For the last nearly-year I’ve been working with the lovely people at the Mundaring Arts Centre to put together the 2013 heARTlines Children’s Literature and Book Illustration Festival…

…and it opens next week! Yee ha!

You can come along to the Grand Opening on Friday 7 June from 7pm at the Mundaring Arts Centre.

Our guest speaker is Joanna Andrew, Coordinator of Community Liaison for the State Library of Western Australia. It’ll be a fun night, with loads of artwork to view and buy, nibblies and refreshments, plus the chance to meet some of WA’s best writers and illustrators for children. Awesome opportunity if you adore children’s literature, like me. 🙂

The heARTlines festival runs for six weeks (7 June to 14 July), with interactive workshops, inspiring talks and an exhibition by some of Australia’s best children’s book creators. We’ve also organised a huge schools program, where students can meet and be inspired by our talented, funny, brilliant and creative authors and illustrators.

The FREE exhibition includes illustrations by

• Wendy Binks (author of the Where’s Stripey? series; winner of the WA Premier’s Book Award);
• Rebecca Cool (Bog Frog Hop by Kyle Mewburn);
• Moira Court (My Superhero by Chris Owen);
• James Foley (author of In the Lion and winner of the 2012 Crystal Kite);
• Kyle Hughes-Odgers (Ten Tiny Things by Meg McKinlay; winner of 2013 Crystal Kite);
• Sonia Kretchmar (Do Not Forget Australia by Sally Murphy; 2011 Archibald Prize finalist);
• Frané Lessac (award-winning illustrator of 35+ books, including Drummer Boy of John John by Mark Greenwood);
• Norma MacDonald (author of Spinifex Mouse);
• Sonia Martinez (Sam, Grace and the Shipwreck by Michelle Gillespie plus illustrations from The Amber Amulet by Craig Silvey; winner of the Crichton Award for New Illustrators);
• Matt Ottley (Tree and Parachute by Danny Parker and author/composer of Requiem for a Beast);
• Brian Simmonds (Light Horse Boy by Dianne Wolfer; multi-award winning artist); and
• Briony Stewart (The Red Wheelbarrow; winner of the Queensland Premier’s Literary Award).

For further information, please call the Mundaring Arts Centre on 9295 3991.

More about the heARTlines festival and exhibition
heARTlines promotes an appreciation and understanding of children’s books through the stories and art of WA authors and illustrators. The heARTlines festival was created to bring literature and art enrichment opportunities to children, teachers, writers and artists on the eastern edge of Perth.

heARTlines is proudly supported by the Department of Culture and the Arts, Healthway promoting the Drug Aware message, the Shire of Mundaring and the Children’s Book Council of Australia’s WA branch (CBCA).