Joel McKerrow

• Author
• Graphic novelist
• Poet

Audience:

Primary age, Secondary age

Home state:

Victoria (VIC)

Joel McKerrow is an award-winning writer, speaker, children’s author, creativity specialist and one of Australia’s most successful, internationally-touring, performance poets. Full-time in his creative career for the past fifteen years, Joel has released seven spoken word/music albums, six poetry books. In March 2024, Joel releases his first Graphic Novel Series: . . .

James Phelan

• Author

Audience:

Primary age, Secondary age, Adults, Tertiary age

Format:

Workshops, Presentations

Home state:

Victoria (VIC)

James Phelan is the author of 30 books, including thrillers, young adult, and middle grade fiction. After studying architecture and working on the Federation Square design team, James studied English Literature and worked at The Age for five years. While there, he studied an MA Writing, then a PhD in . . .

Crystal Corocher

• Author

Audience:

Primary age, Secondary age, Pre-school age

Home state:

Victoria (VIC)

Crystal is an Australia Reads Ambassador Author and a passionate advocate for diversity in children’s literature. With dynamic sessions to engage reluctant readers through to development of gifted writers, your enrichment session with Crystal will be jam-packed with new tips, tricks and techniques to get creating! talks and workshops Crystal . . .

Henry Boffin

• Author

Audience:

Secondary age, Adults, Tertiary age

Format:

Talks, Presentations

Home state:

Victoria (VIC)

Henry is an award-winning screenwriter and children’s author, best known for his sci-fi middle-grade novel, Speck of the Stars. He has multiple years of experience teaching at high schools and universities throughout Australia and relishes his quest to help inspire the minds of children and adults alike. talks and presentations . . .

Maree Coote

• Artist
• Author
• Illustrator

Audience:

Primary age, Secondary age, Adults

Maree is an energetic inspirational speaker. She writes on history, art and design for adults and for children. Her childrens’ books explore creative concepts like art, architecture and typography. Spellbound was awarded Winner of the Bologna Ragazzi Special Mention Prize, Azaria was awarded the Bronze Medal in the CBCA Awards and Maree’s other . . .

Dannika Patterson and Megan Forward

• Author
• Illustrator

Audience:

Primary age

Format:

Talks, Workshops, Presentations

Home state:

Queensland (QLD)

Author Dannika Patterson and illustrator Megan Forward team up for co-presentations. Dannika and Megan are the creators of Jacaranda Magic and Scribbly Gum Secrets. DANNIKA PATTERSON Dannika Patterson is a children’s author, creative workshop presenter and Australia Reads ambassador. With over 12 children’s picture book and early reader titles published . . .

Megan Forward

• Illustrator

Audience:

Primary age, Adults, Teachers, Pre-school age, Tertiary age

Format:

Talks, Workshops, Presentations, Professional development

Home state:

Queensland (QLD)

Megan Forward is a twice CBCA (Children’s Book Council of Australia) – shortlisted illustrator and author with a Bachelor of Visual Arts and a Bachelor of Teaching specialising in Visual Art and English. Megan has written and illustrated A Patch from Scratch, and illustrated six published children’s picture books to . . .

Robyn Ridgeway

• Author

Audience:

Secondary age, Adults

Home state:

New South Wales (NSW)

My name is Robyn Ridgeway. My Mother is a Thungutti woman, my Father a Biripai man. Both come from the NSW north coast. I’ve been teaching Aboriginal Studies for over twenty-seven years, both face-to-face and online. I enjoy writing because I get to be creative and escape reality for a . . .

Taylor Hampton and Jacinta Daniher

Audience:

Primary age, Secondary age, Adults, Pre-school age, Childcare

Format:

Talks, Workshops

Home state:

Victoria (VIC)

Taylor Hampton is a proud Ngiyampaa/Wiradjuri man and Jacinta Daniher is an early childhood educator. Taylor and Jacinta have a passion for educating young people about Aboriginal Culture. In 2019 they established Birrang Cultural Connections to offer cultural workshops to education settings. They have two children, Ella and Arlo, who . . .

Steven Herrick

Audience:

Primary age, Secondary age

Format:

Talks, Workshops, Presentations

Home state:

Queensland (QLD)

Steven Herrick is the author of twenty-seven books for children and young adults. Steven’s books have won the NSW Premier’s Literary Awards (twice) and been shortlisted for the CBCA Book of the Year Awards on ten occasions. He is widely regarded as the pioneer of the verse-novel genre in Australia. . . .