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T he write stuff
Scribblers is a festival for lovers of the written word (and illustrations too) - and this year, there’s an embarassment of riches in terms of Australian literary talent.
WORDS | Gabi Mills
SCRIBBLERS FESTIVAL IS an annual festival of literature and arts for young people. With programming just for schools, a free weekend for the whole family, and mini-events throughout the year, Scribblers Festival invites young people and the young-at-heart to celebrate the magic of storytelling. The Festival brings together authors, illustrators and other storytellers from Perth, across Australia, and around the world to empower and engage young readers through interactive sessions and workshops. In the lead up to the festival, over 15,000 feather-shaped bookmarks are scattered throughout public libraries across Western Australia, with five rare Golden Feathers waiting to be found by lucky young readers as part of the annual Golden Feather Hunt. Scribblers encourages young writers to put their ideas on to paper for a chance to win a The Golden Pen Writing Award, and lets teens take over the mic to create podcasts that are broadcast around the world from our very own Conversation Caravan. Scribblers Festival, Subiaco Arts Centre and Regal Theatre, Schools Program, 24 May to June 1, Family Program, 29 to 30 May. Visit scribblersfestival.com.au. 36
SUBIACO: EAT DRINK SHOP
Meet the writer ~ Cristy Burne Children’s author and science writer Cristy Burne is passionate about empowering our next generation of creative, science-savvy citizen. She has worked as a science communicator for 20 years across seven countries and has performed in a science circus, worked as a garbage analyst, and was a reporter at CERN when they turned on the Large Hadron Collider. Cristy works at the intersection of science, technology and creativity. Her latest books include Beneath the Trees, Aussie STEM Stars: Fiona Wood and Wednesday Weeks and the Tower of Shadows, co-written with Denis Knight. GM: You’re a passionate advocate of the power of books (no batteries required) - how do you convince a kid who’s book-phobic to give them a go? CB: Getting a kid into reading is all about finding the right book. Let kids choose the stories they want to read. And don’t forget: sharing stories is one of the best ways to bond with your children. Read to your kids on the couch. Do the voices. Stop at the cliffhangers. Leave them begging to find out what happens next. Insert mockevil laughter whenever you can.
GM: What are you doing at this year’s Scribblers Festival - and what are you looking forward to seeing/hearing during the event? CB: At this year’s festival I’m celebrating science and fantasy, creativity and wonder, adventure and comedy. I’ll be talking about my latest books, Beneath The Trees (ages 6+; based on my true-life rainforest adventure); Aussie STEM Stars – Fiona Wood (ages 12+; the especially-for-kids biography of burns surgeon and inventor of spray-on skin, Fiona Wood); and Wednesday Weeks and the Tower of Shadows (ages 8+; the first in a funny fantasy-meets-STEM series co-authored with Denis Knight). And I’ll be bringing my stuffed giant pink slug in an attempt to break the world record for Most Photos Taken With A Gastropod. GM: If you could invite some famous writers/scientists round to your book club, who would they be and why? CB: We’re so lucky here in Western Australia to be bulging at the seams with incredible writers and scientists, illustrators and inventors. I’m a member of the WA Chapter of the Society of Children’s Book Writers and Illustrators, which is like a giant book club, and every time we get together there are ideas and laughter bouncing off the walls. If I could hang out with anyone at all, I think I’d choose Marie Curie – in the early 1900s she won a Nobel Prize for Physics and another for Chemistry, making her the first woman to win a Nobel, and the only person ever to win two in different fields.
