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SWF launches first ever children’s writers festival

The Sydney Writers’ Festival (SWF) will hold its first dedicated children’s festival from 14 November to 4 December 2014.

The Children’s Festival of Moving Stories features 25 authors in almost 40 events, with a ‘focus on delivering events in Western Sydney’, festival publicist Allison Lee told Books+Publishing. ‘It’s part of a commitment from SWF to broaden our remit to deliver quality children’s events on an ongoing basis to foster a love of stories and reading from a very early age.’

The newly appointed full-time head of children’s programing Jeanmarie Morosin has developed the festival in consultation with teachers, parents, librarians and community groups from Western Sydney ‘to reflect the area’s rich cultural diversity’.

The festival also runs School Days and a Family Day during the Sydney Writers’ Festival in May.

Among the events at the inaugural festival is the launch of the My Story Project. ‘Western Sydney families told us they wanted to create and share their own stories of home, place and community,’ said Lee. ‘As a result, Children’s Laureate Jackie French will help give voice to Western Sydney children with the festival’s launch of the My Story Project which will relate and record stories about the changing lives and face of Western Sydney’s children.’

The festival’s line-up of authors includes French, Mem Fox, Jaclyn Moriaty, Andrew Daddo, Libby Glesson, Ahmad Al Rady, Sarah Ayoub, Tamar Chnorhokian and Oliver Phommavanh. 

See the festival program online here.

 

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Category: Local news