Moon buggies and satellites

When my friend Lesley said, "I'm taking you out for coffe to somewhere a bit different," I had no idea she meant here! I've seen some pretty cool stuff here in the Canberra district, not least is the deep space satellites at Tidbinbilla, the actual site, (not Parkes), that was used to see the astronauts land on the moon.
cheers, Dawn

Australian sunsets

I have been so lucky to see some beautiful sunsets lately, whilst on my travels. What a gorgeous finale to a satisfying day!
cheers, Dawn

ACT Speculative Fiction Guild

Had a very pleasant chat with the ACT Speculative Fiction Guild the other night. Great people. Lots of fun! They are gearing up to have a presence at Worldcon, the Science Fiction and Fantasy convention 2010. I burbled about how I've moved from non-fiction to fiction as an author and fielded questions about writing in general, rejections from publishers, contracts etc. Thanks, guys, for the lovely bottle of red!

cheers, Dawn

Writing workshops at Yass Public School

Crazy hats, flying cards, furious writing, embarrassing questions and lots of giggles. No, it's not the circus, but my writing workshops and author talks at Yass Public School! In the first mad session we had over 60 children in years 3 & 4. They wrote some fantastic story outlines and voted the best seven to receive prizes. In the second session we had about 40 children in years 5 & 6. They also had a great writing session and asked very intelligent and interesting questions.


It was great fun! Thanks to the Principal, the kids and teachers for a warm welcome and to the wonderful Lesley for keeping me organised!

cheers, Dawn

Redbrow Garden - Fantastic Writer's Retreat

WELL! I can't tell you how wonderful it is to be here, at Redbrow Garden, situated 25mins from Canberra. As 20 acres of cultivated beauty, few places could beat it as a retreat. The stream-fed lake is brimming with bird life, including a visiting black swan, small birdies dart in amongst the abundant plantings of shrub and flowering bushes and the deciduous autumn finery is magnificent. My mobile phone pics don't do it justice! I feel the calm seeping in through my pores... Other guests come and go but I am so lucky to be able to stay here for an extended period. Suna and Phillip, the managers, are wonderful hosts. It's like a home away from home. I find myself jotting things down at all hours - a good sign that the creative river is flowing again.
cheers, Dawn

Dawn Meredith meets author Anthony Eaton

This morning I met Dr Anthony Eaton, lecturer at Canberra University and author of the Darklands trilogy http://www.anthonyeaton.com/books.html His latest book, Into The White Silence, was shortlisted by the Children's Book Council of Australia in 2009. Tony is an affable, helpful and enthusiastic guy who gave me some of his time despite being knee deep in end of term commitments. Thanks Tony!
cheers, Dawn

"I Am Jack" author at Tuggeranong Library

What an inspirational speaker Suzanne Gervay is! I was as spellbound as the kids as she talked about bullying and shared the story of how her own son was bullied at school, without her even knowing it. One little boy really identified with Jack (the character in Suzanne's book "I Am Jack") and made us all cry when he said he felt like dying. We had a lovely time at the Tuggeragong Library in the ACT and were made to feel very welcome. What a fabulous place!
cheers, Dawn

Belle Alderman & The Lu Rees Archives, Canberra

Visited the Lu Rees Archives in Canberra this morning. Met the lovely Prof. Belle Alderman. The archives were started by Mrs Lu Rees in the 1970's in her garage. Her mission was to create a collection of Australian children's authors and illustrators - their work, notes and biographical details. There are now over 20,000 books in the collection. All details pertaining to the authors/illustrators are being catalogued. I got a private tour of the archives and was astonished at the work and dedication that has gone into amassing this huge collection of precious works. You can tap into the collection through an online search. The archives gladly receives donations of books and is always looking for creative fundraising ideas. This morning I donated copies of two of my own books - "The Wobbly Wombat" and "Fat Abby - Feline Investigator" which are now in the collection. Woo hoo!

cheers, Dawn

May Gibbs Fellowship

Well, here I am, after my first week in Canberra as a May Gibbs Trust Fellow and I'm loving it! The apartment is great. There is plenty of privacy and the location is central to everything. I can walk to all the major shops and its a five minute drive to Lake Burley Griffin. My favourite place so far. Another good spot is Gloria Jean's in the Borders book store in the Canberra Centre. It's wonderful to sit back with a latte and read and look at all the different types of people doing the same!
I'm very grateful for this fantastic opportunity and recommend other writers apply!

cheers, Dawn

Am now in the lovely city of Canberra. So wonderful to walk by Lake Burley Griffin. There are mass plantings of trees everywhere here. Tree lined streets keep the city cooler and add a touch of olde world charm. I love it.
cheers, Dawn