Welcome to Litsy!

Yesterday Marcus Zusak gave a keynote speech at the #celebratereading2016 conference. One of his first stories was about giving an author talk in my home town, that no one showed up to and where the librarian made him read anyway. Simultaneously (but fleetingly) embarrassed of my home town and profession! 😳 #AusYAauthors

Haul from the two days of #celebratereading2016 I'm particularly excited to read Lili Wilkinson's 'The Boundless Sublime' and Deb Fitzparick's 'The Break'. #AusYAauthors

"I don't accept that a good romance cannot exist without a brain tumour" - Dianne Touchell at the 'Dying is literary but falling in love is trashy' panel. She also said "let's all be pissed!" in reference to gender marketing in children's and YA lit. #celebratereading2016 #AusYAauthors

"I confess I may be the one that made love trashy" - Nick Earls at the 'Dying is literary but falling in love is trashy' panel. He then told a story about a dinner talk he gave at the Australian National Library (in front of some very important Australian literary and political figures) on points for writing a love scene. Point 9 was: "Any attempt to describe a penis would just make it seem sillier". #celebratereading2016 #AusYAauthors

"Meg Cabot's The Princess Diaries is one of the most radical YA texts I read" - Lili Wilkinson in reference to her Ph.D. research at the Dying is literary but falling in love is trashy panel discussion #celebratereading2016 #AusYAauthors