| Date: | 3 – 5 Jun 2015 |
|---|---|
| For: | Writers, illustrators, publishers, librarians, literary agents, distributors and retailers, translators, teachers, and other professionals working with children’s content. |
| Pricing: | 3-day Pass: S$ 350 (S$ 300 for early birds till 31 March 2015) 1-day Pass: S$ 200 (S$ 150 for early birds till 31 March 2015) Registration details |
| Tickets: | 3-day Pass / 1-day Pass: 3 Jun / 4 Jun / 5 Jun / Full Festival Pass |
The Writers & Illustrators Conference gathers writers and illustrators to come together with publishing industry professionals to share, network, and celebrate children’s content from Asia and around the world.
Delegates from Writers and Illustrators Conference Day 3 can also attend the sessions for Media Summit.
Illustrated by Cai Gao, China
We will also have Chinese sessions focused on children’s literature in China and Singapore. Live English interpretation will be provided.
Candy Gourlay (Author)
If books are mirrors and windows to the world, are the children of Asia well-served? Award-winning author, Candy Gourlay, shares how Asia needs more writers for young people because seeing themselves in books will empower them, while providing the rest of the world with a window to our diverse cultures.
Chua Chee Lay 蔡志礼 (Linguist, Educator, Poet, Author) Lee Kow Fong 阿果 (Lecturer, Ngee Ann Polytechnic)
During this co-presentation, Lee Kow Fong and Chua Chee Lay will talk about the publishing scene of local Chinese picture books, attitudes towards Chinese picture books and children's literature and important considerations for Chinese children's book writers and publishers in Singapore.
Kathleen Ahrens (Professor, Department of English at Hong Kong Polytechnic University, and member of the Board of Advisors, Society of Children's Book Writers & Illustrators)
This one-hour session will jump start your creative writing process by (1) leading you through the steps involved in writing picture books, (2) providing advice for the creation of bilingual texts, and (3) examining the structure and themes of classic picturebooks. Come with your favorite writing or drawing implements and be prepared to write or sketch your ideas and to share them with others in small group discussions.
Ying Chang Compestine (Author )
Ying will share her journey from East to West and why she chose to be a writer. She will discuss challenges an Asian author faces in the Western world and how are literary works written by Asian authors outside of Asia relevant to children in both the Asian and Western Worlds.
Wendy Binks (Author, Illustrator)
Cute and quirky animal characters have a wide appeal to children, and once engaged, their natural curiosity will take over. It is an excellent way to introduce children to the natural environment without force-feeding them information. To successfully combine a great picture book, and one that children will learn from naturally, is a subtle art.
Ani Rosa Almario (Vice President, Adarna House)
In a nation of 185 languages, multilingual publishing is a necessity. This talk focuses on the issues and challenges that publishers face in the Philippines in the move towards multilingual education and publishing in the different mother tongues. The talk will be done from the perspective of Adarna House, the Philippines' first children's publishing house, which published children's literature in 5 new Philippine languages in 2014.
David Seow (Author, Illustrator) Sarah Mounsey (Author)
School visits can be particularly daunting for an author. They can also be so much fun and professionally fulfilling. The authors will discuss their different strategies on how to engage a roomful of restless kids. Their talk will provide the audience with insight on what is expected of an author and of the students and teachers on such visits.
Fred Chao (Graphic Novelist)
Growing up, Fred Chao found comics an effective storytelling medium, with the visual motifs of a movie, but with the control of reading a book. Yet, something was missing. Even as a young boy, he wanted children’s comics to hit on more personal and sensitive topics. In this keynote, Fred will share how children’s comics can tell mature stories and let children in on cultural and social issues.
Tina Narang (Publisher, Scholastic India)
What are the dangers in riding the success of a book or a book series? Are book sales the sole determining factor of what will be published? Publishers face the onerous task of sifting a bad trend from a good one. We have to watch out for trends but we cannot be slaves to them.
Kathleen Ahrens (Professor, Department of English at Hong Kong Polytechnic University, and member of the Board of Advisors, Society of Children's Book Writers & Illustrators)
This one-hour session will help you draft and practice your pitch so that you can effectively showcase your manuscript in meetings with editors and agents. This session is ideal for writers who have a manuscript ready to sell, but all are welcome. Be prepared to write and rewrite as you practise your pitch and receive feedback in small group settings.
Myra Garces-Bacsal (Educator, Reviewer, Blogger) Allyscia Clare Pereira (Student) Andrea Law (Student) Chia Zhi Yao (Student) Sarah Ow (Student) Jinghan Xie (Student) Myka Aaviela Bacsal (Student)
This roundtable discussion with tweeners (11-14 year olds) would explore books that had a profound effect on them, their reading choices, and the impact of the internet, social media (Facebook, Twitter), and video games on their reading lives. The children would also discuss how online reading communities influence the books that they read.
Myra Garces-Bacsal (Educator, Reviewer, Blogger) Evelyn Sue Wong (Author)
This annotated bibliography showcases a selection of trees and forest-themed picture books and information books from around the world, which can be used as a teaching resource or find interesting books for children to read.
Myra Garces-Bacsal (Educator, Reviewer, Blogger)
Asia: Land of Perennial Stories is an edited collection of essays, based on the highlights of, and key ideas shared during the Asian Festival of Children’s Content in 2014, with a regional focus on India. Scholars and practitioners, artists and writers, graphic novelists and picture book makers, editors and publishers share their unique experiences and reflections to reflect on the impact of Asian children’s literature to global reading and literacy goals.
Dilip Mukerjea (Author, Owner & Managing Director of Braindancing International & Buzan Centre)
This is an introduction to the process of animated learning, where the power of storyboards (conveying motion) and storymaps (conveying emotion) merge into a blended learning experience that creates interest, impact, and illumination. The learning experiences burst into life with immediate awakenings to subject content and beyond, with extended insights on ideas!
Elaine Forrestal (Author)
Using research documents and rare photographs, Elaine Forrestal will discuss the writing of her historical fiction, Black Jack Anderson, who was Western Australia's only pirate and the scourge of the Southern Ocean between 1826 and 1835.In the process, this complex man and his motley crew were brought back to life.
Andrea Pasion-Flores (General Manager, Anvil Philippines) Ying Chang Compestine (Author )
Where do literary agents stand in the field of marketing children's books? How do they help bring children's content across cultural and geographical boundaries? Our panellists discuss what it is like to work with- or work as- a literary agent!
Sally Murphy (Author) Steve Heron (Author)
Death, disability, fights, childhood cancer, grief and loss in children’s books? Aren’t children’s books supposed to be happy, after all? Join authors Sally Murphy, Steve Heron and Edmund Lim, as they explain how and why they include traumatic topics in their books for young readers, and to bring about a sense of hope in them.
Shirin Yim Bridges (Head Goose – Author, Editor, Publisher, Goosebottom Books, Gosling Press)
Are you ready to crack the U.S. market? Or close enough to want to visualise the day? Whether your book is fiction, nonfiction, how-to, self-help, memoir, poetry, or an anthology, this session is for you. Get an idea of the traditional and emerging U.S. markets now open to you.
Tina Narang (Publisher, Scholastic India)
The future of children’s publishing lies as much in the hands of the young reader, as a determinant of what he will read, as it does in the hands of the publisher publishing the books. Publisher, Tina Narang, shares more about trends in children's books publications in Asia.
Michael Heyman (Professor of Nonsense, Berklee College of Music)
Nonsense literature is a global excrescence of exuberance, but behind its hilarity is a rigorous sense of aesthetics and a bedrock of intelligent rebellion. This lecture will introduce literary nonsense, survey its various forms and functions around the world, and give advice on how to tap into its creative insanity.
Naomi Kojima (Author, Illustrator) Amy Ng (Educator, Writer, Illustrator, Pikaland Media ) Catarina Sobral (Illustrator and Picture Book Maker)
First Look is back and brings to you more vibrant illustrations! Join a panel of international illustration experts in this exciting critique session. Click here to submit your illustrations for the session!
Yuko Takesako (Vice Director, Chihiro Art Museum Azumino)
The past 70 years after the end of the Asia-Pacific War, numerous picture books with the theme of war were created in Japan with the wish for peace. Most of these books deal with the bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki, or the air raid of Tokyo and other cities, and depict the tragedy of war. Yuko Takesako shares more about “Picture books for peace from China, Japan and Korea”, a collaboration between artists of the three countries and how they cooperated together overcoming boundaries of assailants and victims, sending message of peace to children.
Naomi Kojima (Author, Illustrator) Wendy Binks (Author, Illustrator) Tania McCartney (Author )
How different is it to illustrate your own book instead of another author’s? How does being a hybrid author change your collaboration with the publisher? Join our authors as they tell you how it is to put together their experiences as both author and illustrator.
Rosemarie Somaiah (Storyteller) Jeong Jin Lim (Author)
The Never Mind Girl meets a wolf from the Demilitarized Zone, as stories from Singapore and Korea leap from text to life and are transformed. The authors will share the process that builds bridges to record an unexpected friendship across borders and cultures. There will be an optional craft activity.
Alison Norrington (Writer, Producer, CEO and Founder of storycentral) Sarah Odedina (Publisher)
Comparing the traditional book and transmedia stories, Alison Norrington will share new directions in transmedia publishing and how transmedia stories has helped children enjoy reading. Also in this session, Sarah Odedina will discuss the changing landscape of publishing in the digital age, from delivery of content to the reader to the opportunities open in the area of marketing and publicity, and look at trends and exciting innovations that affect readers, writers and publishers.
Ann Carlson Weeks (Associate Dean, University of Maryland)
With the easy worldwide access that the internet provides, how do information professionals define their communities? How do they select resources that respond to members of these communities? And how does this worldwide access redefine libraries’ relationships with publishers? Ann Carlson Weeks tells us more.
Shu Wei 舒伟 (Professor)
讨世界儿童文学经典书籍的新格局、新品质、新体例，为观众和广大少年儿童讲述世界儿童文学的新视野。
Professor Shuwei will discuss the new structures, styles and qualities of world children’s literature. New perspectives towards the development of children’s literature will inspire young readers around the world.
Rosemarie Somaiah (Storyteller) Jeong Jin Lim (Author)
The Never Mind Girl meets a wolf from the Demilitarized Zone, as stories from Singapore and Korea leap from text to life and are transformed. The authors will share the process that builds bridges to record an unexpected friendship across borders and cultures. There will be an optional craft activity.
Anushka Ravishankar (Author and Principal Platypus, Duckbill Books)
A children's book without humour is like a cat without a hat. If we want children to find reading fun, we should give them books that make them smile, chuckle and chortle. This might be the ultimate rib-tickler's guide to children's books. Or it might not.
Viviana Quiñones (National Centre for Children’s Literature (Bibliothèque nationale de France))
Why do librarians create content? Content development at public and school libraries has greatly increased in the last decade. Viviana Quiñones will show why and how this content creation is happening and how these actions are helping children and/or young adults and their families engage with reading.
Nicole Yeo (Associate Librarian, National Library Board) Raneetha Rajaratnam (Assistant Director, National Library Board)
Singapore Children’s Literature began life as books to help children learn and improve their language skills. Since then, the literature has grown from strength to strength. Discover the hidden gems and writers who have made significant contributions to Singapore’s literary landscape.
Tina Narang (Publisher, Scholastic India)
The world no longer has boundaries in terms of what is being written and marketed. Stories should and must travel to the global reader, but without losing their essentially local nature. Publishers have to help establish a strong local identity so authors and illustrators can embrace this with a greater degree of confidence.
Wang Quangen 王泉根 (Professor, Chinese Language and Literature School at the Beijing Normal University
and Director, Center of Chinese Children’s Literature Studies)
在全球化的影响下，各国民族话语和艺术精神如何碰撞？王教授将探讨在新世纪的背景下，亚洲儿童文学的演变、融合、交融。
How do languages and cultures of different countries shape children’s literature? Professor Wang Quangen looks into the development, integration and evolution of Asian children’s literature in modern times.
Naomi Kojima (Author, Illustrator) Tay-Audouard Lak-Khee (Illustrator)
Our panellists of illustrators will examine Asian and universal elements in the pictures. They will question if a fine line can be drawn between illustrations from the East and West, and what it means to incorporate Asian themes in illustrations and stories for children.
Emma Nicholson (Author) Sarah Mounsey (Author) Hidayah Amin (Author)
Three authors relate their journeys towards publishing independently for the children’s book market in Singapore. They will give clear advice on the nuts and bolts of the business, including designing, printing and marketing. They will also highlight the joys of being creative, committing to their work and dealing first-hand with their audience.
Ann Carlson Weeks (Associate Dean, University of Maryland)
Ann Carlson Weeks shares more about the International Children’s Digital Library (ICDL), a full-text library of children’s books from around the world that is freely available on the Internet (www.childrenslibrary.org). Developed by an interdisciplinary, intergenerational research team at the University of Maryland, the collection currently includes almost 5000 contemporary and historic children’s books in almost 60 languages from more than 50 countries.
Cai Gao 蔡皋 (Author, Illustrator)
《桃花源记》是蔡皋老师依据古典名篇创作的绘本故事。作品表达了对自然与生命的尊重，对美与善的追求。绘本是蔡皋心思的着落，是她心中理想的桃花源。
Author and Illustrator, Cai Gao, will share about the classical Chinese inspirations behind The Peach Blossom Spring, one of her picture books inspired by a Chinese classical story. Including elements of nature and life, beauty and goodness, Cai Gao depicts the utopia that resides in her heart.
Shirin Yim Bridges (Head Goose – Author, Editor, Publisher, Goosebottom Books, Gosling Press) Anushka Ravishankar (Author and Principal Platypus, Duckbill Books)
Writing children’s books in contemporary times involves more than just writing. Our panellists tells us more about how being an author helps bring a different perspective to editing and publishing, and being an editor changes the way one writes, as they look at the intersection of commercial and creative worlds.
Amy Ng (Educator, Writer, Illustrator, Pikaland Media )
Artists and illustrators hold so much potential to produce works that are meaningful and insightful, instead of merely waiting for a client's brief. We all have stories to tell that can inspire the world. It’s time to tell your own stories instead of waiting to be picked by others.
Andrea Pasion-Flores (General Manager, Anvil Philippines) Edmund Wee (Publisher, Epigram Books) Tina Narang (Publisher, Scholastic India) Zhao Wuping 赵武平 (Vice President, Shanghai Translation Publishing House) Chan Wai Han (Business Development Manager, Ethos Books)
Authors are invited to pitch their children’s books manuscripts to a publishing professional in 5-10 minutes. Details here.
Benson Loo 吕耀聪 (Co-Founder, Teevers) Zhao Bingbo 赵冰波 (Deputy Director, Hangzhou Writers’ Association) Wang Yimei 王一梅 (Author) Tang Sulan 汤素兰 (Author and Committee Member, Chinese Writers’ Association)
吕耀聪（Benson）将分享自己如何与优质儿童内容出版方合作，如麦格劳-希尔教育集团、牛津大学出版社、北京时代联合图书有限公司、商务印书馆国际有限公司，甚至与新加披教育部合作，将他们的优质内容通过木偶(Moo-O)和爱.读(JoyReader)鲜活地展现给年轻的学习者们。他还将分享他在世界各地的课堂教室感受的挑战，探讨如何利用科技去面对其中的一些挑战。由于中国是今年AFCC的主宾国，Benson将会邀请一些出席AFCC的中国作家（他们的故事也在木偶（Moo-O）和爱读(JoyReader)中使用）分享关于数字内容的观点。Benson期待与观众（作者、出版方、教师、家长、技术专家等）在会议期间展开热烈的讨论。
Benson will share his experience of how he has partnered publishers of high quality children’s content such as McGraw-Hill Education, Oxford University Press, 北京联合出版公司, 商务印书馆国际有限公司and even Singapore’s Ministry of Education, to bring their content alive for young learners through Moo-O and JoyReader. He will also share the challenges he saw in classrooms around the world, and how technology might be able to address some of these challenges. As the country of focus for AFCC this year is China, Benson will invite some Chinese authors who are attending AFCC and whose stories are also used in Moo-O and JoyReader to share their views on digital content. Benson looks forward to a lively discussion with the audience (authors, publishers, teachers, parents, technologists, etc) during the session.
Viviana Quiñones (National Centre for Children’s Literature (Bibliothèque nationale de France))
An overview of children’s books and reading in African countries: history and languages, the reading situations, the publishing scenes, the rich African literature for children, the innovative library projects.
Tang Sulan 汤素兰 (Author and Committee Member, Chinese Writers’ Association)
在中国，几乎所有的孩子都知道笨狼! 笨狼善良可爱，乐于助人，但总闹笑话。它的精神，笨狼妈妈“汤素兰”亲自和小朋友们分享。
In China, almost every child knows who the “Silly Wolf” is. In this session, Tang Sulan will share with children more about her creation, the “Silly Wolf”, a kind, cute but silly character.
Shirin Yim Bridges (Head Goose – Author, Editor, Publisher, Goosebottom Books, Gosling Press) Sarah Odedina (Publisher) Christopher Cheng (Author) Nury Vittachi (Author)
Get in on the serious fun at the very first Authors Debate at AFCC. Prepare your wit and words for an exciting and witty exchange of perspectives!
Catarina Sobral (Illustrator and Picture Book Maker)
The picture book is a physical object – an art object – and its phenomenology is part of the experience of reading it. Its shape, texture, size, weight makes that experience performative. From Munari’s libri illeggibili to David Carter’s pop-up books, the materiality of the picture book is a way to communicate sense.
Vinitha Ramchandani (Author )
Graphic novels have existed and even taken cult forms through The Phantom, Superheros, Maus, Tintin and many such successful series. Vinitha will lead you through an analysis of the success of the Tintin series. She will also discuss how Tintin may reveal a “formula” that will work in today’s graphic novel market.
Steve Heron (Author) Ying Chang Compestine (Author )
Children’s literature offer a sensible approach to writing about bullying and conflict resolution in children’s literature. Join Steve Heron as he explores the intricacies of relationships in children’s stories that give a realistic understanding to the issues of bullying and conflict between children. Ying will also discuss the real life issues that have inspired the books she wrote. She will share her research and writing process and go into how to structure and format a story that appeals to young readers without reading like a textbook.
Golda Mowe (Author) Michael Jude Tumamac (Xi Zuq) (Writer, Teacher) Reenita Malhotra Hora (Author, Broadcast Journalist, Ayurveda Clinician )
Explore the infusion of mythology, folklore and indigenous life with popular culture and modern works. Find out the implications stories and books on indigenous cultures could have on the groups’ traditional literature and culture, and children’s receptivity towards indigenous stories.
Ann Carlson Weeks (Associate Dean, University of Maryland) Viviana Quiñones (National Centre for Children’s Literature (Bibliothèque nationale de France)) Zubaidah Mohsen (Senior Librarian, National Library Board)
What are the criteria for choosing children’s books? Why are there debates on this question periodically? How can we get a reluctant reader interested in reading? Learn more about the decisions behind selected library materials in three different countries, U.S., France and Singapore, from our panel of library professionals!
Wang Yimei 王一梅 (Author)
著名作家王一梅将深入探讨中西方童话创作中的文化差异。西方童话：发散和发白的智慧；中国童话：凝聚与留白的艺术。
While Western stories often include binary oppositions, Chinese stories tend to be more ambiguous. Find out more as Wang Yimei expounds on the cultural differences between Chinese and Western children’s stories.
Christopher Cheng (Author) Sarah Odedina (Publisher) Shirin Yim Bridges (Head Goose – Author, Editor, Publisher, Goosebottom Books, Gosling Press) Edmund Wee (Publisher, Epigram Books) Ying Chang Compestine (Author )
Writers are invited to submit their best first page of an unpublished manuscript to be read and commented on by a panel of international publishing experts before an audience. Details on submission.
Chang Tzu-chang 張子樟 (Writer, Translator, Editor, Commentator, Reading Promoter) Teng Qian Xi 邓倩兮 (Writer, Translator and Educator)
As our world becomes more globalised, translation is of paramount importance for authors and illustrators to reach out to foreign markets across the world. Join Prof Chang Tzu-chang, translator of Matilda by Roald Dahl, The Tiger Rising by Kate Dicamillo and Starry River of the Sky by Grace Lin, as he discusses the necessity of translations in children’s literature. Singaporean poet Teng Qian Xi will also share her experiences in translating children’s stories, and compare the differences between translating children’s fiction and poetry.
Sally Murphy (Author)
Sharing poetry with children offers a multitude of benefits - building literacy, oral language skills and world knowledge, but, Sally Murphy argues, the most important gift of poetry is pleasure. Join Sally as she discusses how offering children poetry they can connect with allows the other benefits to flow naturally.
Raymond Tan (Managing Director, Brainchild Pictures)
Legends and myths have been told by Asian parents over centuries. Many of these stories are not recorded, thus only few are widely known, such as Mulan and the Monkey King. These rich stories are equally as exciting as Wizards of Oz, Pinnochio, etc. With more people taking notice of Asian cultures, there is no better time to tell these timeless stories urgently as more mediums are available than ever.
Wendy Binks (Author, Illustrator)
The sky is the limit when creating and developing opportunities that flow on from publishing a children’s book and delve into presentations, merchandising, sale of book-related products. Learn more about marketing not only your book, but yourself as an author.
Evangeline Neo (Creative Director, Evaworks) Elbert Or (Comic Creator and Lecturer, Ateneo de Manila University)
This session will introduce various social media channels and teach which to focus on. Evangeline Neo will share tips on how to constantly engage your customers and encourage them to spread the word and examine successful comic strip series that allowed their creators to earn a living from their art. Elbert Or will also discuss the paths to success and the marriage between creative and entrepreneurial efforts undertaken by comics creators.
Zhao Bingbo 赵冰波 (Deputy Director, Hangzhou Writers’ Association)
深受读者喜爱的冰波老师认为童话作品需要智慧、也需要很好的写作结构和干净的语言，他的演讲将从作品扩展到童话世界。
Well-known writer Bingbo believes that stories for children need wisdom, good structure and a clean writing style. Join Bingbo as he discusses various formats of children’s stories.
Marco Sparmberg (Founder/organizer, StoryCode Singapore)
With the emergence of highly sophisticated media technology content creation has been democratized. Everybody is a storyteller now. For professional storytellers immersive narratives and location based experiences are becoming new ways of engaging an oversaturated audience taste. Spherical screens, whether physical and virtual, have become the canvas for future stories.
Gary Choo (Senior Concept Artist, Illustrator)
Join Gary as he shares more about cover art for marvel comics, and how experience in the arts and games industry can help.
AJ Betts (Author)
Is it possible to write about love without cliché and melodrama? AJ Betts decided to find out, and Zac & Mia is the result. Inspired by real life, this award-winning novel focuses on an unexpected teenage relationship that’s raw and authentic. It’s love without the gag.
Gerald Cai (Head of Learning, Media Solutions & Product Planning, Southeast Asia, SAMSUNG Electronics)
In the production cycle of an edu-game or ebook, publishers are constantly making decisions on the level of interactivity, intensity of graphics, types of sound effects and many other considerations. Join Samsung's regional Head of Learning as he shares key takeaways and insights from usage data from the Samsung KIDSTIME service platform. Learn about the common characteristics of the most popular games and ebooks on Samsung KIDSTIME.
Mei Zihan 梅子涵 (Author)
梅子涵老师以儿童文学作家和儿童文学教授的双重眼光，用率真、坦诚、风趣的个性化语言阐释世界经典的图画书中的哲学。
Charismatic and witty children’s book author, Mei Zihan, interprets the philosophies embedded in picture books.
Eric Huang (Development Director, Made in Me) Shirin Yim Bridges (Head Goose – Author, Editor, Publisher, Goosebottom Books, Gosling Press) Saad Chinoy (Chief Geek, Tusitala (RLS) Pte Ltd)
Imagine stories with a digital touch! Join this fascinating panel discussion, as our panellists discuss more about augmented reality, book markets for story apps, “real” and “fictional” worlds, and the future of story apps!
Elaine Forrestal (Author)
The mystery surrounding a chest containing 7000 pounds Stirling in silver coins, lost from the wreck of the Lancier off the coast of Western Australia in 1839, has never been solved. When the problems she encountered in writing this fascinating story seemed to be equally insoluble, Elaine discovered that 'The key to the treasure is the treasure.'
Lim Cheng Tju (Editor, International Journal of Comic Art)
With the entry of Books Actually as a comic publisher in Singapore, it joins Epigram Books, TCZ, ACAS and other self-publishers in putting out graphic novels. Comic book publishing is still nascent despite having been around since the 1980s. What sort of stories do writers and artists tell using this medium and why did they choose comics to tell their stories? This paper explores some of these issues.
Marco Sparmberg (Founder/organizer, StoryCode Singapore) Kenny Tan (Filmmaker, Visual Director and Producer Mediacorp)
Find out how to package a complex cross-platform transmedia project as a pitch, as Marco Sparmberg and Alison Norrington expand on a variety of different content, roll-out strategies, platforms and media technologies involved in transmedia projects.
Qin Wenjun 秦文君 (Author)
秦文君开创了中国儿童文学的“校园小说时代”，她将用领军人物的独特关照，阐释中国儿童文学在世界儿童文学阵容中的独特气质。
Qin Wenjun has pioneered the trend of “School Stories” in Chinese Children’s Literature. Comparing children’s literature in China and countries around the world, Qin Wenjun will share the unique traits that make Chinese children’s literature so special.
Saad Chinoy (Chief Geek, Tusitala (RLS) Pte Ltd) Alison Norrington (Writer, Producer, CEO and Founder of storycentral) Marco Sparmberg (Founder/organizer, StoryCode Singapore) Eric Huang (Development Director, Made in Me) Raymond Tan (Managing Director, Brainchild Pictures)
Get a chance to pitch your ideas to any one of our panellists for a chance to get your ideas commissioned. Our panellists include established professionals from the media industry who are looking for fresh and new ideas. Whether it is an idea for a television series, web series, transmedia project or an interactive app, sign up for a pitching slot and you have 10 minutes to sell your ideas!
Wu Shuangying 吴双英 (Deputy Director, Hunan Juvenile and Children’s Publishing House)
改革开放以来，中国少儿出版业从紧缺出版到繁荣出版，从只有版权输入到版贸合作空前活跃。出版翘楚吴社长，将探讨中国少儿出版的新走向。
Children’s publishing has seen substantial developments, moving from buying copyrights to rights’ trade. In this session, well-known publisher, Wu Shuangyin, will discuss new directions in children’s publishing in China.
Alison Norrington (Writer, Producer, CEO and Founder of storycentral)
Born in the digital age, children consume stories and respond to interactive content without a second thought. Highlighting examples from animation, broadcast and blockbuster movies, Alison Norrington tell us more about children’s consuming stories and transmedia storyworlds that resonate with them.
Tania McCartney (Author )
Authors and illustrators will achieve a deeper understanding of multimedia design options through the creation of high impact picture books. This session will help you to explore various mediums, think outside the box and produce work you truly love.
Ken Spillman (Author) Suzanne Kamata (Author, Lecturer, University of Tokushima) Reenita Malhotra Hora (Author, Broadcast Journalist, Ayurveda Clinician )
Writing across borders of race, nationality and ability is a way of engendering empathy in both the writer and the potential reader. In this presentation, the panellists will discuss various methods of writing across cultures and against stereotype, and how to broaden the audience for diverse books.
Fred Chao (Graphic Novelist) Lim Cheng Tju (Editor, International Journal of Comic Art) Vinitha Ramchandani (Author )
Racism, poverty, personal growth, heart-break. Our panellists will share what compelled them to discuss controversial or difficult topics in their comics and the appeal comics such subject matter have for young adults.
Ai Yu 艾禺 (Author)
通过《天狼星游戏事件簿》探讨青少年的心理活动， 在现实中没办法解决的问题，在梦幻虚构中是不是 就可以获得满足，文学创作的目的，应该如何被解读？
Ai Yu discusses the thoughts of children and young adults as she questions if there is a way to intepret the aims of children's literature, and if fantasy and fiction can help to address problems that seems difficult to solve in reality.
Vinitha Ramchandani (Author )
Graphic novels have existed and even taken cult forms through The Phantom, Superheros, Maus, Tintin and many such successful series. Vinitha will lead you through an analysis of the success of the Tintin series. She will also discuss how Tintin may reveal a “formula” that will work in today’s graphic novel market.
Alison Norrington (Writer, Producer, CEO and Founder of storycentral)
Creating Epic Storyworlds walks you through the process of considering genre, mythology and opportunities to expand your storyworld and directly dial into loyal fans and audiences. These transmedia strategies focus on creating storyworlds that are immersive, spreadable, shareable and high concept whilst considering overall design in harmony with smaller, individual stories.
Trina Ha (Faculty, Legal Counsel, IP Academy)
Writers and publishers are increasingly looking into creating content to be exploited across multiple platforms and formats. This session will give an overview of the common intellectual property rights issues involved to enable writers and publishers to effectively protect, distribute and exploit these multimedia works.
Fred Chao (Graphic Novelist) Elbert Or (Comic Creator and Lecturer, Ateneo de Manila University) Evangeline Neo (Creative Director, Evaworks)
How can one stand out in the comic industry? Get in on the conversation about selecting a niche area that can help you get a strong foothold in the comic market.
Sally Murphy (Author) Genevieve Sarah Loh (Senior Journalist, TODAY / Channel NewsAsia)
Sally Murphy and Genevieve Loh discuss about the process behind reviewing children’s books and movies- from selecting books to publishing the completed review- and how reviewing books and movies can be different.
Zhao Wuping 赵武平 (Vice President, Shanghai Translation Publishing House)
和赵武平一起分享和讨论，丰富的中国儿童文学如何走向世界，国外图书怎样借助翻译进入中国，以及中国近期的翻译文学潮流。
Learn more about the possibilities of sharing China’s rich collection of children’s literature with the world with Zhao Wuping, and of translations of international books for the Chinese market, and how these trends have changed from the past to contemporary society.
Tania McCartney (Author ) Emily Lim (Author) JF Koh (Organiser, International 24-Hour Comics Day Organising Committee) Maisarah A.S (Municipal Liaison, NaNoWriMo (Singapore Chapter))
Join the creators and participants behind NaNoWriMo, 52-Week Illustration Challenge, 24-Hour Comics Day, and the 12x12 Picture Book Challenge - online challenges that often push illustrators and authors to discover their maximum potential.
The festival organisers reserve the right to change speakers, events, session times, dates, and/or other details when necessary.