Author Pen Pals – Connecting Australian Authors and Illustrators with Australian Schools
Local author Kate Foster shares her brilliant initiative that connects Aussie authors & illustrators with classrooms, and it is back for it’s second year!
Author Pen Pals was created to support educators in encouraging the love of literacy in their students, in even the most disadvantaged and remote of schools across Australia, whilst promoting our incredible homegrown talent. And right now, Author Pen Pals has over 150 children’s book creators eagerly waiting to connect with students for the entire 2024 school year.
It’s simple: book creators pair up with school book clubs, individual classes, key stages, and library groups in years K-12, and send a minimum of four letters to their pen pals via good old-fashioned snail mail. Students then reply a minimum of twice!
The creator might recommend new books they’ve recently enjoyed, or perhaps a behind-the-scenes look into their creative process, or maybe offer the students a writing or illustrating prompt. Whatever they choose to share, they will always be celebrating the beauty of storytelling and encouraging children to do the same.
