Author

Gary Crew, Libby Hathorn

Gary Crew (Author)

Gary Crew writes short stories, novels and picture books. Gary is Professor of Creative Writing at the University of the Sunshine Coast, Queensland. He is particularly interested in researching the creative links between fiction and nonfiction in his novels and the creative interface between print text and visual text in his picture books. During his publishing career of over 30 years Gary has won the Children's Book Council of Australia's Book of the Year four times, twice for novels and twice for his picture books; the New South Wales Premier's Award, the Victorian Premier's Award, the American Children's Book of Distinction, the Aurealis Best Children's Short Fiction, the Wilderness Society's Award for Environmental Writing, and the Royal Geographic Society Whitley Award. Gary lives on the waterfront of subtropical Bribie Island. When he is not writing or lecturing, he loves to walk by the sea or read.

Libby Hathorn (Author)

Libby Hathorn is an award-winning author and poet of more than seventy books for children, young adults, and adult readers. Translated into several languages and adapted for both stage and screen, her work has won honours in Australia, the United States, Great Britain and Holland. In 2014 she won The Alice Award, a national award given to 'a woman who has made a distinguished and long term contribution to Australian literature'. In 2017 she won the Asher Award, a peace prize, for A Soldier, a Dog and a Boy.

Her first young adult novel Thunderwith has enjoyed thirty years in continuous print and was made into a Hallmark Hall of Fame movie. Two of Libby's picture books, Grandma's Shoes and Sky Sash So Blue, have been performed as operas, with a third, Outside, with music composed by Elena Kats-Chernin, already on its way.

Libby is a keen educator who has lectured part-time at Sydney University and is devoted to being an ambassador for poetry anywhere and everywhere. In 2012 she was a National Ambassador for Reading and travelled to many country towns to talk about Australian literature. Libby acts as a judge for various literary prizes, including the NSW Premier's Literary Awards.

For more information, free writing tips and teaching resources, go to www.libbyhathorn.com