Sydney Writers’ Festival Primary School Days
Join Sydney Writers' Festival for one of its ever-popular School Days.
A fun, informative and inspiring day and a fantastic opportunity for students to connect with their favourite authors and discover new ones. This hugely popular day is carefully curated to give your students an engaging and educational journey into the world of literature.
In 2025, four bestselling children’s book creators come together to share insights behind their bestselling work, as well their creative process, stumbling blocks, successes and answer your burning questions!
Throughout the day, you will meet Terri Libenson, the cartoonist behind Emmie & Friends, who will talk all things graphic novels; Joel McKerrow will share his own brand of magic with his spectacular performance poetry; Jared Thomas, author of Uncle Xbox, highlights the importance of getting away from screens and making real life connections with community and country, as well as what it’s like collaborating with Olympian and NBA star, Patty Mills; while Katrina Nannestad will take you back in time to tell the lesser-known stories from history.
Plus, every session will have a super secret surprise special guest who will be revealed on the day!
AUDIENCE INFORMATION
Suitable for: School children in Years 3 – 6.
- Key Info:
- Dates & Times
- Tickets
- Accessibility
Monday 26 May
9:30am: Students Arrive
10am: Morning Session
11:30am: Lunch Break
12:30pm: Afternoon Session
1:40pm: Finish
Meet the Authors
TERRI LIBENSON
Terri Libenson is the New York Times bestselling author of the Emmie & Friends series and the cartoonist of the (now retired) award-winning comic strip The Pajama Diaries. Terri empty-nests in Cleveland, Ohio, with her husband, Mike. She is the proud mom of two grown daughters and a poodle. You can find her online at terrilibenson.com.
JOEL MCKERROW
Joel McKerrow is an award-winning writer, children’s author, educator, keynote speaker and, as one of Australia’s most successful performance poets, has spent the last fifteen years captivating hundreds of thousands of people on stages worldwide. Joel has a graphic novel series, Urban Legend Hunters, as well as a brand-new Heist trilogy, with Penguin Random House, launching early in 2025.
KATRINA NANNESTAD
Katrina Nannestad is a multi-award-winning Australian author. Her books include the CBCA-shortlisted We Are Wolves, The Girl Who Brought Mischief, The Travelling Bookshop series, The Girl, the Dog and the Writer series, the Olive of Groves series, the Red Dirt Diaries series, the Lottie Perkins series, and the historical novels Rabbit, Soldier, Angel, Thief, Waiting for the Storks, Silver Linings, and All the Beautiful Things.
JARED THOMAS
Dr Jared Thomas is a Nukunu person of the Southern Flinders Ranges and the Research Fellow Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Material Culture and Art at the South Australian Museum and the University of South Australia. His YA novels have been published to much acclaim and for primary school students, Jared has written Uncle XBox and the Game Day series, which was written with NBA player and Olympian Patty Mills. His latest release, Getting Dusty is released in February 2025.
Related Events
