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Introducing the 2008 Schools Programme
The Schools Programme has been a popular component of the Man Hong Kong International Literary Festival from the very beginning. Every year we have invited students to experience a wonderful programme that allows them to interact with, learn from and be inspired by acclaimed, popular and beloved authors. The Festival commits to investing in the readers and writers of the future. By presenting a programme that allows readers and writers of all ages to interact, we wish to encourage an appreciation of the written word and to foster a love of literature. We hope that the Schools Programme will have a lasting impact on the students who attend. From 28 February 2008 to 12 March 2008 primary and secondary students will have a chance to attend author events. Please note that these events are for school groups only as they take place during school hours. If you are interested in public events with these authors, please contact schools@festival.org.hk to be put on the Festival mailing list or check out the full programme at www.festival.org.hk. We are now taking ticket applications from schools. Please call 2877 9337 for enquiries. To download the application form please click here: Application Form in Word Document Format Our thanks to all our sponsors for making the Schools Programme possible. Man Investments and Paddyfield.com continue their generous support of the Festival for the 2008 Schools Programme. The Leisure and Cultural Services Department are again graciously hosting the events at the Central Library. In an effort to enhance English literacy and communication, Eduarts® Ltd joins us this year to present Word Wrap® Chorus. Additionally, Shakespeare4All® Ltd is included in the programme. This charity organisation encourages school children to partake in drama classes working alongside theatre professionals with adapted Shakespearean scripts. The aim is to provide an opportunity for native Cantonese speakers to gain confidence and English language fluency. For more information please see www.eduarts.com.hk |
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AUTHORS Philip Ardagh has written over 70 books for children, as well as writing the BBC’s first truly interactive radio series (where the listeners, not he, decided what happened next). He collaborated with Sir Paul McCartney on the ex-Beatle’s first (and, so far, only) children’s book, appears at book-related events across the globe, and reviews children’s books ‘on a regularly irregular basis’ for The Guardian newspaper. He is very tall -- over 6ft 7in -- with a very bushy beard, and the size of his feet are matched only by his passion for words. He has been described variously as ‘a national treasure’ [The Independent] and ‘one of life’s fact-finders’ [The Scotsman]. He is probably best known for his series of Eddie Dickens books, beginning with Awful End, now published in over thirty languages. He also writes expertly researched non-fiction books such as Why Are Castles Castle-Shaped? and Did Dinosaurs Really Snore? Kirsty Murray was born in Melbourne in November, 1960, the middle child in a family of seven children. After a number of years spent living and working in other countries including Canada, Wales and France, she returned to Australia and became a full-time writer. Ms. Murray writes children’s fiction and non-fiction including contemporary novels, time travel tales and historical fiction. Her titles include Zarconi's Magic Flying Fish, Tough Stuff: True Stories About Kids and Courage and Howard Florey, Miracle Maker. She currently lives in Melbourne in a rambling weatherboard house with her husband and a gang of young people. Her latest book, The Secret Life of Maeve Lee Kwong, is the fourth in the Children of the Wind Series. Shakespeare4All® Ltd "The Taming of the Shrew" will come alive during a modern segment followed by a fun interactive discussion. Shakespeare4All® Ltd is a charity organisation that works with primary and secondary school students in English through the adaptation of Shakespearean plays. It was founded in 2003 by Dr Vicki Ooi who retired from teaching English and Literature at the University of Hong Kong after 30 years as a Senior Lecturer. She has found her second vocation and passion for teaching young students with and through the theatre arts. In the 70s, she was one of the first directors in Hong Kong to produce western plays in translation. Francesca Simon was born in St Louis, Missouri, grew up in Los Angeles and attended both Yale and Oxford Universities, where she specialised in Medieval Studies. She worked as a freelance journalist, writing for the Sunday Times, The Guardian, the Mail on Sunday, Telegraph, and Vogue. In 1989, she started writing children’s books full time. In her award-winning career, Ms. Simon has published over 40 books ranging from Don't Wake the Baby to Moo Moo Baa Quack for the younger reader to the immensely popular Horrid Henry series, which has now sold over four million copies and has been published in 17 countries. Horrid Henry brings to life the adventures and misadventures of the dastardly, tantrum-throwing yet lovable rascal, Horrid Henry. Some of her imaginative titles include; Horrid Henry and the Mega-Mean Time Machine, Horrid Henry's Wicked Ways, Horrid Henry's Underpants and Horrid Henry Meets the Queen. Ms. Simon now lives in London where she works in a very messy office in the attic of her Victorian house. Dava Sobel is best known for her book Longitude, first published in 1995, which became an international best seller, translated into thirty languages. The success of Longitude demonstrated the reading public’s willingness to embrace stories about science, and Ms. Sobel followed with Galileo’s Daughter, which won The Los Angeles Times Book Prize for Science and Technology, as well as a Christopher Award, and was a finalist for the 2000 Pulitzer Prize in Biography. Her most recent book, The Planets, earned her the only non-scientist slot on an advisory committee created by the International Astronomical Union (IAU) to define the word “planet.” (Although the committee recommended leaving Pluto a planet, the full membership of the IAU later demoted that world to the status of “dwarf planet”—a term Ms. Sobel decries.) Also in recognition of The Planets, asteroid 30935 davasobel was named in her honor. Rosemarie Somaiah is a professional storyteller, teacher and writer. She co-runs the Asian Storytelling Network, Singapore’s first professional storytelling company. Ms. Somaiah has taught, led workshops and told stories and has performed in Singapore, Scotland, Hong Kong and Hungary at venues such as the Singapore History Museum, The Arts House, the Asian Civilizations Museum, the Substation and at festivals like Kidsfest, The Asian Children’s Festival, The International Storytellers Showcase and the Scottish Storytelling Festival. In addition to other writing, her books in print include a comic for the Singapore History Museum, the children’s book Gateway to Singapore Culture and her most recent book, Indian Children’s Favourite Stories. Poetry Live! Poetry Live! is a group of poets based in Hong Kong. They share poems in ways that show how relevant and fun poetry can be and inspire students to write their own. Word Wrap® Chorus Learn to love poetry by hearing the interplay between words and music in a programme entitled "Alphabet Jive". The Word Wrap® Chorus, part of Eduarts® Ltd, is a unique programme which trains speech/prose speaking backed by live music. Lynn Yau is a graduate in English and Comparative Literature, with a Master of Education in Curriculum Studies from the University of Hong Kong. Ms. Yau is artistically involved with numerous theatre, music and dance organisations. In addition, she is a coach with Wideworld, the online arm of Harvard University’s Graduate School of Education and a qualified Instructor for Multiple Intelligences and Differentiated Learning. |