Sharing Expertise at the "Children's Book Writers" Event
Outreach
Prof. Kathleen Ahrens in the Department of English and Communication provided feedback to manuscript authors during an invited panel at the "First Look, First Pages" event on 17 June, organised by the Society of Children's Book Writers and Illustrators (SCBWI). The panellists reviewed "first pages" from picture books and middle grade manuscripts submitted by audience members. "First pages" refers to the first page of a manuscript (about 150 words) written by the author/participant. The panellists provided feedback about the degree of tension or anticipation found on the first page to invite the reader to turn the page and continue the story. Prof. Ahrens enjoyed discussing the first pages with the panel – all three panellists had different views, and it helped the audience immensely to hear the different perspectives on their work.
Prof. Kathleen Ahrens (middle), together with Ms Mio Debnam (left), the SCBWI Hong Kong Regional Advisor, and Mr Chris Cheng, Chair of the SCBWI Advisory Council, share their “first pages” views with children’s book writers.
