Torquay Froth and Bubble Literary Festival June 18 - 19 2011

Story buddy Claire Saxby and I are looking forward to meeting the people of Torquay and breathing the ozone.

Claire and I met a decade ago when our kids were learning circus skills at the Footscray Community arts Centre. We love working together - its all talk about stories, writing and ideas...

Claire Saxby lives in Melbourne but spent much of her first 20 years moving throughout Australia and Papua New Guinea. She spent 20 years working as a podiatrist and community health professional before she began writing. She writes fiction, non-fiction and poetry for children. Her poetry appears in magazines, anthologies, on train walls and in museum education resources.

Claire’s picture book publications include Ebi’s Boat (Windy Hollow Books), illustrated by Anne Spudvilas, which was a CBCA Notable Book in 2007. Her most recent picture book is There Was an Old Sailor (Walker Books Australia), a nautical take on an old rhyme, illustrated by Cassandra Allen. She has also written for education publishers and the immensely popular Go Girl! series. Several other projects are in production.

Claire’s newest book is Freaky Fact and Fiction: Human Body (Hinkler Books). It is the first project to combine her paramedical background with her writing for children. Freaky Fact and Fiction: Human Body is aimed at mid- to upper-primary readers. She is also researching a project on early Australian women.

Claire is actively involved with SCBWI Australia, an organization for children’s writers and illustrators. She coordinates a children’s books book group, organises social gatherings for writers and illustrators and volunteers at the State Library of Victoria.

Writing W/shop: Saturday 18th June at the Torquay College 45-55 Grossmans Road Torquay.

Followed by: Before there were books, there were stories: the art of oral storytelling.

Keep an eye on the website for details and updates :Torquay Froth and Bubble