Gabrielle Wang

Gabrielle Wang

Victoria

Speaker type

  • Author
  • Interstate

Gabrielle Wang is a children’s author and illustrator whose books are a blend of Chinese and Western culture with a touch of fantasy. She has twice won the Aurealis Award for Best Children’s Long Fiction and her novels have been named Notables in the Children’s Book Council of Australia Awards.

Two of her works were Highly Commended in the Prime Minister’s Literary Awards and her first novel, The Garden of Empress Cassia was listed on the USBBY Outstanding International Books Honour List.

Gabrielle has published sixteen children’s novels with Penguin Books Australia and a picture book, The Race for the Chinese Zodiac with Walker Books. She has been published internationally in the US, UK, China, South America and Korea. Gabrielle is also author of two of the very popular Our Australian Girl series, Poppy and Pearlie. Her latest novel is The Beast of Hushing Wood.

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A Touch of Magic
Audience: Primary students
Duration: 60 mins

In this session I talk about where ideas come from, the background to my books, and discuss the writing process as a whole. Twenty minutes before the end of the session I engage the students in either a dragon drawing workshop or a writing exercise workshop.

History Alive
Audience: Secondary students, Girls reading Little Paradise
Duration: 60 mins

This session is centred on my YA novel Little Paradise, which is based on my mother’s life during World War Two. I talk about how to meld fact and fiction, historical writing and where the difficulties lie, and where my ideas come from. I also touch on the background to World War Two in Australia and China and especially Melbourne and Shanghai where my story takes place.

Chinese Painting workshop
Audience: Primary students to early secondary
Duration: 60 mins

In this workshop, students learn the philosophy behind Chinese brush painting. They learn how to paint birds with just a few brush strokes and the bamboo plant. At the end of the workshop students will produce finished paintings of their own.
This is a very rewarding workshop especially for those students who consider themselves not good at art.

Testimonials

  • The girls were so interested hearing Gabrielle speak. She was engaging, interesting, and we all thought she was so, so talented. Was a treat for us to have her.

    Korowa Anglican Girls' School - August 2017

    Korowa Anglican Girls' School - August 2017
    Gabrielle Wang
  • Gabrielle has visited our school for the past three years and run her Chinese watercolour painting session with our year 7s. This complements the text that they study at this year level, Chinese Cinderella. Gabrielle is a true professional with a wonderful instructional manner. She incorporates her Chinese heritage into the workshops beautifully and has the students spellbound. The lovely thing about her sessions is that being able to produce a credible Chinese watercolour at the end of the session is well within the grasp of every student.

    Luther College - September, 2013

    Luther College - September, 2013
    Gabrielle Wang
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Gabrielle Wang