Date/Time
Date(s) - 29/Aug/2021
10:30 am - 1:00 pm

SCBWI QLD is proud to present a special Bibliotherapy Symposium, focusing on children’s issues books and the helping professionals who use them.

• Bibliotherapy: How Helping Professionals Use Books with Clients
• Crafting Children’s Stories to Comfort & Guide – Craft, Considerations & Caveats

Attendees will gain an appreciation of the importance of helping books, tips on writing and illustrating these books for a young audience, and a clear awareness of the niche in the market.

Booking Info:

Booking opens on 1 August right here. And don’t forget to save the date! 29 August 2021! It’s online, so anyone, anywhere can participate. $20 for current members, $30 for guests.

The event will be recorded, and playback will be available for the month of September 2021.

Check Out Our Incredible Lineup of Speakers

We are thrilled to have Dr Zewlan Moor, the GP behind Byron Bibliotherapy, as our keynote speaker. She’s also a fabulous kidlit creator and freelance writer, recently signing with US-based literary agent Amy Thrall Flynn, of Rubin Pfeffer Content.

Zewlan started Byron Bibliotherapy after feedback from patients who found it helpful when she recommended specific fiction works to them. This practice came out of her background as a GP with multiple interests, mainly related to literature, literacy and reading.

During her medical degree at the University of New South Wales, she also decided to study literature. She wrote her thesis on children’s fantasy texts, focusing on Philip Pullman’s His Dark Materials trilogy and JK Rowling’s Harry Potter series. She currently divides her time between a skin cancer clinic and as a surgical assistant.

“As a medical professional, I have been trained to understand the big picture of health. People who come to me for bibliotherapy – or book counselling – come away with a literary guiding hand to help them through whatever crossroads they happen to be at.”

Also featuring:

Publisher Anouska Jones: What is an Issues Book?

Anouska Jones is the Publisher at EK Books, the children’s picture book imprint of Exisle Publishing. Launched in 2013, this boutique imprint has as its motto ‘Books with Heart on Issues that Matter’ and is home to several award-winning titles and best-selling books. Anouska has 25 years’ experience in book publishing and in that time has worked in every genre from self-help to military history, from cookery to travel, but children’s books are her favourite! Anouska is also a reviewer and author. 

NB: We regret Anouska is unable to attend the meeting live due to a full publishing schedule. Her interview with SCBWI QLD ARA Ali Stegert will be prerecorded and shown during the event.

Speech Pathologist Claire Monsour: How Speechies Use Kids’ Books Claire is a paediatric speech pathologist with 17 years experience working with young children who have difficulties with communication, literacy, social skills, play skills and feeding. Claire has worked in education, community health, disability, private practice and university settings. She is a Certified Practicing Speech Pathologist and a practicing member of Speech Pathology Australia.

Teacher Librarian Sue Warren: Literary Apothecary – Prescribing Books to Kids

Since qualifying as a teacher-librarian in 1996, Sue has had wide experience in both primary and secondary libraries as well as public libraries. She is currently Head of Library Services at a large P-12 independent school on Brisbane’s southside. As a passionate reader herself since the age of three, she has constantly encouraged her students to read for pleasure, in her firm belief that reading fiction is essential in developing empathy, critical thinking and breadth of world knowledge . 

Author & PhD Candidate Taryn Bashford: #TriggerWarning – Writing YA Books on Trauma Without Retraumatising

Taryn Bashford is the author of The Harper Effect, a young adult novel published by Pan Macmillan in Australia and Skyhorse Publishing in the USA (2018), as well as a second novel, The Astrid Notes (2019), also published by Pan Macmillan. Taryn speaks at numerous literary conferences and regularly works as an Author-in-Residence conducting writing workshops with high schools. In addition, she is a writing mentor for unpublished writers with Queensland Writers Centre and the instigator of the new Friends of Libraries Book Feasts – a community event for booklovers. Taryn is currently a sessional tutor teaching creative writing at the University of Queensland where she’s also writing her PhD in Creative Writing.

Writer – Teacher – Youth Worker, Bethany Loveridge: Moderating our Finale Q&A Panel

Bethany is an aspiring author from Brisbane, neck-deep in an adventurous historical fiction series. She is a youth worker-cum-teacher of Visual Art and Film and Television, but currently works for the Queensland Curriculum and Assessment Authority writing curriculum and supporting teachers across the state. Before this, Bethany worked with the Lifelong Learning team at Queensland Museum, playing with very nerdy things and flexing her cortex. She has a passion for the arts, science, and empowering young people, and these things are front and centre in her storytelling.

SCBWI QLD ARA – Kidlit Creator, Ali Stegert: Your Bibliotherapy Symposium Host

Ali’s beloved career as a school counsellor kindled a curiosity about the therapeutic possibilities of literature. A big believer in the sanctuary offered by libraries, she teamed up with her school’s librarians to enhance safe, nurturing spaces for little bookworms and aspiring writer-kids. Now retired, she writes award-winning historical fiction for young people, quirky stories for little kids, and nonfiction for all ages as a freelance writer.

Two Fabulous BONUS Opportunities!

EK Books will graciously offer an exclusive submissions window for event attendees in the weeks following the event. Got an issues-based picture book MS for kids? Here’s your golden opportunity to learn exactly what EK Books want and how to present it.

Interested in learning more about the the Speech Pathology Australia Book of the Year Prize? Claire Monsour has been part of the judging panel for many years. She’ll explain what qualities make a SPAu Book of the Year.

Special Thanks

How about our cute logo? The artwork is the creation of Brisbane-based illustrator, animator and designer Amanda Jean at www.bleupencil.com. Or find her on Instagram @bleupencil.