Heritage Hotels Seminar Series
Wombats and Killiecrankies

Featuring current Australian Children's Laureate Jackie French, award-winning Australian children's author Gary Crew and local award-winning author Tessa Duder.
They will discuss the role of the newly established Children's Laureate in the Australian literary scene (and why New Zealand needs one), and trends in the currently fashionable and controversial genre of young adult fiction.

Jackie French is currently the Australian Children’s Laureate, twice winner of their Book of the Year award, and author of more than 130 books, children’s fiction and gardening. Historical novels include Hitler’s Daughter; picture books include Diary of a Wombat and Pete the Sheep.

Gary Crew is an acclaimed writer of ground-breaking Young Adult novels and picture books, novels Strange Objects and most recently The Architecture of Song and picture books The Watertower and The Lost Diamonds of Killiecrankie. He lectures in Creative Writing at the University of the Sunshine Coast.

Tessa Duder is the author of the award-winning Night Race to Kawau and the Alex Quartet, non-fiction books including Margaret Mahy: A Writer’s Life, and adult short stories.

Wine and nibbles, book raffles, informal quiz by Quizmaster Wayne Mills, Nosh raffle, chance to meet authors and illustrators attending Festival week.