January usually comes and goes in a frantic ‘How could summer holidays already be over, where’s that damn school supply list’ kind of way.
But this year it was different. Very different.
Author: Maura Pierlot
Maura Pierlot is an award-winning author and playwright based in Canberra, Australia. Her debut picture book, The Trouble in Tune Town, won the 2018 ACT Writing and Publishing Award (Children’s category) and overseas honours. Maura has received artsACT funding to produce an adaptation of her play, Fragments for the digital space. Fragments, Maura's debut professional theatre production, enjoyed a sell-out season at The Street Theatre, Canberra in 2019. Maura's debut young adult novel is awaiting publication. Click on ‘About’ to read more.
Detective Work
As writers we often play detective – probing, investigating, discovering, each step bringing us closer to the truth. But what if the subject of your investigation is mysterious, surly, contradictory and often inaccessible? What if the person you’re trying to understand is standing on the other side of a locked door, with a mad dog at their side?
What if that person is you?
Fragments: Talking About Youth Mental Health
Many people with mental health problems don’t seek help — hardly surprising, given the stigma that still surrounds the issue. In fact, rather than ask for help, we curate our lives, presenting our best selves online and face-to-face, creating the illusion…
My book reviews – CBCA Reading Time
I can’t recall why I put up my hand last year to write reviews for Reading Time, the online source of news and book reviews for the Children’s Book Council of Australia. But I’m glad I did. I often find that the level of praise heaped on a work is disproportionate…
What I Did Last Summer
2019 came in with a bang, thanks to a few kidney stones that announced themselves in mid-November on the closing night of my play in Sydney. No matter what age you are, it’s easy to take your body for granted until it doesn’t work properly.
2018 — That’s a Wrap!
This year has been insanely busy but also very productive and rewarding. I launched my debut title, The Trouble in Tune Town, which went on to win two awards, most recently the ACT Writing and Publishing Award (Children’s), and was also named Finalist for…
Fragments – The Journey
I didn’t set out one day to write about mental health issues facing young people. The feeling crept up over months, years perhaps, with a certain sense of inevitability. So many teens I spoke with were living on the fringe, that netherworld between perception and…
Tune Town Blog Tour
What a whirlwind two weeks it’s been on The Trouble in Tune Town blog tour. A big thank you to Romi Sharp, Just Write for Kids for picking up the title for Books on Tour and making it a helluva fun ride.
A Cabin, a Cat and a Ghost (or two)
What better way to start a report than with a confession: although I hoped to be deliriously productive during my KSP Fellowship, I was happy just to escape my absurdly hectic (and noisy) household. The good news is I managed both.