YA Authors Assemble – Reading Matters is nearly here!

I am buzzing with excitement because in a few days some of the best YA authors around will gather in Melbourne for Reading Matters and I will be there.  I’ve wanted to go to Reading Matters for years and registered as soon as I possibly could (without even knowing which authors would be there).  In the past they’ve had some incredibly cool authors, including John Green, so I knew they would have some amazing authors this year.  When the author lineup was announced I was actually jumping up and down with excitement!

I will get the chance to meet some of my favourite Australian YA authors and some great international authors too.  My suitcase will be packed with books to get signed and I’m sure to come back with a few others.  Some of the authors I’m most looking forward to meeting are Morris Gleitzman, Vikki Wakefield, Gabrielle Williams, Myke Bartlett and Keith Gray.

These are just a couple of the sessions that sound totally awesome:

  • Everyone’s a critic – Myke Bartlett, Alison Croggon and Morris Gleitzman on setting their stories free.
  • You can’t say that! – Parental guidance recommended with Libba Bray, Vikki Wakefield and Gabrielle Williams.
  • Gatekeepers – the good, the bad and my mother – Keith Gray

I’ll take lots of photos, try to Tweet as much as possible and will blog about my favourite sessions when I get home.

Melbourne here I come!

Awesome Author Line-up for Reading Matters

I’m still on a high after the announcement of all the awesome YA authors who are coming to the Reading Matters Conference in Melbourne from 30 May-1 June.  Reading Matters is a conference that I’ve wanted to go to for years because they always have a great line-up of authors and everyone raves about it.  I’m incredibly excited that I get to experience it this year, especially since the author line-up is totally awesome!

The very cool Adele Walsh and the rest of the wonderful team at the Centre for Youth Literature at the State Library of Victoria announced the first few guest authors late last year, including Myke Bartlett, Libba Bray, Gayle Forman and Alison Croggon.  The rest of the authors were announced on Friday and they’re even more exciting because they include some of my favourite Aussie authors, including:

  • Morris Gleitzman (Once, Now, Then, After)
  • Garth Nix (Sabriel, A Confusion of Princes, Trouble Twisters)
  • Vikki Wakefield (All I Ever Wanted, Friday Brown)
  • Gabrielle Williams (Beatle Meets Destiny, Reluctant Hallelujah)

They’ve also got some great international authors coming too, including Keith Gray and Raina Telgemeier.

I can’t wait to hear all of these authors talk about their books and have my favourite books become even more special by having the author’s signature in them.

To find out more about Reading Matters, to book, and to view the full list of authors and their bios, check out http://www.slv.vic.gov.au/reading-matters.