A merry crowd of SCBWI West members jingled along to Frané Lessac and Mark Greenwood’s home in Fremantle on Sunday, December 8 for an end-of-year gathering full of fun, frolics and festive spirit.
There was plenty to celebrate, with members notching up a total of 19 new releases during 2013 and some outstanding achievements, including a Crystal Kite award, CBC Honour Book, CBCA Notable Books and a short listing for the Crichton Award. YA author AJ Betts’ world domination – with rights sales into Turkey, Germany, Canada, Italy, The Netherlands and Russia as well as the US and UK – was duly noted. Many WA creators took their talents out and about and participated in festivals at home and abroad and the group welcomed visits by three leading publishers.
A selection of trophies and medals recognised some quirky contributions on the organisational front and the appointment of Jen Banyard as membership coordinator was announced. In the new year SCBWI West will offer critique group and mentoring opportunities organised by Teena Raffa-Mulligan, newly appointed critique coordinator. Planning is underway for an exciting 2014 calendar of activities and events, with the annual Rottnest Retreat again featuring mainland and day tripper programs.
With the official business out of the way, members enjoyed an afternoon of seasonal good cheer. Santa’s wardrobe malfunction got the gift-giving off to an entertaining start and the laughter continued with some brain-teasing activities created by Amanda Betts. Librarians were a decided asset when it came to identifying various illustrators by their work, choosing new titles for a selection of Little Golden Books caused great hilarity, and a cryptic crossword based around members’ names proved particularly testing. The crossword is now uploaded and a prize will be awarded to the first member to submit a correctly completed crossword to Frané. (NB: some answers relate to WA authors/illustrators who are not SCBWI West members, but should be known to you nonetheless; a few others belong to Eastern States SCBWI members who have been involved in SCBWI West events in the past).
Pick-the-Illustrator quiz – answers
Make your own title – team reponses and actual versions
**A couple of dishes were left behind; please email Frané for lost property: frane@franelessac.com
— With thanks to Teena Raffa-Mulligan for this report
