiny light at the end of the tunnel that is Book Week!⁣
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We know that it is going to look and feel a little different this year (again) but we can’t wait to celebrate with you still 💙 ⁣
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Don’t forget to tag @bookedoutagency in your posts so we can see and share all your bookish adventures! 🌙💫✨⁣

It’s the first day of Book Week and the awards are running hot! 🔥⁣⁣
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The CBCA Book of the Year has been announced, and we’re delighted to congratulate Davina Bell and Cath Moore for their phenomenal works, The End of the World is Bigger Than Love and Metal Fish, Falling Snow. ⁣⁣
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We’re huge fans of these magnificent books, and can’t be happier to see them get the recognition they deserve! 🌏🐟 🌨

Hey wonderful Booked Out fam, we hope you’re all going okay in the lockdowns around the country. ❤️⁣
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With Book Week just weeks away, we’re doing our best to stay on top of the hundreds of bookings that have been affected by Covid restrictions. While we’re working remotely in Melbourne, we’d really appreciate it if you could help us help you.⁣
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If you have a booking in the next few weeks, please contact the school to confirm whether it can go ahead, be moved online or be rescheduled. If your booking needs to be changed, please let us know and we will update the details.⁣
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Let’s get through this together ❤️⁣
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Take care all!

Here at Booked Out we’re all feeling very excited about the upcoming Melbourne Writers Festival, especially now that the program has been released! We’re thrilled to see so many of our speakers will be in attendance, doing what they do best – sharing a love of literature, ideas and stories.⁣
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Here are some of our speakers you’ll find in this year’s program:⁣
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Randa Abdel-Fattah⁣
Gabriel Bergmoser⁣
Danielle Binks⁣
Tony Birch⁣
Mark Brandi⁣
Tasneem Chopra⁣
Maxine Beneba Clarke⁣
Linh Do⁣
Ursula Dubosarsky⁣
Astrid Edwards⁣
Morris Gleitzman⁣
Anna Goldsworthy⁣
Leanne Hall⁣
Toni Jordan⁣
Melissa Keil⁣
Chris Kennett⁣
Ingrid Laguna⁣
Marcia Langton⁣
Benjamin Law⁣
Bri Lee⁣
Gary Lonesborough⁣
Thomas Mayor⁣
Andrew McDonald⁣
Nyadol Nyuon⁣
Jacinta Parsons⁣
Alice Pung⁣
Sally Rippin⁣
RA Spratt⁣
Rebecca Starford⁣
Ben Wood⁣
Clare Wright⁣
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This will be Melbourne Writers Festival’s 35th year of bringing together diverse literature, bright ideas and rich conversation, so make sure you check it out! The program includes a range of in-person and online events so you can get involved from wherever you are.⁣⁣⁣

We’ve got this Australia ⁣⁣⁣⁣❤️⁣⁣

We know that there is a lot of uncertainty, disappointment and fatigue in relation to the recent Covid-19 outbreaks across the country, and that this will affect bookings in July and into August. We hear your concerns and want to assure you that we are here to support however we can–whether that’s moving your booking online, rescheduling to a later date or going ahead in-person depending on your location and situation.

We feel for all everyone in Victoria and New South Wales at the moment. We know it’s so hard but we’ll get through it as we have before. If you are in lockdown and have a booking scheduled in the next two weeks, we will contact you to find the best solution.

The upside is we’ve done this all before! In 2020, we successfully moved over 500 bookings online and facilitated reschedules for many others, so we know the drill. We are ready to help and work to find the best option for you. Our speakers have a wealth of experience with presenting virtually after last year, and offer dynamite engaging online sessions. (See some entertaining examples below!)

We know that you have been looking forward to Book Week as much as we have, and we are confident that we will still be able to celebrate our wonderful authors, poets, illustrators and books in general, in whatever capacity that may be.

⁣This is an evolving situation and we monitoring it week by week. If you have a query about your booking or would like to discuss your options, please email your dedicated Booking Coordinator and they will be happy to help.
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Take care and stay safe. ❤️⁣⁣
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David Leser (NSW & Online) is the author of Women, Men and the Whole Damn Thing, one of the most spoken-about books of the #MeToo era. David runs sessions in which he speaks about masculinity, the patriarchy and its effects on both women and men, the history of the #MeToo movement, and where the future may take us.

Get in touch about booking these excellent speakers, either by calling (03) 9824 0177, or emailing bookings@booked.out.com.au.