Month: July 2024

2024 AFTS Award Winner!

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The Australian Fairy Tale Society is thrilled to announce that the winner of the 2024 AFTS Award for outstanding contributions to the field of fairy tales in Australia is Kathryn Gossow.

Kathryn Gossow

We greatly appreciate Kathryn’s contributions over many years:

  • She was a key part of the group that created and promoted the ‘South of the Sun‘ anthology – the only collection of contemporary Australian fairy tales;
  • Kathryn, with Anne E Stewart, liaised with the Qld Gallery of Modern Art to ensure Brisbane Fairy Tale Ring members and local storytellers participated in the unique 2023-2024 ‘Fairy Tales‘ exhibition, and to also sell ‘South of the Sun’ beside other fairy tale classics;
  • Liaison with the Qld Writers Centre led to a Brisbane Fairy Tale Ring panel at GenreCon 2022 and 2023;
  • Co-organised the 2022 Brisbane conference, ‘Australian Fairy Tales: Flesh or Fossil?’;
  • For many years has led the Brisbane Fairy Tale Ring, a joy she now shares with co-leader Bettina Nissen.

Congratulations Kathryn!

Kathryn’s co-nominees were glass artist Spike Deane and Melbourne performer Em Chandler, whom we warmly thank for all they do for our community!

One Month until the 2024 Conference!

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It’s ONE MONTH to go until our jampacked conference in Newport on August 3rd and 4th. There’s still plenty of time to register your in-person or online attendance! That’s right, if you can’t make it in person you can still join in with most of the online via Zoom.

We are thrilled to announce that thanks to the support of Hobsons Bay City Council through its Make it Happen Grants program, the opening sessions for each day of the conference will be open to the public!

That’s right, Michael Earp’s Keynote Address and our Special Guest Presentation from Jaeden Williams (Boonwurrung educator, and founder/director of Biik Bundjil) will be free for everyone to attend. PLUS Michael’s Keynote Address will be Auslan interpreted too.

However, spaces for both sessions will be limited so whether you’re coming to the whole conference or just the morning sessions with Jaeden and Michael, register now!!!

Register for the Full Conference (Single Day, Two Days, and Online) here.

Get tickets to the Keynote Address by Michael Earp here

and to our Special Guest Presentation by Jaeden Williams here.

(Note: if you’ve registered for the conference, you already have a place at the Keynote and Guest Presentation)

If you’re coming from regional Victoria, interstate, or even overseas(!) we have a handy dandy welcome pack to give you a starting point to find your way to the Newport Community Hub and other nifty bits of advice. You can download the welcome pack here.

We’re undergoing a little program revision, but start and end times will not change. Be ready to start at 9:45am each day, finishing by 6:30pm AEST and 4:30pm AEST on Saturday 3rd and Sunday 4th respectively. That gives you plenty of time to calmly plane, train, or automobile your way home. An updated conference program will be out very, very soon…

All AFTS members will have access to the recordings of conference sessions in the future, but if you have registered (regardless of whether you’re a member, and joining in-person or online) you will get access first. So what are you waiting for, get registered and get excited for a jam-packed weekend. We can’t wait to welcome you to Newport! 

And if you need a reminder, our fantastic conference artwork is by the brilliant Roslyn Quin (@roslynquinart)!