Dub Leffler, illustrator and FNAWN member, reflects on the recent FNAWN delegation to the United States.
It was an absolute honour to be included in the first FNAWN delegation to go to the United States. The logistics of such a journey was not an easy task – something I have to thank the combined team behind the scenes from FNAWN led by Tony Duke and Cathy Craigie for organising & delivering.
The delegation itself showed a broad range of the what we do as writers – from informed works Science & Agriculture, Young Adult novels of faction and meta fiction to Picture books & University papers,prose & poem.
The opportunities we were afforded were defining highlights in my career to date – being welcomed at The Australian Embassy, featuring at The National Book Festival in Washington Dc, attending gala dinners with America’s literati, visiting the Kluge Ruhe Australian Aboriginal Art Gallery, meeting with The Author’s Guild to reading work at the prestigious Poets House in New York – all were highlights and vital to expanding our literature into international markets.
We were made most welcome by all parties involved and was amazed at the burgeoning interest in our culture & work -something i’m sure will continue. Tours like this, reinforce the feeling that the writings of our culture, history & future are important and a welcome part of the global village.