WestWords and Pinerolo announce recipients of illustrator residency

Delene White and Sadami Konchi have been selected for the 2017 WestWords / Pinerolo Illustrators in Residence program, aimed at extending emerging illustrators’ knowledge of ‘picture book creation and design, the process of publishing and the publishing industry’.

White and Sadami each receive a week in residence at children’s book cottage Pinerolo in Blackheath, NSW, and daily consultation with Pinerolo owner and former children’s publisher Margaret Hamilton.

White, who is an illustrator and designer, said she is keen to explore children’s publishing during her time at the cottage. ‘Whilst I have designed hundreds of publications for others, I have not been published in the children’s picture book world—but would love to be,’ she said.

Sadami, a children’s book illustrator whose previous work includes picture books Moon (Matt Zurbo, Windy Hollow Books) and the forthcoming My Dog Socks (Robyn Osborne, Ford Street), described her residency as a ‘wonderful opportunity’.

Hamilton told Books+Publishing she’s excited about the new partnership and to continue offering a unique opportunity to illustrators. ‘There are several [residency] opportunities available for writers, but practically nothing for illustrators,’ said Hamilton. ‘There is so little mentorship for illustrators; I’m really pleased to be able to make a contribution.’

This is the first year Pinerolo has partnered with Western Sydney youth literature centre WestWords for its Illustrators in Residence Program, which Hamilton has been running for three years. She was joined on this year’s selection panel by WestWords executive director Michael Campbell and Walker Books publisher Linsay Knight.

For more information, visit the WestWords website here.

Category: Junior Local news