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Reviva Schermbrucker will be presenting a Writing Course in Johannesburg from 10 to 14 March 2008. See right-hand side for course details and how to register.

Born in Israel in 1954, Reviva arrived with her family in South Africa aged 5 and a half. Reviva became a South African in Johannesburg in the 60’s. After matriculating, she attended WITS (the University of Witwatersrand) and began a Fine Art degree. She completed her undergraduate degree in Philadelphia ,USA and followed it up with a Masters in Fine Art from the University of Wisconsin. She returned to South Africa to a life in Cape Town, married to Peter. Before and in between raising their two sons, she taught art at what was then known as the Cape Technikon and at various schools. But teaching has always been a second choice. Her real passion is making books.

Her first foray into children’s books was as a writer. Charlie’s House ( Songololo Books, David Philip) was illustrated by Niki Daly and first appeared in 1989.

A Child’s Garden (Tafelberg, 1992) is a practical book with a dual audience. It is chock full of fanciful ideas to be experienced in the garden by both children and their parents.

Reviva worked as a materials developer for ELRU (the Early learning Resource Unit) for 10 years producing children’s picture books and readers - including some that fit into matchboxes! (The Matchbox Library) - picture packs, an unique set of alphabet cards (Ah Bekutheni?), innovative games including updated card games (Snap! and Happy Families in South Africa) and a foundation phase numeracy kit (We all count!), award-winning posters and even the lyrics for a musical tape.

Cindy ( ELRU, 2001)is one of the five books in the Keteka series of readers which gives voice to actual children living in situations or communities which rarely make it into the world of children’s books.

Am I a Lion that Eats People? ( ELRU, 2004) is one of four books in the Mielie Book series which addresses tough issues such as poverty, prejudice and stereotyping in fresh and child-friendly ways.

Lucky Fish! ( Jacana, 2003) is a full-length novel for teenagers and adults based on fact. It is set in Johannesburg during the 1960s, and is told by a 13-year old boy named Steven whose parents, Ivor and Lucy, become political prisoners.

Alongside her work for NGO’s and educational publishers such as ELRU, PRAESA (Project for Alternative Education in South Africa) Maskew Miller Longman, Shooter and Shuter etc.– what she calls her ‘bread and butter work’-- Reviva has continued to write and illustrate children’s picture books for the general market

The Jam Tin and the Teacup ( Songololo Books, New Africa Books, 2002) follows the conversation between an endearing orangutan that emerges from the label of a jam tin (APE !– ricot) and a rather uppity damsel who is painted on the side of a porcelain teacup. An African Christmas Cloth, an advent calendar for children in Calendar form, was published by Jacana in 2005.

The works above are a sample of all she has produced. There is a novella for newly literate adults, a number of teachers’ guides and a whole lot of early readers. As Reviva says, “One has to keep producing in this field if one is to keep the wolf from the door.”

The Gauteng region of the SCBWI had a meeting on 12 July at Brescia House School. The hostess and school librarian, Sharon Rogers, gave some background information about the school. All the participants were most impressed with the library and the school’s facilities. It was a really convenient venue for travellers from the north as well as the south.

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The meeting was chaired by <?xml:namespace prefix = st2 ns = "urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:smarttags" /><?xml:namespace prefix = st1 ns = "urn:schemas:contacts" />Jenny Hatton and attended by sixteen interested writers, illustrators and other children’s book people. Jenny invited a number of authors to talk about their books, namely Rob Marsh, LeAnne Hardy and Agueda Nunes.

Rob Marsh is an ex-teacher who came from England to South Africa via Zambia in 1979. He confesses to being addicted to writing. Even though he didn’t get anything published for the first ten years, he continued to write each day. Initially he wrote in long hand, then on a manual typewriter and next on an electric typewriter. Today he relies on his laptop.

Rob has always written fiction but has found this harder to get published. Therefore, he wrote non-fiction to get recognised. To date he has had 22 books published. His first book Karate S.A. is a detailed study of the origins, history and development of karate in South Africa. After completing this book, he was commissioned to write a number of other books.

Rob has a special interest in matters crime-related, and is the author of both Famous South African Crimes (Struik) and With Criminal Intent: the changing face of crime in South Africa (Ampersand Press).

While non-fiction pays his salary, Rob’s first love is writing fiction. The audience could have listened to him for hours as he shared experiences. One manuscript was accepted by an overseas publisher, edited and set and then never published! Tales of Mystery and Suspense was followed by Ghost stories in 1994. This Struik publication is a collection of fictional stories about ghosts, ghouls and phantoms. The serpent under was published by Jacana in 2003. This is the story of a couple who work together to commit a crime. Inevitably things suddenly start to go disastrously wrong. Rob has also written a series of seven books for children in the 7-0 age group, namely The Incredible Adventures of Zak and Zoey.

Rob’s hard work over the years has paid off. Some of his books have done very well on the market. In addition others have received recognition. Nature in the balance: ecology for Southern African children (Struik) was nominated by Bookchat as one of Southern Africa’s Children’s Books of the year in 1991. His children’s novel Trapped (Juta), set in a South African gold mine, was designated a prescribed reader for grade 5 by the Bophuthatswana Department of Education in 1990.

Rob also writes radio programmes. Although these don’t pay well, he writes them for the experience and because he enjoys writing them. Rob was open about contracts and royalties for his books. He pointed out that the more experienced you become, the more able you are to negotiate these.

Some tips from Rob include:

• Write each day. You have to prove that you have written a book. You can’t just say that you want to be a writer.
• Initially you may have to accept a range of writing projects. Later you can choose what you want and do not want to write.
• Be thorough in your research.
• Negotiate the contract with the publisher.
• Check your contract with the publisher. Delete clauses with which you disagree.
• Tell the publisher if you think that you need more time than what is allocated. Explain that you can do the work but it may not be up to standard if you’re not given enough time.
• Calculate how many words you write a month. This will help you to indicate how long you need to complete a project.
• Meet every deadline.
• Remember that you have a reputation to maintain. Check the manuscript and the cover before the book is published.
• Ask the publisher to have your manuscript reviewed by an expert if the content needs to be checked.
• Write non-fiction to get published. This may lead you into having your fiction titles published.
• Try to work with an illustrator whose work you admire.
• A book isn’t a book until it is published. Contracts mean nothing.
• Ask for an upfront payment. Payment of this shows the publisher’s commitment.
• Draw on your own experiences when you’re writing. These help to make descriptions authentic.
• Phone publishers up and make appointments to see them. Show them the work you have done. Promote yourself.

LeAnne Hardy grew up in Indiana in the United States but has lived in six countries on four continents. LeAnne spoke about living in so many different places has influenced her writing. She drew on her experience of living in Mozambique when she wrote her novel The Wooden Ox. Living in a war zone was an unforgettable experience. She illustrated this by reading from the story and spoke about the fear she experienced and about anticipating disaster.

Each of LeAnne’s books tries to capture the unique feel of the country in which it is set. Another novel Between two worlds is set in the United States and is about a girl who grew up in Brazil having trouble coping with cultural change. LeAnne bases characters on people she meets and on her own children. However, she hastened to point out that each character develops its own life as the book progresses.

LeAnne mentioned the importance of her Critique Group who helped her to understand that she didn’t have to include every detail of her experiences. In fact, they suggested that she cut out a lot of material in order to focus on plot.

Currently, LeAnne is living in Kempton Park and writing for children affected by HIV/AIDS. She showed the audience a beautiful little book called Beads and Braids which is about coping with loss. LeAnne speaks to school groups about being a writer and conducts writers’ workshops.

Some tips from LeAnne include:

• Join a good critique group.
• Adapt real experiences and include them in fictional writing.
• Remember that fiction is not a memoir of your own life.
• Put boys and girls into stories to cater for both genders.
• Use strong girl models.

Agueda Nunes spoke about growing up as the child of Portuguese immigrants to South Africa. Interestingly, both her own and Rob’s parents were greengrocers.

Agueda wrote her first book Gombi in Fairyland for her daughter, drawing on a lifelong dream that she and her brother shared as children. Firstly, she approached a number of South African publishers before going overseas. Agueda was not prepared to give up her dream of publishing a children’s book. In addition to writing the story, she carried out market research, put the book onto a storyboard, found her own illustrator, composed and recorded lyrics for the book.

Agueda spoke about Passion, Perseverance and Self-actualisation. She mentioned how necessary it was to receive encouragement and support from a friend. Based on this, she made a promise to pen Gombi in Fairyland. Agueda has already planned the next books in the Gombi series - all dealing with various aspects of Emotional Intelligence in children, e.g. bullying, sibling rivalry, the value of believing in yourself etc. The messages conveyed in her books carry a universal theme and are introduced through the non-threatening and lovable character, Gombi.

Some tips from Agueda include:

• Ask friends to read your story to their children and listen to their feedback.
• Children need emotional well-being and stories that address this assist them in coping with everyday life pressures.
• Try overseas publishers.
• Believe in yourself and NEVER give up on your dream.

Agueda with Sharon Rogers, librarian at Brescia House School

Are you tired of reading predictable stories to the children in your life and think you could do better? Do you have a great idea for an engaging picture book? Do you want to be the next Dr. Seuss, Eoin Colfer or J.K. Rowling? This practical, interactive course is designed to help you turn your great idea for a children’s book into a reality. <?xml:namespace prefix = o ns = "urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:office" />

Run over four Saturday mornings in November from 9am - 1pm at Sasani Studios, Highlands North, Joburg, Write a Children’s Book will be led by two highly experienced South African children’s authors and editors, Linda Weber and Darrel Bristow-Bovey. Numbers are limited, to ensure individual attention, and the total cost is R2,800.

Write a Children’s Book will cover the specific challenges of writing for children as opposed to adults and examine such topics as: issues of plotting; how to speak to your readers (rather than at them or down to them); the importance of character and, above all, the importance of not being boring!

It will also include a session with a children’s book illustrator plus a Meet the Publishers session, where you can hear directly from children's book publishers what they look for in a manuscript, how to present your ideas and how they approach and market children's literature.

A course overview, tutor biogs and registration details can be found on www.creativeindustry.co.za

For further information contact:

Fiona Walsh on 072 298 7736 or email [email protected]

Date: 12 July 2007<?xml:namespace prefix = o ns = "urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:office" />Time: 9:00—13:00Where: <?xml:namespace prefix = st2 ns = "urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:smarttags" />Brescia House School, 14 Sloane Street off <?xml:namespace prefix = st1 ns = "urn:schemas:contacts" />William Nicol, with parking off Pytcheley Rd, Bryanston.Cost: For Non-members R80 per person (

Invitation to attend and participate in the 3rd Conference on South African Children's Literature 17-20 September, North-West University, Potchefstroom Campus

As was the case with the preceding conferences, this conference is for all who are currently involved or who wish to become involved in the production (e.g. oral storytellers, writers, illustrators, translators, publishers), marketing and distribution (e.g. publishers, agents, book suppliers), mediation (e.g. educators/facilitators, parents, librarians, and the media - newspapers, radios, television) and reception of children’s literature (by toddlers, children and teenagers as listeners to, or readers of children’s stories, poetry, stage productions and films).

A special feature of the conference is the addition of a number of writing/authoring/hands-on sessions with the theme “Writing (on) South African Children’s Literature” - practical sessions on the writing of scholarly articles, as well as sessions on writing children’s stories and poems. These sessions will be presented by renowned writers in the field of children’s literature: Prof Maria Nikolajeva (Stockholm, Sweden), author of several academic articles and books as well as fiction, Prof Elwyn Jenkins, author of several articles and books on children’s literature, Prof Osa Osayimwense, editor of the journal African Children’s and Youth Literature (JACYL), and Prof Hans du Plessis, Director of the ATKV School for Creative Writing in Potchefstroom.
READ MORE: http://www.puk.ac.za/fakulteite/lettere/klw/index.html

Enquiries to:
Betsie van der Westhuizen
Phone: 018 2991491 E-mail: [email protected]

At the "What publishers want ... " meeting in May, Russell Clark from Jacana mentioned that teachers and librarians, at a recent workshop in Cape Town, identified a need for non-fiction books on these topics:

S.A. Food
Fruit
Vegetables
Seasons

S.A. Animals
Farm animals

S.A. Resources
Mining
Industries, e.g. textiles
Fishing industry
Agriculture

S.A. Rivers
S.A. Capital cities

Date: 12 July 2007 Time: 9:00—13:00 Where: Brescia House School Cost: For Non-members R80 per person (includes tea & lunch) For SCBWI members R40 per person (includes tea & lunch) RSVP: [email protected] by 5 July at the latest. Please use “Illustrators and writers share their books” in the subject line. Description: Children’s book illustrators and writers share their books. Programme 9:00