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Kelly CanbyRegional Advisor Author/Illustrator Kelly Canby was born in London, England, at a very young age. She now lives in Perth, Western Australia, and is quite a bit older. Kelly spends her days in the studio drawing and painting and when she isn’t in the studio drawing and painting she’s probably in another room drawing and painting. She draws and paints a lot. Also, she is surprisingly good at parallel parking. Email: canbykelly [at] gmail.com |
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Jodie DavidsonAssistant Regional Advisor After many years spent working as a Project Coordinator and later marketing within the construction industry, a choice to focus solely on an art career has lead Jodie towards an environmentally sustainable practice together with a nature inspired philosophy. Her motto that ‘there is nothing wrong in art’ reminds us that the creative process is just that, a process. It is about taking the time to explore creativity in order to find a balance to the constant busyness we all have in our modern day lives. Through classes, workshops, music, public speaking and artwork, Jodie shares her thoughts and practices to encourage others to find their balance through the use of creative activity. Email: jodiedavidson@live.com.au |
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Briony StewartIllustrator Coordinator Briony Stewart is the author and illustrator of several award-winning books for children, including the ‘Kumiko and the Dragon’ series and ‘We Love You Magoo’ which was a CBCA Early Childhood Honour Book for 2020. Briony lectures on children’s literature at university and conducts talks and workshops with children across Australia. She loves live drawing challenges, day dreaming and discussing dragons, bunnies and how to tame lions. |
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Renae HaywardAssistant Assistant Regional Advisor Renae Hayward was born during a cyclone in 1983 in Western Australia’s Pilbara region, but spent her formative years by the beaches of Perth’s northern suburbs. Her first novel, Barking Mad, was released by Walker Books Australia in September 2013. When not writing, Renae works as a senior health promotion officer and enjoys practicing yoga and meditation. She lives with her partner, James, and Frankie the Labrador near Fremantle in Western Australia. |
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Catherine CarvellMembership Coordinator |
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Dianne WolferRemote Regions Coordinator Dianne lives on the south-west coast with her husband, Pete and dog, Harry. She is author of 16 books for teenagers and young readers. Her latest title Nanna’s Button Tin is a gentle story about a little girl searching for a very special button. Dianne writes across genres and her award-winning historical fiction Lighthouse Girl and Light Horse Boy inspired Black Swan Theatre’s recent adaptation The Lighthouse Girl as well as the 2015 Perth Festival street theatre performance of The Giants. 2017 CBCA Notable Book, The Shark Caller is a quest novel inspired by the ancient practise of calling sharks. Dianne has just completed a PhD researching Animal Characters in Children’s Literature. |
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Sandi ParsonsCritique Group Coordinator Sandi Parsons lives and breathes stories, as a reader, writer and storyteller. Having spent eighteen years working in educational libraries, she is passionate about diversity in storytelling and engaging readers with stories. Sandi considers her guardianship of gifted lungs one of her many victories in her on-going battle with Cystic Fibrosis. She believes that a teetering stack of books waiting to be read is an essential component of every household. |
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Rebecca NewmanNewsletter EditorRebecca Newman is a children’s writer and poet. Her poetry and a playscript have been published by The School Magazine (published by the Ed dept in NSW), and she was a recipient of the Term 4 2019 Paper Bird Books Fellowship (Writer-in-residence) at Paper Bird Children’s Books and Arts in Fremantle, Western Australia. Her latest poem ‘Potion Problems’ will be in an anthology Fire Burn, Cauldron Bubble: Magical Poems Chosen by Paul Cookson, out in 2020. Rebecca is also the editor at Alphabet Soup’s website www.alphabetsoup.net.au, which provides a forum for children’s own writing. |
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James FoleyTreasurer James Foley is a children’s author and illustrator. His books include Brobot (2016), My Dead Bunny (2015), In The Lion (2012), The Amity Kids Adventures (2013), The Last Viking (2011), The Last Viking Returns (2014), and Dungzilla (2017). My Dead Bunny was shortlisted for Picture Book of the Year in the 2016 Children’s Book Council of Australia Awards. In The Lion was selected for the International Youth Library’s 2013 White Raven list. The Last Viking won the 2012 Society of Children’s Book Writers and Illustrators’ Crystal Kite Award, the 2012 WA Young Readers’ Hoffman Award, and a 2012 Children’s Book Council of Australia Junior Judges Award, and was shortlisted for a further four awards. |
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Denis KnightWebmaster / Technical Wizard Denis Knight was born in the late 1960s near Perth, Western Australia, and grew up in a quiet suburb not too far from the beach. He spent most of the 1970s watching Doctor Who and Monkey, and most of the 1980s listening to ZZ-Top. He now spends his days managing complex computer systems for shadowy government departments, and his nights writing science fiction adventure novels for young readers, including the Hunter Black alien conspiracy series, and the Max Neutron intergalactic espionage series. He lives in Western Australia with his wife, his two children, and his extensive collection of The X-Files DVDs. He has never been eaten by space wasps or abducted by aliens—as far as he knows. |
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Cindy LaneSocial Media Coordinator Cindy is an award winning artist and illustrator living by the beach in sunny Perth, Australia. The inspiration for Cindy’s work began in early childhood, with a deep curiosity for the natural world and its inhabitants. Honing her artistic skills at James Cook University, Cindy graduated in 2009 and subsequently began a career as an artist, illustrator and tutor. She is currently furthering her arts study at Curtin University, whilst expanding her artistic practice. |
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