Unless you’ve been living under a rock, you will know that this week Shaun Tan won an Oscar* for the animated adaptation of The Lost Thing.  The kids’ lit community in Australia went nuts with joy and with pride, intensified by the fact that not only is Shaun a rare talent, he is also a kind and generous artist and human being, as all who have come into contact with him over the years will attest.  It’s also a nice validation for other creative folk that doing your own thing can be rewarded.

Unless you’re well connected with literary gossip, you probably wouldn’t know that Kim Scott, another Western Australian writer, this week won the Commonwealth Writers’ Prize for his latest novel That Deadman Dance.  Kim is another true original: I haven’t read his latest novel, but his previous works were haunting, lyrical and deeply affecting.  An interview with Kim is here.

Speaking of generous folk, Gabrielle Wang has kindly asked me to be her guest blogger this week, which you’ll find here.  Simmone Howell also asked me to Polyvore my inspirations for Bye Beautiful (here).  I love the concept of guest blogging, and once I have some more time up my sleeve, I’d like to ask an array of interesting folk to do the same.  At least you, my one reader,** might get more regular joy from this blog.

*He also won the Dromkeen Medal – his speech is here.

** You know who you are.