Superior Scribbler Award!...Also, Australian Writers' Week in China

A fellow writer and blogger as well as a wife, mother and editor (whew, what a heavy schedule!) sent me a Superior Scribbler Award today and I'm very proud! Portia Sisco is a very busy and involved professional that seems to have endless energy! Her writers blog http://portiasisco.blogspot.com/ is crisp, relevant, informative and entertaining.

I thank her for her kindness to my humble blog and I am in turn passing a Superior Scribbler Award on to these more deserving Scribblers:

Pamela Ferris-Olson, who writes an insightful blog celebrating women http://intheheartland3women.wordpress.com Pamela Ferris-Olson is an award-winning freelance writer and photographer (http://tinyurl.com/yh4jtbo). She’s worked as a freelance writer for nearly two decades. As a regular contributor to the Dayton Daily News in Dayton, OH, Pam has had the chance to meet and talk to many interesting people. Living in the Heartland: Three Extraordinary Women’s Stories is her first book about the search for identity, self-worth, and happiness. It is a celebration of women. The book presents an intimate look at three, contemporary minority American women. Their struggles, however, will resonate with all women...And men looking for insight and wisdom!

Mike Shatzkin Writes the Shatzkin Files on his IdeaLog Blog http://www.idealog.com/ Mike Shatzkin is the Founder & CEO of The Idea Logical Company and of BaseballLibrary.com. He has four decades of experience as a published writer and working in all aspects of the publishing industry – writing, editing, agenting, selling, marketing, and managing production. He is well known for providing insight into the knottiest questions of the industry, old and new, in a career that began with a summer job on the sales floor of the brand new paperback department of Brentano’s Bookstore on 5th Avenue in 1962.
The Shatzkin Files is one of my favorite sources for research into the publishing industry.

And now on to China through Australian Writers' Week that kicked off last night in Beijing. Showing how literature is bringing the world ever closer.

Du Guodong of Alibaba.com has a neat piece on this literary event:

The 2010 Australian Writers' Week is scheduled to begin tonight with Australian Ambassador to China Dr Geoff Raby preparing to officially launch the event at the Australian Embassy in Beijing.

The annual week-long celebration, now in its third year, will present a series of literary events in Beijing and Chengdu, bringing six renowned Australian writers of fiction, nonfiction and poetry to China with a focus this year on "true stories."

Throughout the week, literature lovers will be given a rare opportunity to get up close and personal with the Australian writers. Several of the events are being co-hosted with The Bookworm Beijing as part of their international literary festival.

Robert Dessaix and Graham Freudenberg will conduct a conversation with readers on recent literary creations and politics, Alexis Wright will bring Carpentaria to audiences, poet Les Murray will share his work and discuss his life in progress and Alice Pung and Linda Jaivin will talk on writing about Asia from both the inside and out.

"I am very excited to have this opportunity to introduce Chinese readers to some of the best of Australian contemporary literature," Ambassador Raby said.

"Our aim with the Australian Writers' Week is to give current and potential future Chinese decision makers and opinion leaders opportunities to hear the unique and independent voice of Australian writers on a range of issues. We are also keen to raise the profile of Australian writers and their work in China, an important and fast growing literary market," Dr Raby added

This year's event will include talks and university seminars, as well as a two-day publishers forum to exchange ideas and information and maximize future trade opportunities between Australia and China, according to the Australian Embassy in Beijing.

Australian publishers Jane Palfreyman, Ivor Indyk and Andrew Kelly will share their ideas with Chinese and international publishing leaders.

The events are a forerunner of the upcoming Year of Australian Culture in China that will begin in June when a broad, innovative and dynamic program of Australian cultural events from across all fields of arts would be brought to China, according to the embassy.