Susanne Gervay

Susanne Gervay
Susanne Gervay
Occupation	Author
Nationality	Australian
Genre	Fiction

Susanne Gervay is an Australian author. Her younger fiction I Am Jack is a rite-of-passage book on school bullying reaching adults and children. It has been adapted into a play by the award winning Monkey Baa Theatre for Young People. I Am Jack is the first in a 3 book series including Super Jack and Jack 3 to be published in October 2010. Her powerful realistic young adult literature includes Butterflies, The Cave and That's Why I Wrote This Song which is a collaborative work with her teenage daughter Tory who wrote and sings the songs that are part of the book and downloadable from her website.

Gervay is widely published in literary journals and anthologies. She is included in a new anthology together with Sir Salmon Rushdie, David Malouf, Thomas Keneally, Fear Factor Terror Incognito, Edited by Meenakshi Bharat & Sharon Rundle.

Gervay is co-head of the Society of Children's Book Writers and Illustrators (SCBWI) Australia, Chair of the Sydney Children’s Writers and Illustrators Network at The Hughenden and on the board of the New South Wales Writers' Centre and Director of the Kids and Young Adult Literature Festival. She has been a speaker in many festivals and conferences including the SCBWI International Conference at the Bologna Book Fair 2008, Byron Bay Writers Festival 2008, Beijing Literature Festival 2009, Somerset celebration of Literature Festival 2009.

Biography

A second generation daughter of post World War II Hungarian refugees, Gervay was born in Sydney. One of three children, an older brother and a younger sister, she was the middle child. Her parents like other refugees were grateful to be accepted by Australia, after escaping from Hungary. They worked long hours, eventually establishing a small clothing factory. The migrant experience, family, her parents, growing up, world issues would influence her writing.

Gervay went to University of Sydney and became a teacher. She had two children James and Tory who are the inspiration for a lot of her writing. She completed a Master of Education (University of New South Wales) and a Master of Arts (University of Technology, Sydney). She decided to follow her two dreams — the creation with her mother and sister of the http://www.thehughenden.com.au/, a literary and arts hotel in historic Sydney and becoming an author.

Gervay is a recognised Australian author of children's and young adult literature. She was awarded the Lady Cutler Award for Distinguished Services to Children's Literature in 2007. Her books are endorsed by organisations including The Children's Hospital at Westmead, Sydney, Room to Read, Life Education Australia, The Alannah & Madeline Foundation.

Susanne is one of the three inaugural patrons of Monkey Baa Theatre for Young People, together with Jackie French and Morris Gleitzman.

Bullying at School

As a mother of Jack, a specialist in child growth & development and author, she was inspired by a son's experience of school bullying, to write I Am Jack. It has become an Australian best-seller and has been translated into other languages including Vietnamese, Bahasa and Korean. I Am Jack has been adapted by Money Baa Theatre Company into a play. It is now published in the USA by Tricycle an imprint of RandomHouse USA.

Youth Disability

Gervay researched burns extensively working with the Children’s Hospital Westmead, Sydney to write Butterflies which is a best selling Australian YA title, awarded Outstanding Youth Literature on Disability by the International Board on Books for Young People (IBBY). Susanne Gervay is addressing the World Burn Conference in New York in August 2009 on Butterflies.

Published works

Books

I Am Jack
Super Jack
Jamie's A Hero
Shadows of Olive Trees
Butterflies
The Cave
That's Why I Wrote This Song
Daisy Sunshine
Always Jack - To be released in October 2010.

Literary journals

Southerly
Mattoid
Westerly
Quadrant
Voices (National Library ACT)

Awards

Lady Cutler Award for Services to Children's Literature 2007
UTS Professional Achievement Award, Writing 2008
The Cave The Biennial Book Award for YA Literature, Society of Women Writers 2003
Super Jack The Biennial Book Award for Children's Literature, Society of Women Writers 2005
I Am Jack Notable Award CBC, short listed for WA Young Reader Award, Family Therapy Awards and Children’s Literature Prize for Peace and WAYBRA Award, runner up San Francisco Book Festival Award Children’s Category 2009
Butterflies Short listed for Children’s Literature Prize for Peace; Family Therapists Award for Children’s, WAYBRA Award, Outstanding Youth Literature on Disability (IBBY), Winner of New York Book Festival Award 2009
That's Why I Wrote This Song shortlisted for WAYBRA Awards, winner of San Francisco Book Festival Award, Young Adult Category 2009
National Society of Women Writers Short Story Award 1999
Australian National University short story award 1996
Finalist in AWG/Film Commission Mentorship Scheme 1995

References

External links