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Room to Read -  giving children in developing countries in Asia and Africa have access to schools, libraries, books and literacy instruction.

Booktober celebrations in Sydney with Berkelouw events and booksignings with writer ambassadors for Room to Read – watch out for Deb Abela and me  10am-12.30 am  Saturday 26^th October at B erkelouw’s bookshop Paddington.  During ‘Booktober’, it would be great if could ‘like’ and ‘retweet’ Room to Read and spread the word:-

“Like” Room to Read Australia on Facebook / http://www.facebook.com/roomtoreadaustralia

•  “Follow” Room to Read Australia on Twitter / (http://Twitter.com/RoomtoRead_Oz)

 Berkelouw Booktober  – Writer Ambassadors’ e vent Schedule

Saturday October 26, 10.30am to 12pm at various Sydney locations. Authors will speak at 11am. 

Deborah Abela and Susanne Gervay at Berkelouw Paddington
19 Oxford Street, Paddington (9360 3200)

Pamela Cook at Berkelouw Cronulla

29 Cronulla Street, Cronulla (9544 4790)

Sarah Davis at Berkelouw Leichhardt
70 Norton Street, Leichhardt (9560 3200)

Kate Forsyth and Belinda Murrell at Berkelouw Balgowlah
24/215 Condamine St, Balgowlah  (9948 1133)

James Knight at Berkelouw Rose Bay
708 New South Head Rd, Rose Bay (9371 5500)

John Larkin at Berkelouw Dee Why

3/11 Howard Avenue, Dee Why (9982 3568)

Oliver Phommavanh at Berkelouw Mona Vale

12/14 Park Street, Mona Vale  (9979 2112)

The Society of Children’s Book Writers & Illustrators SCBWI Australia and new Zealand endorses Room to Read

www.berkelouw.com.au 

The post Celebrate ~ Room to Read’s Booktober with Berkelouw Books all across Sydney appeared first on Susanne Gervay's Blog.

Just finished the last talks, events for BOOK MONTH – it’s always exhilarating.

Had a brilliant day at Brewongle -in the bush past Windsor – communing with nature, writing, kids and brilliant authors – in 1876 school house! with:-

Simon French, Richard Tulloch and Lisa Forrest – and fabulous staff -educators who are committed to the environment, education & kids.

LOVED IT!

Last school was Coogee South in Sydney – thankyou to the great librarian Michael, teachers and the hundreds of kids who love JACK’s Little Red man joke!

Room to Read meeting at Berkelouw’s Bookshop today was great catching up with the Room to read team – and a huge thankyou to Berkelouw for supporting kids reading across the world!!!!!!!

Room to Read is having a great party bringing ROOM TO READ and the writer ambassadors to Berkelouw’s across Sydney with -SCBWI authors Deb Abela, Kate Forsyth, Belinda Murrell, Oliver Phommavanh, …… and more …. and I’m one of the writer ambassadors too.

When? Saturday 28th October!

10.30 am at Berkelouw bookshops – join in the fun for balloons, bookmarks, Zac the Yak free books …. and celebrate with writer ambassadors – your authors – to support kids who ALL deserve to read!

See you there.

The post Book Tours, SCBWI, Room to Read – the wonderful life of a writer continues! appeared first on Susanne Gervay's Blog.

The Reporters are STARS!!!!!

The librarians are STARS!!!!  (Thankyou Ann and Sabine, Joanne from Wyvern)

The Head of Teaching learning is a STAR!!!!  (Thankyou Sean Corcoran)

The Headmaster is a STAR!!!!  (Thankyou Dr David Mulford)

The parents who looked after us are STARS!!!  (Thankyou Wendy)

My fabulous minder. I’d have got lost without him. (Thankyou Ewan.)

Loved speaking to the boys, the passion for making a better world, engaging conversations and of course catching up with  fantastic Australian authors who I call my friends – all of us committed to reaching young people through literature.

Randa Abdel-Fattah, Deborah Abela, Felcie Arena, Michael Gerald Bauer, Charlie the Educator, Andrew Daddo, Kirsty Eager, Nick Earls, Archimede Fusillo. Scot Gardner, Gus Gordon, Neil Grant, Richard Harland, Barry Heard, Simon Higgins, linda Jaivin, Barry jonsberg, Valana Khoza. Will Kostakis, john Larkin, Benjamin Law, Jeni Mawter, Mandy Ord, Michael Parker, Oliver Phommavanh, Mochael Pryor, Richard Tulloch, Arnold Zable and others.

Thrilled as an author ambassador for Room to Read, that this Festival supports Room to read and bringing literacy to the children of the developing world.

SCBWI stars, stars, stars!!!!!!!

Starting with the Three Wise Writers – Nathan Luff, Deborah Abela, Wendy Blaxland – who came with ‘incense’ and song to the SCBWI Xmas Theatre sports.

It was a fabulous night of good food, good wine, good company of children’s writers and illustrators and publishers at The Hughenden Woollahra – and brilliant performances by Theatre Sports’ stars including:-

Sarah Foster publisher Walker Books

Sarah Davis illustrator

Marjorie Fairall-Crosby and more, more, more!

Duncan Ball was a fabulous MC with hundreds of kids, 40 schools, the best of Australian kids and young adult authors and illustrators at the annual Bookfeast in Sydney’s West.

The Q & A Session was fun with witty comments by:-

Andy Griffiths author of ‘The Day My Bum Went Psycho’

John Heffernan author of “Charlie Carter” series

Deborah Abela,of Max Remy Super Spy fame

Richard Newsome, journalist and author of ‘the Billionaire’s Curse’

John Flanagan of Ranger’s Apprentice series.

It was a feast of authors and illustrators – Oliver Phommavanh, Moya Simons, Anna Feinberg, Belinda Murrell, William Kostakis, Sadami konchi, Jacqueline Harvey, Gabrielle Lord of Conspiracy 365 success and more, more, more …..

With more than 30 schools  Villawood North to Haberfield – and the kids were fantastic.

St Mark’s Drummoyne was filled with buzzing kids, parents and the wonderful CBCA  (NSW) welcoming authors Nathan Luff, Oliver Phommavanh, Ursula Dubosarsky and me.

Society of Children’s Book Writers & Illlustrators (SCBWI) Australia East and New Zealand supports the Children’s Book Council with authors Oliver Phommavanh, Nathan Luff and I  - we are both SCBWI and CBCA members.

Mary Anne Cartwright from the CBCA committee was a great host – thankyou for a lovely Author Tea, especially the terrific orange cake. I have a terrible sweet tooth.

Author Toni Brisland is the SCBWI (NSW) liaison member with the CBCA.

It was a National Year of Reading (NYR) event – I am proud to be an ambassador for NYR

www.love2read.org

Parramatta High School’s hall was filled with students, teachers and kids from other schools, authors – Paul Collins, Meredith Costain, Oliver Phommavanh, Toni Brisland, Wendy Fitzgerald, Lindy Batchelor, Wendy Orr.

Judith Ridge, recognised as one of Australia’s leading authorities on youth literature, wrote the foreward for ‘Trust me Too’ – 58 reasons to celebrate reading by some of Australia’s best loved authors and illustrators.

Wendy Orr read from her moving story ‘The Snake Singer’

Meredith Costain read her wonderful poem ‘Shoefitti’ illustrated by Grant Gittus.

It includes an Obernewtyn novelette by the interntaional best selling fantasy author Isobelle Carmody.

Everyone can dip into this anthology and discover laughs, tears, meaning, fantasy, imagination and more.

A National Year of Reading 2012 event.

If you’re not away or flying back from Bologna or at festivals and conference, the SCBWI Network is:-

5-7 p.m.

Monday 2nd April

at The Hughenden

14 Queen Street Woollahra (near Paddington, Sydney).

I have been on a conference and festival trail where I have met kids, librarians, teachers, adults, even politicians from Queensland to Picton to the beautiful Dixon Room in Sydney’s heritage Mitchell Library overlooking our Botanical Gardens towards the Opera House.

I’ll be keynote at the Glouceter Festival , touring the USA with my ‘Butterflies’, visiting Taree, Melbourne ….and more ….. and I am looking forward to speaking at the IBBY Congress in London.  It’s crazy but the wonderful life of a writer.

Deborah Abela, Serena Geddes, Lesley Vamos, Christopher Cheng … are just back from Bologna Book Fair; and

shared a fabulous time with heaps of brilliant authors and illustrators in Somerset on the Gold Coast like Jacqueline Harvey, Michael Wagner, Oliver Phommovanh, Ursula Dubosarsky, Tristan Bancks, Karen Brooks, Leigh Hobbs, Scott Westerfield, James Roy, Georgia Blain and the brilliant list goes on.

Frane Lessac, Mark Greenwood, Sally Murphy, Norm Jorgenson, A J Betts, Dianne Lawrenson, Samantha Hughes …

….and all those WA writers and illustrators are on the move throughout WA and NT at festivals and reaching remote indogenous communities.

Sarah Davis and Deborah Abela have flown to Alice Springs to join them. Love it.

Aleesah Darlison is back from Hong Hong; Jan Latta just back from China speaking at festivals; Jacqueline Harvey is doing her Alice-Miranda tour in the USA and UK.

Sue Whiting’s at All Saints in Perth which I loved when I spoke there last year

This is the coolest community ever!

If anyone is in Sydney on Monday 2nd April, there’s a great talk by Wendy Blaxland on non fiction writing; catch up with SCBWI Conference information on 29th June-2nd July and networking at The Hughenden.

Love, Love, Love…. this festival.

The sun is shining, tropical palms wave in the breeze, the Radisson Resort welcoming … and there’re friends, friends, friends.

We head for the pool – author Deborah Abela and picture book author Frances Watts  were splashing around.  So was author Felice Arena. I swim 20 laps and relax in the jacuzzi.

We had a great welcome from Festival Director Andrea Lewis, Deputy Headmaster Michael Brohier and Festival programmer Karen Mackie and a fabulous dinner.

Caught up with so many cool authors and illustrators:-

oliver phommavanh author at somerset celebration of literature gold coast

Oliver Phommavanh – Thai -riffic!!!!; Con- Nerd and new book coming – huge success

Karen Brooks – fabulous fantasy author

Jacqueline Harvey -author of the run away success Alice Miranda

Michael Wagner -watch out for hilarious Maxx Rumble series

Leigh Hobbs -iconic illustrator and creator of Old Tom, Horrible Harriet and Mr Chicken

….. and hamming it up authors Tristan Bancks and James Roy ….watch this space for more

National year of reading 2012, Ambassadors at Somerset Festival are Susanne Gervay, Deborah Abela, Felice Arena

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By: Susanne Gervay, on 2/4/2012
Blog: Susanne Gervay's Blog (Login to Add to MyJacketFlap)
JacketFlap tags:  Hazel Edwards, The Hughenden Boutique Hotel, Christopher Cheng, Meredith Costain, Pamela Rushby, SCBWI Australia and New Zealand, Deborah Abela, Oliver Phommavanh, Sarah Foster Publisher Walker Books, Wendy Fitzgerald author, Zoe Walton publisher Random House, Publisher Penguin Laura Harris, Karen Robertson, Lisa Berryman HarperCollins, 2012 National year of Reading, France Lessac, Jill Corcoran Herman Agency, News, SCBWI, Sally Murphy, Add a tag

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By: Susanne Gervay, on 9/22/2011
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JacketFlap tags:  SCBWI, Susanne Gervay, Sarah Davis, Meredith Costain, Deborah Abela, Oliver Phommavanh, Andrea Edmunds, authors Chris Cheng, Jill Carter-Hansen, Lesley Vamos, Margaret Roc ...... and the singing librarian Claire Stuckey from Gosford Library., picture book author & illustratorMark Wilson, Add a tag

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By: Susanne Gervay, on 8/2/2011
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JacketFlap tags:  Sue Walker, Libby Hathorn, Oliver Phommavanh, Punchbowl Public School Sydney, News, CBCA, Add a tag

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By: CHRISTOPHER CHENG, on 6/27/2011
Blog: CHRISTOPHER CHENG'S BLOG: IT'S ALL ABOUT THE BOOKS (Login to Add to MyJacketFlap)
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Sunday night was a thrill, wonderful food, great company, good books, fun folks ... oh and I launched Oliver Phommavanh's new title for Penguin Books Con-Nerd at Shearer's Bookshop on Norton.



Heather, Oliver, Chris

Many of Oliver's family and friends were there and there was FOOD. and as a side note it is a good thing to go to an Oliver launch - there is always food.

As I said during my chat, at first I wondered a little why Oliver wanted me to launch his book but after reading it I most definitely knew why. It was about ME - well it could have been me in the book, nerdy kid with mega thick glasses who lives in the library at school and whose family really drives education (as only the Chinese can - although luckily I didn't have to go to too many extra coaching classes), and honour and earning lots of money by being a doctor or lawyer but definitely not, as in Connor's case,  by being an artist (or for me a children's author).



Heather, CC, Bini (photo thanks to Wendy Blaxland)



But as mentioned it was a thrill launching the book and also catching up with Heather, Oliver's editor who is my wonderful friend from the days when we both worked at Taronga.

 

Had lots of fun so many thanks Oliver for asking me to launch your great book. As I also said at the launch I read this in nearly one sitting (I did need to take a short break during the reading) so it must be good and full of Oliver's zany humour. And that photo of Bini above ... there is a wonderful book on the bookshelf right behind her left ear ... and no, the author did not place it face out or position it that way!

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15. It's Been Busy Week

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By: CHRISTOPHER CHENG, on 6/22/2011
Blog: CHRISTOPHER CHENG'S BLOG: IT'S ALL ABOUT THE BOOKS (Login to Add to MyJacketFlap)
JacketFlap tags:  Oliver Phommavanh, SCBWI NSW, Add a tag

A very bookish, busy week that's for sure.

It started on Sunday morning really early (in between breakfast bites and coffee drinking) with a Skype call to Mark, my US agent, chatting about my manuscripts that he has there and tetnus injections.
Monday was with my publisher at Random House plotting out the new non-fiction title we are hoping that I will be creating in conjuction with (I can't say).

Tuesday and Wednesday were spent roughing out some ideas and writing articles about my experiences at tthe Asian Festival of Children's Content in Singapaore for the Book Council to publish.

And then last night was a small gathering of NSW SCBWI folk. We spent a few hours dining and chit chatting (not in that order) about all that we have under way. The cold weather (yes it is cold for Sydney!) and an ash cloud that stopped planes flying kept a few folk from attending. Also caught up with Oliver who gave me a copy of his new title Con-Nerd which I am launching this coming Sunday. Oliver also sent me this photo to blog, because I was talking so much I fogot to get a snap!

Yep. A very busy bookish week ... and there are still a few days to go.

0 Comments on It's Been Busy Week as of 1/1/1900

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16. CBCA Celebrations for Book Week with authors Oliver Phommavanh, Chris Cheng, Jeni Mawter, Deb Abela & I Am Jack

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By: Susanne Gervay, on 8/16/2010
Blog: Susanne Gervay's Blog (Login to Add to MyJacketFlap)
JacketFlap tags:  Always Jack by Susnane Gervay, Auburn North Public School, News, Chris Cheng, Jeni Mawter, Super Jack, I Am Jack by Susanne Gervay, Deborah Abela, Oliver Phommavanh, Add a tag

Aussie kids at Auburn North was like the United Nations.

Kids whose families come from Turkey, Iraq, Afghanistan, Thailand, China, sixth generation Aussie background and more … welcomed Aussie authors.

Their Principal Mr Harris celebrated books as a way to fulfil kids’ dreams of reaching their dreams.

Their Librarian, teachers, CBC President Carole Keeble welcomed authors, kids and parents.

The MC, talented author Deborah Abela, who co-ordinated this CBCA Book Week event, had the packed library in love with her book ‘ The Remarkable Secret of Aurelie Bonhoffen.’

Oliver had them laughing; Jeni had them laughing even more; Chris has them engrossed in his amazing zoo stories and I was deeply touched that my JACK was on the feature StoryBridge painting that covered the main wall.

Thankyou to bookseller Kay from Shearer’s Bookshop, to the wonderful librarian  Catherine Clift, Leanne Hodges and President CBCA Carole Keeble and especially Deborah Abela.   

Thankyou to the kids of Auburn North for loving JACK.

 

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17. Fantastic New Books at Sydney Network

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By: Susanne Gervay, on 5/5/2010
Blog: Susanne Gervay's Blog (Login to Add to MyJacketFlap)
JacketFlap tags:  Writing, The Hughenden, Tristan Bancks, Kate Forsyth, Belinda Murrell, Sue Walker, Oliver Phommavanh, Aleesah Darlinson, Add a tag

 There was so much great news at the Sydney Kids Writers & Illustrators Network at The Hughenden.

There are lots of launches, festivals, conferences, CBC event and new books coming out in Oz or travelling the world. Tristan Bancks  Mac Slater Cool Hunter has gone to the USA and the cover looks fantastic. More sequels are coming.

Kate Forsyth’s Wildkin’s Curse and sister Belinda Murrell’s The Ruby Talisman are featuring in lots of festivals – Sydney Writers Festival, Kids and YA Literature festival at the NSW Writers Centre and much more.

Oliver Phommavanh’s ‘Thai Riffic’ is launching at Gleebooks in June. Watch out for it.

Sue Walker’s ‘Arnie Avery’ (Walker Books) which got a 5 star review in Australian Bookseller and Author is being launched at the NSW Writer’s Centre Kids and Young Adult Literature Festival 3rd July. She showed an advance copy – it’s so good. 

My Always Jack to be published by HarperCollins is due for release in October. It’s a book dear to my heart about making it OK for kids to talk.  Here’s the draft cover.

There’re new books from Aleesah Darlinson, Dawn Hort, Stephen Measday’s ‘Send Simon Savage’ is selling through the roof…. lots of good stuff is happening.

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18. CBC’s Lady Cutler Award Celebrates Chris Cheng & Children’s Writing

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By: Susanne Gervay, on 11/19/2009
Blog: Susanne Gervay's Blog (Login to Add to MyJacketFlap)
JacketFlap tags:  JUlie Vivas, Ursula Dubosarsky, Libby Gleeson, Lady Cutler Award, Oliver Phommavanh, News, Young Adult Books, Writing, Kids Books, CBCA, The Hughenden, Add a tag

Author Libby Gleeson and illustrator Julie Vivas

The Lady Cutler Award dinner was filled with authors, illustrators, publishers, librarians and readers. Lady Cutler’s son presented the award this year to Chris Cheng who spoke to us from Hong Kong.

Authors Oliver and Susanne Gervay, Val Noake from e-lit

I gave the citation speech which was innovative over cyberspace.

Chris Cheng accepting the Lady Cutler Award via skype

There were lots of authors and illustrators there including Julie Vivas, Libby Gleeson, Sue Whiting, Di Bates,

Kris from Lateral Learning Speakers Agency and author Ursula Dubosarsky

Bill Condon, Jan Latta, Ursula Dubosarsky, Wendy Blaxland ……. who were celebrating Chris’ achievements and the Children’s Book Council.

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