Reading Matters 2011
Last Friday and Saturday I went to my first-ever writing conference: Reading Matters, the SLV Centre for Youth Literature's biennial youth literature conference. Heading in on Friday felt a bit like the first day of school: would I know anyone?, would I have to eat lunch alone? I needn't have worried. Not only did I know a few faces in the crowd, but everyone I met over the two days was extraordinarily lovely and welcoming and generous.
My notes from the sessions are scant, and many are also unintelligible*, so if you want a proper wrap-up I suggest you head to My Girl Friday, where Steph has written an amazing four-part summary of day 1, and Literary Life, where Megan has summed up day 2.
My personal highlights:
meeting people I'd previously only known via their blogs and Twitter (like Steph and Megan and Adele), and authors I have admired from afar, and some really interesting librarianscatching up with the lovely folks from Walker Bookssneak-preview readings from upcoming books by Markus Zusak, Cassandra Clare and Karen Healeyhearing about other people's writing and research processes - Cassie Clare almost got Holly Black arrested while she was scoping out a disused smallpox hospital in NY; Ursula Dubosarsky studied Charles Blackman's paintings of schoolgirls; JC Burke gutted a pig...Brenton McKenna describing his distress when he realised as a kid that comics were not diaries written by superheroes, and his tales of his superhero-in-her-own-right granOliver Phommavanh, who warned us that his session with Richard Newsome would be LOUD, and delivered on his promisethe Love and Other Bruises panel - some of my fave Aussie contemporary YA authors discussing writing believable love stories (and moderated with aplomb by Kate)**Most of all, Reading Matters was an incredible opportunity to immerse myself in (other people's) books and writing for a couple of days, from which I emerged invigorated and inspired. Roll on RM13!
* I'm sure whatever prompted me to jot down 'hot feet on a cool patch' made perfect sense at the time, but three days later, notsomuch.
** My only complaint was that this session was way too short - more swoon next time, please!
My notes from the sessions are scant, and many are also unintelligible*, so if you want a proper wrap-up I suggest you head to My Girl Friday, where Steph has written an amazing four-part summary of day 1, and Literary Life, where Megan has summed up day 2.
My personal highlights:
meeting people I'd previously only known via their blogs and Twitter (like Steph and Megan and Adele), and authors I have admired from afar, and some really interesting librarianscatching up with the lovely folks from Walker Bookssneak-preview readings from upcoming books by Markus Zusak, Cassandra Clare and Karen Healeyhearing about other people's writing and research processes - Cassie Clare almost got Holly Black arrested while she was scoping out a disused smallpox hospital in NY; Ursula Dubosarsky studied Charles Blackman's paintings of schoolgirls; JC Burke gutted a pig...Brenton McKenna describing his distress when he realised as a kid that comics were not diaries written by superheroes, and his tales of his superhero-in-her-own-right granOliver Phommavanh, who warned us that his session with Richard Newsome would be LOUD, and delivered on his promisethe Love and Other Bruises panel - some of my fave Aussie contemporary YA authors discussing writing believable love stories (and moderated with aplomb by Kate)**Most of all, Reading Matters was an incredible opportunity to immerse myself in (other people's) books and writing for a couple of days, from which I emerged invigorated and inspired. Roll on RM13!
* I'm sure whatever prompted me to jot down 'hot feet on a cool patch' made perfect sense at the time, but three days later, notsomuch.
** My only complaint was that this session was way too short - more swoon next time, please!
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