Adrian Ashman has a BA (hons) in Applied Psychology from the University of New South Wales, a Master of Education degree in Counselling and PhD in cognitive educational psychology from the University of Alberta, Canada. His interests have primarily focused on the development of thinking skills in school-age and adult populations but became interested in creative writing and recreational reading as an area of research about eight years ago. Because of his interest in teenagers’ reading and creative writing in particular, he completed a Master of Arts  degree in Creative Writing in 1999 and is currently working on his second PhD in the same field.

He has published a number of short stories, one of which won a Fellowship of Australian Writers award and a full manuscript “Unfinished Business” was awarded second prize in the national FAW Jim Hamilton Award for the best unpublished novel in 1999. His current research on the reading and writing habits of school children and changes in reading habits at the crossover period between young adult and adult fiction has received considerable interest in the media.

Agnes Nieuwenhuizen is the manager of the Australian Centre for Youth Literature (ACYL), a program of the State Library of Victoria. Agnes speaks and writes extensively about youth literature, has written two good book guides for teenagers and, in 1994, was awarded the Dromkeen Medal for services to children’s and young adult literature.

The ACYL presents a large and varied events based program to promote reading, books authors and writing to and for young people and has an increasing national and international focus and reputation. In April 2001 the ACYL published Young Australian Reading, a groundbreaking report in partnership with the Australia Council, that investigates the reading habits and experiences of 10-18 year olds and provides targeted recommendations for all stakeholders.

Doctor Maria Pallotta-Chiarolli is a senior lecturer in the school of Health Sciences at Deakin University. Tapestry (short-listed for the NSW Premier’s Award in the Ethnic Affairs Commission Category and in the Children’s Book Council Non-Fiction Award) is a biographical narrative from her research for her PhD on five generations of her Italian family. Maria’s other publications included Girls Talk: Young Women Speak their hearts and Minds and Boys’ Stuff: Talking About What Matters. Her forth-coming book, So What’s a Boy? Issues of Masculinity and Schooling, is co-written with Wayne Martino.

Lesley Reece is the founding Director and Chairwoman of the Fremantle Children’s Literature Centre, which she established in 1992, having raised over a million dollars to do so. She was a founding Trustee of the Irish Children’s Book Trust in 1989 and wrote the first Irish Guide to Children’s Books (1990) and its sequel (1991). President Mary Robinson launched the second of these in Dublin and later, whilst in Australia, publicly praised ‘the outstanding work done by Lesley Reece for the children of Ireland’.

Lesley lectures regularly on Children’s and Youth Literature in Australia and overseas, served on the Judging Panel of the Western Australian Premier’s Awards (1997/1998/1999) and acts as a consultant to several curriculum and literature advisory panels. She is immensely proud of the Centre’s achievements and the esteem in which it is held both within Australia and internationally.

Professor Torben Weinriech has suffered a severe illness and will not be attending the conference. However, the Professor has recommended he be represented by his research partner, Anette Steffensen who will deliver the details of their research and first hand knowledge of the workings of the Centre for Children’s Literature in Copenhagen, Denmark. Anette Steffensen studied with the Faculty of Comparative Literature at the University in Copenhagen. She has been at the Centre for Children’s Literature for two years and will be leading a book/literature festival for children and young adults in September.  Anette has worked with Professor Torben Weinriech on two projects regarding children’s reading habits.

Doctor Karen Moni has taught secondary school English and Drama in England and Australia, and has also worked in Special Needs Units and worked for a number of years as a teacher-librarian. Her doctoral thesis investigated teachers' and students' constructions of literacy assessment during the first year of high school English.  Dr Moni currently teaches English curriculum and literacy related subjects in the School of Education at the University of Queensland. Karen is also Program Director of a teaching and research program teaching literacy to young adults with Down Syndrome and is the current president of the English Teachers' Association of Queensland.  Her research interests include adolescent literacy, adolescent literature, literacy assessment, and teacher education.

Librarian Panel

Helen Reynolds is the Director of Information Services at The Southport School. Helen has always been interested in children’s literature and fostering a love of reading, particularly in boys. She has reviewed books on radio and presented various papers at conferences.

Anne Spelman has been the consultant for Young Peoples Services at the Public Library Services of the State Library of Queensland since 1998. In this role she manages the young people’s collection for the Country Lending Service and offers training, advice and support to librarians on issues effecting young people, including the development of youth and children’s spaces.

Tania Schafer has been working as the Indigenous Resource Officer for four years at the State Library of Queensland. Her main duties are to assist indigenous clients with their family history and advertise indigenous material within the state library to the wider communities. Tania has a Diploma of Education (Early Childhood) and is currently enrolled in the Master of Applied Science (Library and Information Management), at Charles Sturt University. She is the president for the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Library and Information Resource Network. She has a special interest in indigenous children’s literature.