Talk: Writing for Children – Writing for Grown Ups 14 May 2016
In a talk for adults & children (age 8+), two bestselling writers a generation apart will discuss writing for children and writing for grownups, supporting each other and other writers and being friends!
Sarah Webb and Marita Conlon McKenna met in the 1990s when Sarah was running the children’s book section in Waterstone’s Bookshop. They quickly became friends and Marita greatly encouraged Sarah to stop thinking about writing and just do it. With both of them writing for children and for adults, this will be a fascinating insight into their approaches and experiences.
About Marita Conlon-McKenna
Marita Conlon-McKenna is one of Ireland’s best-loved authors and her books are enjoyed all over the world. Her first book Under the Hawthorn Tree, set during The Great Irish Famine, was published in 1990 and became an immediate bestseller.
About Sarah Webb
Sarah Webb writes for both children and adults. Her Ask Amy Green series has been shortlisted for the Queen of Teen Awards in the UK and the Irish Book Awards. The third book in her new series for children, The Songbird Cafe Girls, has recently been published and she has a story in the Children’s Laureate collection, Once Upon a Place.
After working for many years as a children’s bookseller, Sarah now combines writing with visiting schools and libraries, reviewing children's books, reading at festivals, and teaching writing in the Irish Writers Centre. She is the Children’s Curator of the Mountains to Sea dlr Book Festival and Children’s Literary Advisor to Listowel Writers’ Week. In 2015 she won the Children’s Books Ireland Award for Outstanding Contribution to Children’s Books.
About the Bealtaine Festival
The Bealtaine Festival is Ireland's national celebration of creativity as we age. During May, all over the country Bealtaine events are running in arts centres, theatres, libraries, galleries, community centres, local halls, care setting, cultural spaces and even out in the open air! Find out more at bealtaine.com/