Andrew Joyner

Where were you born?

I was born in Adelaide, but I spent most of my childhood in a small town called Mannum, on the Murray River in South Australia.

What other jobs have you had?

I’ve been a receptionist, an English Literature tutor at University, and for several happy years I worked in a record store. I’ve also spent quite a bit of time illustrating for newspapers and magazines such as the Sydney Morning Herald, The Age, The Bulletin, Reader’s Digest and Rollling Stone, among others.

What themes are recurring in your work?

I always try to create humour and a sense of warmth and joy in my pictures and stories.

Where have your works been published?

My work has been published in more than twenty countries, from the US and UK to places such as France, Denmark, Brazil, Israel, China and Hungary.

What have been the highlights of your career?

When Too Many Elephants in this House (one of my picture books with Ursula Dubosarsky) was selected for the National Simultaneous Storytime in 2014. It’s such a wonderful event, and that same week Ursula and I were in Sydney to do a series of school talks as part of Sydney Writers’ Festival. Plus, in that very week, there was also a stage production of Too Many Elephants in this House being put on by students and staff at NIDA. It seemed like our elephants were everywhere, and I felt such warmth and generosity from the public towards our creation.

What are you passionate about?

Aside from my work and all it involves (drawing, writing, and reading), I love poetry (although I don’t write it), music (although I can’t play an instrument) and food (although I’m a terrible cook).