Join three of WA's top children's author / illustrators as they talk about their work and lead audiences through hands-on activities that will inspire creativity and spark imaginations.

9.30am - James Foley

11.30am - Kylie Howarth

2.00pm - Briony Stewart

The Readers' and Writers' Festival is an annual adult literature event presented by City of Mandurah Library & Heritage Services. In 2023 it will be held from 12 – 15 January at the Seashells Resort Mandurah. The aim of the festival is to foster a love of reading and literature and encourage creativity in our community. This year the festival brings together an array of established and emerging storytellers from across WA. The free to attend three-day festival programme includes author talks, panel discussions, and high tea.

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James Foley

James Foley makes picture books, middle grade novels and comics for kids. He is an ambassador for Books In Homes and Room To Read, and a member of the Society of Children’s Book Writers and Illustrators Australia West chapter, the Australian Society of Authors and the Children’s Book Council of Australia. He lives in Perth with his wife, two kids, and a labrador. James is the author and illustrator of Stellarphant, Brobot, Dungzilla, Gastronauts, Chickensauras and In The Lion.

Kylie Howarth

Kylie Howarth is an award-winning, internationally published children’s book author-illustrator from Western Australia. She is also part fish! Kylie has swum with whale sharks, manta rays and humpback whales in Ningaloo, piranha and pink dolphins in the Amazon, braved scuba diving with lionfish in Egypt, marine iguanas and hammerhead sharks in the Galapagos Islands and encountered great white sharks in South Africa! Kylie not only draws inspiration from her underwater travels but also her own two fish-kids who are ocean explorers too. The textures in Kylie’s book illustrations are created during their backyard art sessions. Kylie recently won the WAYRBA Hoffman award and KOALA Honour award. She has been shortlisted for the Western Australian Premier’s Writers Fellowship, SCBWI Australian Picture Book Illustrators Award, CBCA Book of the year awards, WAYRBA and the YABBA awards.

Briony Stewart

Briony Stewart writes and illustrates books for children. She lives in a tree house made from driftwood and whalebones, which only occasionally gets good internet reception. On calm days, Briony keeps busy, drinking tea and making books. On windy days, the days when she’s dashing around wildly trying to catch the cups and saucers sliding across table tops, she’s mostly just grumpy and hair-tangled and wishing she didn’t live in a tree-house. When she grows up she hopes to become someone who studies insects, a professional gift-wrapper, or someone who steals single socks of washing lines. Until then she’s quite happy just making books.

Parents required to remain on site with children

Tea and coffee provided for parents and carers.

Places are limited. Bookings required.

Please wait for confirmation of your booking before attending this event