Mark Smith
Mark Smith is the author of four young adult novels, including his critically acclaimed Winter Trilogy.. The Road to Winter was shortlisted for multiple awards and is taught in schools around Australia.
The sequel, Wilder Country won the 2018 Australian Indie Book Award for YA.
An award-winning writer of short fiction, Mark’s work has appeared in Best Australian Stories, Review of Australian Fiction, The Big Issue, The Victorian Writer, Island and The Australian.
Mark is also an in-demand speaker at schools and an experienced facilitator at festivals and book launches.
Talk and Workshop details
Talk: The Road to Winter (Yrs 7-10)
In this fast and entertaining presentation, Mark takes students into the world of his award winning Winter Trilogy - how to create a believable dystopian world, how to find the balance between action and storytelling, how to create characters readers will love and empathise with. And how did he know there was a pandemic coming when he began his trilogy in 2016?!
Thurs 22 Feb : 11am - 11.45am
Talk: The Accidental Author (Yrs 7-10)
In this fast paced, entertaining presentation, Mark tells the story of his unlikely journey from a reluctant teenage reader to an award winning author. The presentation includes activities for students and plenty of time for questions. It is pitched at both reluctant and engaged young readers.
Thurs 22 Feb : 12.30pm - 1.15pm
Workshop: Getting past the blank screen (Yrs 7-10)
Getting started on a story is often the hardest part of creative writing. In this hands-on workshop, Mark leads students through some simple strategies using prompts to get started on those difficult first few paragraphs. The workshop is suitable for both reluctant and enthusiastic writers.
Thurs 22 Feb : 9.30am - 10.30am
Fri 23 Feb : 9.30am - 10.15am