Writer and editorCo-Regional Advisor of SCBWI SA
I obtained a doctorate from Stellenbosch University for a dissertation entitled Cognitive Linguistic Mediation: Reflecting on a Primary School Programme. The dissertation focuses on some of the processes involved in effective and engaged reading.
After extensive school teaching experience in South Africa and the UK, my main career was as a tenured staff member in the Division of English, Faculty of Education, Stellenbosch University from 1983 to 2003. In 1998 I became Head of the Division. My special field was reading with a special emphasis on children’s and youth literature.
1980 to date Additional appointment as Part time Lecturer in Translation at Stellenbosch University. I have been entirely responsible for the design and teaching of the English Editing part of the postgraduate programme (Diploma and MA). This includes a focus on children’s literature. I also taught the translation course from Afrikaans to English for three years.
I have done a number of national workshops on editing and two on translation of children’s literature.
May 1998 Visiting Professor: University of Linköping, Sweden. My lectures included one on children’s literature in South Africa.
2002-2007 I ran a special programme for Gabonese pre-service teachers at Stellenbosch. Among other things, the students adapted or created stories for their learners in the traditional genres of Gabon, under my guidance.
I have written and edited educational books and have translated or edited trade books, from picture books to books for teenagers. Examples of translations are: Catch ‘em (Vang-hom by Winkler & Marais), Johnny Later (Jan Môre by Engela van Rooyen) and Diakiri and the man in the Karoo (Bietjie-kier by Marietjie de Jong). I was also a language consultant and editor for the Story Mouse series and for Ndaba’s The Contract. In addition, I have written and edited school English textbooks. The most recent is E Ridge et al., 1995, Useful English 8. Of my academic articles on children’s literature in South Africa the most recent is “Local, metropolitan and multicultural: South African children’s literature and a move to alternative identities” (in Christiane Bimberg and Thomas Kullmann [eds], 2006, Children’s books and child readers: Constructions of childhood in English juvenile fiction, Aachen: Shaker Verlag, 144-165)
Marjorie van Heerden
Writer
and Illustrator – picture books
Co-Regional
Advisor of SCBWI SA
Marjorie van Heerden grew up on a farm in the Hex River Valley in
South Africa. From an early age she loved drawing animals and fairies and
people and dinosaurs and children and dragons and monsters and today they
appear in all shapes and sizes in the more than 120 books that feature her
work. Since the publication of her first children’s picture book in 1983
Marjorie has been published as illustrator or illustrator/author in 35
languages in Africa, England, Europe, Canada and the USA. Recently she has also
illustrated an Afrikaans translation of Lewis Carroll’s classic Alice’s
Adventures in Wonderland.
Although she and her husband have travelled far and wide and
even stayed for long periods in USA and Europe, they always returned to South
Africa and now live in Gordon’s Bay, a coastal village near Cape Town. Her
studio is in the loft with windows overlooking False Bay and she can look at an
ocean full of monsters and thingies while she writes and illustrates her books.
They have two children, a daughter and son, and three
granddaughters.
Amongst
the awards she has won for her work, Marjorie received the Media 24 M.E.R
Award for best South African illustrated children’s book twice… in 2008
and in 2012. She also was awardes the W.B Mkhize Award in 2011.
She
learnt about the SCBWI during her four-year stay in Greece and was co-founder
of the Greek chapter. After returning to South Africa in 2003 she started the
South African chapter and is now the co-regional advisor with Elaine Ridge of
SCBWI SA.”
Contact
details
Marjorie
van Heerden
Writer
& Illustrator of Children’s Books
153
Beach Road, Gordon’s Bay 7140, South Africa; Tel: 021 856 0432
Email:
marjorie@grafikon.co.za
Jenny Hatton
Writer, editorAssitant Regional Advisor for SCBWI SA
I worked in the formal education sector for sixteen years before leaving to freelance in 2000.
I was a teacher for ten years including one year as Head of Department, Media Advisor with the Transvaal Education Department for two years, First Education Specialist and then Deputy Chief Education Specialist with the Gauteng Department of Education for four years. Since leaving the Department in 2000, I’ve freelanced.
I began writing while working for the Education Department. I learnt a lot more about writing when I co-operated with a group of consultants developing material for the Gauteng Institute of Curriculum Development. Then I started writing, editing, compiling and project managing for a range of publishers. I’ve mainly written textbooks for schools in the Languages and Life Orientation Learning Areas. This work has now led to editing a number of non-fiction books for children. More recently, I’ve begun to read and edit fiction for children and young adults. For a list of some of the books that I’ve worked on, see http://www.jenny-hatton.blogspot.com
Besides the work in education, I’ve written several children’s stories and am working on a young adult book. I’ve written a set of picture books done in co-operation with Joan Rankin - a REAL privilege!
With regard to particular skills:
• I know the school sector and curriculum backwards and understand what is needed in terms of resource material, both non-fiction and fiction.
• I’m good at organising and this helps me to project manage. Thus I can manage teams of writers and compile sets of books.
• I know South African fiction for children and young adults.
• I work well with authors.
But then, more important than everything is that I really enjoy my work. And of course, one of the greatest privileges I have is being able to dictate where and when I work. This also allows me to decide when I can walk with my dog.
I’m particularly keen to promote South African writing for children and young adults. I can’t remember exactly when I developed this interest. Possibly it was when I worked in school libraries or maybe when I was teaching English and looking for South African books for learners. Then years ago I was part of the Johannesburg Children’s Book Group and met other like-minded people. Perhaps they inspired this interest? I remember being astonished by Marjorie van Heerden’s book collection. And then there were book fundis like Penny Hochfeld and Audrey Hitchcock who introduced many books to me. For a number of years I chaired the media teachers’ annual conference of the Teachers’ Association and invited authors such as Di Hofmeyr to talk and, of course, I had to read her books. I began searching bookshops for other South African children’s books and bought whatever I could find. I became irritated by the lack of exposure that South African authors received in bookshops. In fact, I’m still irritated. I’d like to see South African books in two places in bookstores: namely in a special South African section as well as with the other Children’s and Teenage Fiction. I think our national literature deserves this publicity.
Today I’m lucky enough to be paid to read and edit children’s and young adult fiction. Through this I’ve been privileged to work with writers such as Edith Bulbring and David Donald.
I think that South African literature for young adults has really developed over the years. Authors such as Jenny Robson are writing increasingly challenging books. I love Kagiso Malope’s work as well as that of Michael Williams and Zakes Mda and many, many others.
I’m still keen to promote the work of South African writing. For this reason as well as others, I started a branch of the South African chapter of SCBWI in Gauteng at the beginning of 2007. Through this I’ve been learning more about writing and illustrating children’s books. And so a whole new world has opened for me. Thank you, SCBWI!
New titles
Swimming in the Sun by Jenny Hatton, illustrated by Joan Rankin
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EAN: 9781431402182
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Moving House by Jenny Hatton, illustrated by Joan Rankin
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EAN: 9781431402175
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Finding Aunt Joan by Jenny Hatton, illustrated by Joan Rankin
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EAN: 9781770098039
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These books won the 2012 SCBWI Crystal Kite Award - SA chapter
Writer and illustrator Joan Rankin was born on 24 June. Her Zodiac sign is thus Cancer, a water sign. This is important to her as feelings predominate in her life.
When Joan was three years old, her grandmother told her mother that she was going to be a famous artist. This prediction was based on a drawing which Joan had done and interpreted for her grandmother. Joan doesn’t think much of the drawing but recognises the importance of the prediction which was repeated throughout her childhood and influenced the direction of her life.
Joan began creating books when she was still a child. Most of all, she loved drawing animals. She explains that “they are non-racist and don’t get offended when drawn doing silly things”. She wrote and illustrated many four-page books to amuse her family. At the age of eighteen, she even presented her future husband with a book. It was an illustrated story about his dog. Joan married her husband when she was 21 and they had three daughters. They’ve lived in the same house throughout their marriage.Joan wrote and illustrated continuously. She did twelve books before getting published.
Joan has illustrated over thirty books for children. She received the South African HAUM Daan Retief Prize for children’s book illustration in 1986 and the Katrina Harris Award for Children’s Book Illustration in 1991. She has illustrated numerous books for local and International publishes amoungst her books on the McElderry list, including A Frog in the Bog by Karma Wilson and Off to First Grade by Louise Borden.
Joan as illustrator and Wendy Hartmann as writer won the 2011 MER Prize for best illustrated children’s book: Just Sisi/Net Sisi
She illustrated a set of picture books done in co-operation with Jenny Hatton. These books won the 2012 SCBWI Crystal Kite Award - SA chapter
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