The Worlds We Make: Stories and Spaces
PanelAśka, Jack Wong, Lin Shiyun | Moderator: Denise Chan
Festival Pass| Festival Talk Pass
Children’s literature has always been a window, mirror, beacon and even harbinger. Each story is a lived space that hosts societies, cultures, languages, senses of belonging, or insights into worlds past and present. The AFCC 2026 keynote asks how the stories we tell actively shape the spaces we make for young readers to grow into. With three distinct but connected invocations, speakers Lin Shiyun, Jack Wong, and Aśka will explore how imagination and agency help children make sense of their place in The Worlds We Build, examine the empathy-making power of stories in The Worlds We Bridge, and evoke the healing, care-creating ability of The Worlds We Nurture.
readingwritingillustrationworldbuildingstorytellingmultiplatform adaptation
Aśka (Australia)
Aśka (she/they) is creative dynamite. A short listed graphic novelist, an ex-quantum physicist, and a big fan of the little doovalacky above the ‘s’ in her name (which you pronounce ‘Ash-ka’).
A hugely engaging and popular presenter, Aśka likes to think about HOW pictures work and is passionate about visual literacy education. In addition to a catalogue of self-published comics, they have traditionally published more than a dozen books and graphic novels. Their recent titles include the Stonewall Award Notable graphic novel Stars in Their Eyes, which was also a Children’s Book Council of Australia Notable Book and shortlisted for the 2022 Comic Arts Awards of Australia. Aśka’s latest YA graphic novel is The Friendship Paradox, published by Allen & Unwin in 2026.
She is also the recipient of several government arts grants, prizes, and fellowships. Aśka is an organising committee member for the Perth Comic Arts Festival, contributes regularly to The School Magazine, volunteered as Illustrator Co-ordinator for the WA branch of the Society of Children’s Book Writers and Illustrators for four years, has single-handedly run an animation festival, held a solo art exhibition about numbers in nature, and been featured in an ABC TV documentary.
When they’re not creating, Aśka is travelling across Australia teaching eager students of all ages how to write with pictures. Find out more at askastorytelling.com
Photo by Emanuel Rudnicki
Jack Wong (Canada)
Jack Wong (黃雋喬) was born in Hong Kong and raised in Vancouver. In 2010, he left behind a life as a bridge engineer to pursue his Bachelor of Fine Arts at NSCAD University in Kjipuktuk / Halifax, Nova Scotia; he has called the east coast of Canada home ever since. Working as a children’s author/illustrator, Jack seeks to share his winding journey with young readers so that they may embrace the unique amalgams of experiences that make up their own lives. His debut picture book, When You Can Swim, received a Boston Globe–Horn Book Award, a Governor General’s Literary Award, the Marilyn Baillie Picture Book Award, and was a finalist for the Ezra Jack Keats Award. His second picture book, The Words We Share, received an Atlantic Book Award and was shortlisted for the Ontario Library Association’s Blue Spruce Award. His other titles include All That Grows (Groundwood), and forthcoming titles from Scholastic and Abrams Books for Young Readers.
Lin Shiyun (Singapore)
Lin Shiyun is the founder and executive director of 3Pumpkins, a community arts and development charity dedicated to fostering social change through strong human connections. Since 2016, she has conducted practice action research into the experiences of children living in public rental housing, uncovering the importance of supportive social networks for their wellbeing. To address these challenges, Shiyun established the Tak Takut Kids Club (TTKC), a community-based program for children aged 7 to 14. By partnering with government agencies, schools, and healthcare providers, TTKC aims to strengthen community ties and promote resilience. Shiyun’s interdisciplinary and child-centric approach not only supports children’s growth but also offers valuable insights for urban communities seeking to enhance social mobility through local collaboration.
Denise Chan (Singapore)
A former educator, leadership consultant and trained counsellor, Denise has a keen sense of stakeholder identification and engagement. She enjoys the school classrooms with young people, and facilitated leadership and people management courses for adults both locally and overseas. Denise holds an Honours degree in History from Nanyang Technological University (NTU), a Postgraduate Diploma in Education from the National Institute of Education (NIE), and a Master of Social Science in Professional Counselling from Swinburne University of Technology, where she was awarded Best Overall Performer. In 2020, she was one of 40 leaders in the NCSS 40-Under-40 social services sector programme. Most recently, she was selected as one of the civic and grassroots leaders for the refreshed People’s Association Leadership Community Programme, and was chosen to be featured in PA’s latest annual report.
Programme dates and times are subject to change.