Story Arts Festival...

 A last sketchbook scribble- sort of Baba Yaga -ish.
A bit upper class judging by her chicken leg cauldron.

Well I was actually there-at the festival-
doesn't look like it if you look at the various blogs/facebook thingys- but I was there.

A big thank you to Jenny Stubbs and her team of helpers and volunteers who did a great job of the Festival- often in adversity it seems. A true feat of organisation.


A big thank you to the all the children who were great.

Thanks also to the kindness and cheeriness of the various illustrators and authors I met.
In particular Mike Spoor, and Lucia Mascullio, Stephen Axelsen(and his lovely wife) and Sarah Davis.
Good also to meet Martin Chatterton finally, who I knew lurks about Lennox Heads (not far from me), but had never seen.
Much like a yowie I suppose.....
in the being seen dept that is,
not that he looks like a shaved yowie.......
And when I say not far that really about 50km , which is sort of far,
but sort of not when you consider the vastness of space....
.anyway.

It appears Sarah and I have a mutual respect and fear of each others work and both apparently wonder if we know what we're doing at all.
Clearly whatever she doesn't know is working for her,
- so hopefully I am the same.

Stephen was launching "The Nelly Gang" at the festival - which to me is a fantastic bit of work.
The best bit of australian kid's comic for a very long time, but I think adults will like it too.
I hope he does another launch-
but more for the benefit of kids-
because he and Megan Daley had devised a great set and activity for kids as part of the launch- which is sort of lost on the listless adult crowds you tend to get at festivals-
listless in this case because they were probably preoccupied with wondering where on earth they could get a decent coffee from.
 but not lost on the kids obviously.
(If I myself ever do another book launch it will be a kids only (and their parents) affair.)