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Cork’s schools, libraries, bookshops, and cultural venues are buzzing with anticipation as they’re invited to host stops for the first-of-its-kind ‘Whole Wild World Bus Tour’. Led by Laureate na nÓg Patricia Forde, the tour will bring together Ireland’s finest children’s authors and illustrators for a journey down the Wild Atlantic Way.
A Journey of Creativity and Imagination
Scheduled for April 2024, the tour aims to inspire young readers to imagine new worlds through words and pictures. Workshops, readings, and artist events will be part of the coastal roadshow. This marks Forde’s first major event since her appointment as Laureate na nÓg in May 2023.
Open Call for Cork Venues
Organisations in Cork interested in being part of this creative journey can now apply to host events. The deadline for applications is Friday, 29th September 2023, and interested parties can register at Children’s Laureate Open Call.
A Vision for Wild Creativity
Patricia Forde, a native of Galway with over 20 titles to her name, aims to spark wild creativity across the country. “I want to bring together my two favourite groups of people – the children of Ireland, and the writers and illustrators we have in such abundance – to shape new stories and share old ones,” said Forde.
Rekindling Daydreams
Forde is keen to reignite the imaginations of young people, especially after the limitations imposed by the pandemic. “I want to get them daydreaming again, about amazing new places, characters, and adventures,” she said.
Upcoming Announcements
The full list of participating artists, illustrators, and venues will be announced in early 2024. For more information, visit the Children’s Laureate Open Call website.
About Patricia Forde
Patricia Forde writes in English and in Irish, with work ranging from picture books to speculative middle-grade fiction. She has written more than twenty books, along with plays, television series and, most recently, a film. Her ambition as Laureate is to encourage wild creativity – bringing children, writers and illustrators together to inspire one another, to imagine new worlds, and most of all to have fun along the way. Patricia is the seventh Laureate na nÓg, with her term running from 2023 – 2026.
About Laureate na nÓg
Laureate na nÓg is an initiative of the Arts Council. It is managed and delivered on the Council’s behalf by Children’s Books Ireland, and also supported by the Arts Council of Northern Ireland and the Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth.
About Children’s Books Ireland
Children’s Books Ireland is the national charity and arts organisation that champions every child’s right to develop a love of reading. Their mission is to inspire a love of reading in children and young people in Ireland, to share their expertise and enthusiasm with the adults who guide and influence them, to champion every child’s right to excellent books and live literature events and support the artists who make that goal possible across the island of Ireland.