By: Susanne Gervay,
on 9/10/2012
The IBBY CONGRESS London was about making friends across the world from Slovenia to Canada; USA to South Korea, from Mongolia to New Zealand; from India to the world…. to Australia!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Some of the wonderful friends I made are in these photos – and there were other wonderful people too – Dr Veronika Rot Gabrovec Slovenia; Ingrid Kallstrom Stockholm; Merle Harris Edmonton Canada; Swapna Dutta Bangalore India …and …….many friends.
By: Aline Pereira,
on 12/10/2010
Australian author Susanne Gervay (visit her website and blog) has had a very busy year this year and social justice has been high on her agenda. She is one of the contributors to Fear Factor: Terror Incognito, an anthology of short stories featuring ten Australian and ten Indian writers, edited by Meenakshi Bharat and Sharon Rundle (Macmillan Australia/ Picador India, 2010). She has been writing about her travels to India and Kiribati, a “Pacific atoll nation drowning under climate change”. She has just launched Always Jack, the third book about Jack, following on from her wonderful I Am Jack and Super Jack. Most recently, Susanne was in South Korea for the Nambook-010 Fesival, the 5th Nami Island International Children’s Book Festival. She was there because she was taking part in Peace Story, a very special project. We are very grateful to Susanne for telling us all about it here. For those of us who couldn’t be there in person, Susanne’s description and photographs are definitely the next best thing!
In these troubled times with North Korea’s military attack on South Korea, the international publication of Peace Story is poignant and important. Twenty-two children’s authors and twenty-two illustrators from twenty-two countries engaged in an international cooperative to create a unique anthology, Peace Story, for young people. Respected academic author on Irish children’s literature Valerie Coghlan and Irish Laureate for children’s literature Siobhán Parkinson were the co-editors of Peace Story.
‘Peace Story’ was part of the Nami Island International Children’s Book Festival, South Korea which was first held in 2005 to commemorate the 200th anniversary of the birth of Hans Christian Andersen. It is a six-week bi-annual festival of children’s books, the environment and peace, featuring outstanding exhibitions of children’s books and illustrations from all over the world. Much loved Korean illustrator Kang Woo-hyon, President of the Nambook-010 International Committee headed the ‘Peace Story’ project with the support of the Nami Island Minn family who published and translated some of the stories, and hosted the authors and illustrators on Nami Island. It was supported by National YMCA Korea, UNICEF and UNESCO Korea, the Korean Ministry of Culture, Sport and Tourism, and Nami Island the official sponsor of the IBBY Hans Christian Anderson Awards.
My Australian story ‘To East Timor with Love Australia’, illustrated by the award-winning Frané Lessac, opens the anthology Peace Story. Frané Lessac’s vibrant colours of bright pink bougainvillea and yel
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By: Susanne Gervay,
on 11/5/2010
We’ve been ordered – no torn jeans (Frane has a hole in hers), no cameras (I didn’t hear), no pointing(a guard shouted at a pointing idiot), no kidding – Frane and I are heading for DMZ – the demilitarised Zone between North and South Korea.
Mission: Stand in North Korea and don’t get shot.
The wonderful hosts of Nami Island have organised this tour to the DMZ. We’re with Beaky and Hopper- who are holding the SCWBI, Aussie and South Korean flag. (Hint they are furry Aussie icons).
Frane of course asked a guard in dark sunglasses with a gun if she could have a photo with him – NO!!!!!!! Good News – Frane wasn’t killed.
We stood on North Korean land in the one building that crosses both countries.
It was very strained and Frane and I had to sign that we were OK if we were shot. We signed. Weren’t shot.
The story of the young woman who defected brought Frane and I to tears. She can’t contact her family – swam across the river, paid so much to eb guided to China, where the man sold her into the sex trade. She escaped after 2 years and South Korea is home now.
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By: Susanne Gervay,
on 6/5/2010
From October 1 to November 14, the Nami Island Festival welcomes publishers, writers, children, readers, international delegates from all over the world in a celebration of literature, the arts and peace.
The festival is publishing Peace Story with support from the United Nations.
Peace Story has come from the spirit of this festival which invited authors and illustrators from 22 countries to write about peace and create a unique picture book for the world.
Much loved authors and illustrators from countries including Austria, Bolivia, Turkey, USA …have participated. I was invited to represent Australia.
The award winning illustrator Frane Lessac has illustrated my story ‘Remember East Timor – with love from Australia.’
It is one of the most beautiful projects.
Frane and I will be in Nami Island from 2 to 8 th November for the Festival. Join us if you are there.
For morel information – www.nambook.org
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By: Aline Pereira,
on 5/26/2008
(Click on event name for more information)
23rd World Book Fair 2008~ May 30 - Jun 8, Singapore
4th Nami Island International Book Festival~ ongoing until Jun 30, Korea
Asian Children’s Writers and Illustrators Conference~ Jun 5-7, Singapore
Antioch University First Annual Children’s Literature Conference~ Jun 7, Los Angeles, CA, USA
6th Annual Feria del Libro: A Family Book Fair~ Jun 7, Los Angeles, CA, USA
Storylines Festival of New Zealand Children’s Writers and Illustrators~ Jun 8-15, New Zealand
Montana New Zealand Book Award Finalists Announced~ Jun 10, New Zealand
35th Annual Children’s Literature Association Conference~ Jun 12-15, Normal, IL, USA
Book Expo Canada~ Jun 13-16, Toronto, ON, Canada
“Princess Shawl” book launch and reading by Shirley Lim~ Jun 14, Kuala Lumpur
Cape Town Book Fair~ Jun 14-17, South Africa
CILIP Carnegie and Kate Greenaway Children’s Book Awards Winners Announced ~Jun 26, United Kingdom
Sunthorn Phu Day (celebrated poet)~ Jun 26, Thailand
American Library Association Annual Conference and Exhibition~ Jun 26 - Jul 2, Anaheim, CA, USA
Canadian Multiculturalism Day~ Jun 27, Canada
Jakarta Book Fair~ Jun 28 - Jul 6, Jakarta, Indonesia
American Indian Youth Literature Awards Presentations~ Jun 30, Anaheim, CA, USA
