Children’s Book Writers and Illustrators Retreat - May 5-9, 2008

Marianna Brandt -Workshop presenter

2008-04-26T16:32:00.000-07:00

Marianne Brandt

Writer

Marianna Brandt has written quite a number of childrens’ books. She received a White Raven-nomination for her book The Mealiecobb Doll/Die mieliestronkpop. Her previous books with H&R are: Die geheim van die toringkamer, Die stoutsterte, Van Texel tot Tafelbaai, Markus Stermuis/Marcus Star Mouse. Marianna also writes for educational publishers; local and overseas. Marianna lives in Boston, Bellivlle.

Ek is in Kaapstad gebore en het in Namibië groot geword. My ma

het elke aand vir ons vier meisiekinders stories gelees of vertel, ook van Blinkoog die nagmonster wat kinders opvreet wat nie wil slaap nie. Net die woorde 'Daar kom Blinkoog.' was genoeg waarskuwing van Ma dat dit nou slaaptyd is. In Swakopmund het ek as kind 'n ryke verbeelding gehad en ons was vry om ons verbeelding uit te leef. Ons het kartonhuise gebou, winkel-winkel gespeel en vir die hoenders skool gehou. Ons het hulle laat stil sit deur 'n klippie op hulle koppe te sit. Pa was 'n polisieman en soms het ons saam met hom langs die Skedelkus gaan uitkamp, in tente geslaap en na die huil van die hienas geluister.

Na skool het ek in die Vrystaat gaan studeer en 'n Mediese Tegnoloog geword in chemie. Vir ongeveer tien jaar het ek in laboratoriums landwyd gewerk. Toe gaan ek oorsee en sien Europa, Verre Ooste en Israel. Ek kon net nie weer aanpas tussen die vier mure van die laboratorium na hierdie ondervindinge nie.

Met geen ondervinding sluit ek toe aan by die SAUK, Afrikaanse Diens. Dis toe daar wat ek leer skryf het. Baie stories (ongeveer 50) vir Siembamba het gevolg, een van hulle Poppie-Dot van die Kaap. Die storie is toe deur Tafelberg Uitgewers uitgegee.

Ek het ook na 'n jaar of twee by die SAUK by 'n TV-maatskappy aangesluit. Daar het ek geleer om draaiboeke te skryf, veral vir die opvoedkundige mark, TV2 & TV3. Ek het ook navorsing gedoen en gehelp met die vervaardiging van 'n paar 'Uit en Tuis' programme terwyl ek vir die maatskappy gewerk het en het dit baie geniet.

My skrywersloopbaan het toe eers weer in 1992 begin vlamvat met die Aids storieboeke in Engels vir Macmillan Uitgewers in Johannesburg. Dit is voorgeskryf vir Natal, Swaziland, Kenia en Namibië. Daarna het baie boeke gevolg vir Macmillan in Johannesburg en Macmillan in Engeland.

In 1994 het Poppie-Dot by die Grootrivier gevolg, ook uitgegee deur Tafelberg uitgewers. Ek weet dat die stories in die boek al opgevoer is deur skole in die Weskaap en word ook tans in die kurrikulum onderrig in Stellenbosch gebruik

In Mei 1998 was ek een van 'n groep van vyf skrywers uit Suid-Afrika vir 'n program Shuttle 99 Project (Kuns & Kultuur) wat in Ysland gehou is en deur die Nordiese Raad van Ministerieë georganiseer is. Een van die skrywers was Zakes Mda, 'n bekende ook in dramakringe. By die geleentheid moes ons 'n kinderboek produseer. Myne was Kria the Summerbird wat deur 'n Yslandse uitgewer uitgegee is.

In 1999 het ek vier Afrikaanse stories geskryf vir die Rimpelstoriereeks van Maskew Miller Longman vir Graad 3. Hierdie stories het 'n Eretoekenning gekry wat deur die Weskaapse Boekforum toegeken is.

Ek hoop om nog baie kinderboeke in Afrikaans te produseer. Veral stories waarvan kinders hou.

Onlangse Publikasies

2001: Toringkamer (jeugboek 13-15jr) Human &Rousseau

2002: Die Stoutsterte (Kinderboek 8-10) Human & Rousseau.

2003: The River Queen (Kinderboek 10-12) Macmillan, UK

2003: Markus Stermuis op die Sojoes ... 3 ...2 ...1 (ook in engels) Human & Rousseau

2004: The River Queen (Macmillan UK)

2004: Afrikaans vir Ons (medeskrywers vir Graad 4,5.6)

2004: Om die Wêreld - Maskew Miller Longman (Graad 6)
Hoekom is die see swart - MML (Graad 4)

2005: Nelson & Ali (Heinemann UK)

2005: Die Kat van Rowerbaai, Die Dertiende Uur, Die Geheim van die Kiss, Shamila se blomme, Die Kunsjuffrou, Tanja in Taiwan (Graad 5 - Heinemann SA)

2006: Die Avonture van Magrietjie Swaaiboude - Human & Rousseau

2006: Die Stoutsterte - Poot aan Wal (einde Mei) Human & Rousseau

Janie Oosthuysen-Taylor - Workshop presenter

2008-04-16T02:54:00.000-07:00

Janie Oosthuysen-Taylor

Author of children's books
and translator of the Harry Potter books

Adriana Maria Oosthuysen was born on 13 November 1956, at Paarl. After matriculation from the Hoër Meisieskool Bloemhof in Stellenbosch she studied at Stellenbosch University (BA, HED). She taught English at a high school and then became lecturer at the Athlone College in Paarl.
She married, had two children and got divorced. She is now married to John Taylor and devotes her time to her family. They live in Durbanville. Janie Oosthuysen started writing in 1994.

Quote: Afgeval, seergekry, opgeklim en weer gery... (Fell down, got hurt, got on again and rode on... Translation by Franci de Kock]

Awards:

ATKV Prize for Youth Literature: 1996 (second prize) for Kara en die blafdemper, 1998 for Drome op Duinebaai and second winner for My hart behoort aan jou and 2000 (second prize) for Eggo's van gister
1996-97: C.P. Hoogenhout Prize for children's literature for Ouma Hester en die Dreadnought, Merk III and Juffrou Luisenbosch en die Breinwassers and Professor Experimento se verskriklike formules
Academy Award for translation 2002

Recent Publications:
Skaduwee van die dood, Human & Rousseau, 2000
Riempelstories: Vir vryheid!, Kagiso Education, 2004
Riempelstories: Dra toktokkiessokkies?, Kagiso Education, 2004

Translations:
Narnia books by CS Lewis:
Prins Kaspian
Die perd en sy seun
Die leeu, die heks en die hangkas
Die towenaar se neef
Harry Potter by J.K. Rowling:
Harry Potter en die kamer van geheimenisse
Harry Potter en die towenar se steen
Harry Potter en die orde van die feniks
Artemis Fowl by Eoin Colfer, 2002

JANIE OOSTHUYSEN het ’n BA-graad, en het al meer as 40 kinder-, tiener- en skoolboeke geskryf, waaronder die gewilde Ouma Hester-stories en die splinternuwe Bessie Hemelbesem-reeks. Sy is al talle male bekroon, onder meer met die gesogte C.P. Hoogenhout-prys, asook die Akademieprys vir haar Harry Potter-vertalings. Janie se kinderboekkursus is propvol skryfgeheime en kortpaaie. “Ek wens ek het hierdie kursus vyftien jaar gelede self gedoen ...” sê sy.

Sindiwe Magona, storyteller

2008-03-19T13:17:00.000-07:00

Sindiwe Magona
Sindiwe is known as Nomabali
Born on the 27th August 1943 in Umtata, South Africa

Dr Sindiwe Magona: author, poet, playwright, story-teller, actor, and inspirational speaker has recently retired from the United Nations and relocated to her home country, South Africa.

PUBLISHED WORKS: Two autobiographical books: To My Children’s Children and Forced to Grow; two collections of short stories: Living, Loving, and Lying Awake at Night ;(Africa’s 100 Best Books of the 20th Century); Push-Push and Other Stories; a novel, Mother to Mother, recently optioned by Universal Studios for a film on the life of Amy Biehl. Rees Witherspoon will play Amy Biehl; Life is a Hard but beautiful Thing [in English and isiXhosa] [Juta – 2005]; sixteen children’s books – in FIVE African languages - [Oxford University Press – 2005] – Forthcoming: Five children’s books – Oxford University Press – 2006; a young young adult novel, [NASOU].

Magona has also been published in the New York Times, the Cape Times, and the Cape Argus as well as in magazines. Several of her short stories and essays have been anthologized. Forthcoming: The Best Meal Ever! [Tafelberg – May 2006] – a children’s book – [in English, isiXhosa, and Afrikaans].

AWARDS:

1993 – Honorary Doctorate in Humane Letters – Hartwick College, Oneonta, New York

1997 – New York Foundation for the Arts – Fellowship – Non-fiction category

1997 – Xhosa Heroes Award from the Xhosa Forum – Western Cape

1997 – UNdimande - Grand Prize Winner – Bhala Writers Short Story Contest

2000 – Bronx Recognizes its Own (BRIO) Award – Fiction

2003 – Proclamation (NY State Senate Democratic Leader, David A. Patterson) - on World Aids Day 2003 – in recognition of artistic work on the issue of HIV/AIDS.

VUKANI! An Aids play has been performed in Colleges, Churches, and theatres in the United States.

LOST AND BROUGHT BACK: Original screenplay, just completed – February 2005.

Besides Writers’ Conferences, Magona has given readings and addresses at numerous other international fora, including the United Nations, the Kennedy Centre, The Riverside Church, the Ford Foundation, Temple and Columbia Universities, to name a few. She has received numerous awards in recognition of her work in women’s issues, the plight of children, and the fight against apartheid and racism. Her first ten years at the United Nations were in the Department of Public Information where she worked in the Anti-Apartheid Radio Programmes.

LeAnne Hardy - workshop SA PRESENTERS

2008-03-04T15:53:00.000-08:00

Writer

“My name is LeAnne Hardy. I may have grown up in a Midwestern suburb of Indianapolis, Indiana, but I have now lived in six countries on four continents. I have sipped cream tea in Oxfordshire, slid down rocks in a Mato Grosso river, eaten stewed goat at a Mozambican wedding, climbed Table Mountain and shopped at Mall of America. My books are set in a variety of countries, and each tries to capture the unique feel of that place.

I have degrees in philosophy (from Indiana University, Bloomington, IN) and library and information science (from University of Minnesota, Minneapolis), but my secret love was always children’s literature. I began collecting beautiful picture books before I had the excuse of my own children. I started writing seriously when I was well into my forties. It took me a long time to convince myself that this was not a time-consuming hobby for an obsessive-compulsive perfectionist, but something that could touch the hearts of other people.

My primary target audience is children and young people because they have their whole lives ahead of them. The images of God, themselves and their place in the world planted in young minds can carry them through a lifetime of challenges. Although most of my stories are about faith, I am less interested in the process of coming to faith than I am in people of faith working out what that means in the specific situations of their lives. For more about my motivation for writing, see my article "The Value of Children’s Literature for Twenty-first Century Africa."

I currently live in South Africa where I focus on writing for children affected by HIV/AIDS. There are more than 12 million orphans in Africa, and many more who are living with sick and dying parents. That is more than every single child in the U.S. states of Indiana, Kentucky, Ohio, Michigan, Illinois, Tennessee, and Wisconsin put together. That’s a lot of children growing up without parents. But it’s not just a huge number. Each child is an individual who needs to know God’s love, who needs to see wise choices modeled, who needs to be encouraged not to give up on life. Fiction stories about children like themselves, struggling with the same issues, help young people to know that they are not alone. Find out about other projects to help people affected by HIV/AIDS.

“Mom, do you have to make everything a learning experience?” my kids once complained. (Hey, we were home schooling in Mozambique, Africa. What home schooling Mom could resist pointing out the stratigraphy of a rocky outcropping during vacation in neighboring Swaziland?) The fact is I am a teacher by nature. I enjoy speaking to school groups about being a writer and conducting writers’ workshops, especially with those on the front lines of working with children in difficult situations. Contact me about when I can be in your area.

When I am not at my computer writing, you will probably find me at the ice rink figure skating. Yes, there are ice rinks in Africa, but not many. No, I can’t do a triple axel like you see on TV, but I do a nice Salchow and a decent waltz jump-toe loop combination. Besides, I’m working on this neat book about a figure skater who doesn’t want anyone to find out that her parents have HIV.”

Selected Works

Fiction

Glastonbury Tor - A tale of the Holy Grail and the tumultuous England of King Henry VIII

Juvenile Fiction

Beads and Braids - Who will take care of Lindiwe when her sick mother passes?

Between Two Worlds - It’s never fun to be different, and Brazilian–born Cristina Larson feels very different.

The Wooden Ox - Despite the war, Keri’s parents wouldn’t let anything really bad happen to her... would they?

Robin Malan- workshop SA PRESENTERS

2008-03-04T15:41:00.000-08:00

ROBIN MALAN
Writer

Robin Malan: He has worked in English teaching and theatre in education all his life (his poetry anthologies Inscapes, New Inscapes and Worldscapes are among his many compilations for school use). He was artistic Director of PACT Playwork theatre-in-education company, 1972–8. He was Assistant Head at Waterford Kamhlaba United World College in Swaziland, 1978–92. He ran a specialist bookshop in Mbabane, Africasouth Books in Swaziland. He has taught in the Department of Drama at Stellenbosch University and tutored in the English Department at the University of Cape Town. He now lives in Cape Town. He does volunteer work for Triangle Project, the health and social development organisation for gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgendered people. He writes a monthly column ‘Young Gay Guys’ for Exit newspaper. He was one of the founding editors of English Alive, the annual anthology of writing from high schools and colleges in Southern Africa, from 1967 to 1971, and was again editor from 1995 to 2004; and again from 2007 onwards. His novel for young people The Sound of New Wings won the runner-up prize in the Young Africa Awards 1998–9. He is the Series Editor for the Siyagruva Series of novels for South African teens, published by New Africa Books; as a writer in the Series, he uses various pseudonyms. In 2001 he was awarded the Molteno Medal for lifetime service to literature by the Cape 300 Foundation, on the Council of which he now sits. His recent books are his novel based on the life of John Keats Rebel Angel (2005), and the novel The Story of Lucky Simelane (2005). His first play, The Boy Who Walked into the World (2005), was a finalist in the 2005 PANSA Festival of South African Contemporary Theatre Readings. His 1972 guide to South African English Ah Big Yaws? was reissued in 2006. His compilation South African Plays for TV, Radio and Stage was pubished by Oxford University Press in December 2007. He publishes new South African plays in the Playscript Series under the Junkets Publisher imprint.

Robin Malan
email robinmal@iafrica.com or info.junkets@iafrica.com
http://junketspublisher.blogspot.com

Joan Rankin - workshop SA PRESENTER

2008-03-04T15:31:00.000-08:00

JOAN RANKIN
Writer and illustrator

Joan was born in Johannesburg, South Africa on the 24th June 1940. She studied graphic art at Michaelis Art School Cape Town (1957-1958) and studied Fine Art with Sidney Goldblatt for several years. She worked in Fibre Art and puppetry; mainly shadow theatre.

She has illustrated over thirty books for children, many of which she has written herself and which have been published internationally.

She won the HAUM Daan Retief Publishers Competition for children’s book illustration in 1986, the Katrina Harris Award for Children's Book Illustration in 1991and the Oppenheim toy portfolio gold award in 2003.

Joan has participated in exhibitions in Barcelona, Bratislava, Sarmede, Italy, New York and Japan.

She lives with her husband and family in Johannesburg.

Selected Bibliography

2007 - Theo the Library Cat; Theo and the Cat Burglar; Theo and the Circus Act by Wendy Hartmann and illustrated by Joan Rankin, Publisher: LAPA Publishers (SA)

2007 - Today at the Blue-Bird Café, by Deborah Ruddell, illustrated by Joan Rankin, Publisher: Margaret K. McElderry/Simon & Schuster.

2004 - What Sam Said, written & illus

. by Joan Rankin, Publisher: Songololo Books;

2003 - A Frog in the Bog, by Karma Wilson illustrated by Joan Rankin, Publisher:
Margaret K. McElderry (New York, NY)

2002 - First Day by Joan Rankin, Publisher: Margaret K. McElderry Books,

2001- Mrs. McTats and Her Houseful of Cats, by Alyssa Satin Capucilli Publisher: Margaret K. McElderry (New York, NY)

1999 - You're Somebody Special, Walliwigs by Joan Rankin Publisher: Margaret K. McElderry Books.
1997 - Wow! It's Great to be a Duck, by Joan Rankin, Publishers: Bodley Head (UK); McElderry (USA); Kematis (Denmark) & Aladin Books (USA)

1996 - Scaredy Cat, by Joan Rankin; Publishers: Margaret K. McElderry; 1st U.S. ed edition; Human & Rousseau; Bodley Head (UK); McElderry (USA) & Little Red Fox (UK)

1995 - The Little Cat and the Greedy Old Woman by Joan Rankin, Publishers: Human & Rousseau; Bodley Head (UK); McElderry (USA); Zirkoon (Netherlands)

Joan Rankin. SA Writer & Illustrator ––Tel./Fax: 011 648 3264 (joanr@eject.co.za)

Marjorie van Heerden - workshop SA PRESENTERS

2008-03-04T15:10:00.000-08:00

MARJORIE VAN HEERDEN

Writer and illustrator
Co-Regional Advisor of SCBWI SA

Marjorie was born and grew up on a farm near Cape Town in South Africa. From an early age she loved drawing animals and people. After school she studied fine art at university where she met her husband. They honeymooned and camped around Europe for a year and then, back in Cape Town had their first child. Reading picture books to her daughter awakened Marjorie's interest and for the last 30 years she has been writing and illustrating for kids. Her picture books, as writer and/or illustrator, have been published in the USA, England, Germany, Greece and many African countries, in English, Afrikaans, French, German, Greek and about twenty African Languages. The original artwork for a number of her books has been shown at various international exhibitions in Europe and elsewhere. Her greatest joy is in writing and illustrating a picture book that is good enough to be kept under the child's pillow at night, but her greatest contribution to date has probably been the 16-title reading series she designed, created and published for the millions of historically disadvantaged beginner readers in South Africa.

Although she has travelled far and wide and even stayed for long periods in other countries, including the USA, Marjorie and her husband always returned to South Africa and they now live in Gordon’s Bay, a coastal village near Cape Town. Her two children are grown up, also live in the Cape and her first grandchild was born July 2007 and is already inspiring Marjorie .

She started the South African Chapter of the SCBWI in 2003 and is currently Co-Regional Advisor of the SCBWI SA

Six new books of Marjorie’s were published in the last seven months: Nina and Little Duck; Lulama’s Long Way Home; The Authentic, Unusual, Alarming, Actual, Factual, Story Book; San Tales from Africa and Phepa and Itumelang’s Adventures.

For more about Marjorie and her books visit her website and blogs:

http://www.grafikon.co.za/
http://www.marjorie-cv.blogspot.com/
http://www.marjorie-van-heerden.blogspot.com/
http://marjorie-books.blogspot.com/
http://marjorie-van-heerden-articles.blogspot.com/
http://marjorie-educational-books.blogspot.com/
http://marjorie-readers.blogspot.com/

Recent publications

2007 - Nina and Little Duck by Wendy Hartmann and illustrated by Marjorie van Heerden, Publisher: Human &Rousseau SA (Also available in Afrikaans)
2007 - Lulama’s Long Way Home by Marjorie van Heerden, Giraffe Books, an imprint of Pan Macmillan Publishers Available in 12 languages (all official SA languages and Portuguese)
2007 – San Tales from Africa by Raffaelle Delle Donne and Illustrations by Marjorie van Heerden; Publisher: Struik Publishers (SA)
22007 - Folktales from Africa, by Dianne Steward and Illustrated by Marjorie van Heerden, Publisher: Struik Publishers (SA)

2006 - The Adventures of Phepa and Itumelang by Mary Clanahan and Illustrated

by Marjorie van Heerden[also available in Afr.]
Struik Publishers (SA) [also available in Afr.]
2006 The Authentic, Unusual, Alarming, Actual, Factual, Story Book by Marjorie van Heerden; Publisher: Human & Rousseau Publishers(SA) [also available in Afr.]