The KidLit Pod
Despite the feeling that digital is taking over, a wonderful group of kidlit people are still writing, sharing, and promoting the importance of, and a love of books and reading. Author Shara Curlett hosts a collective, industry-wide discussion around why books are essential, why modeling reading and reading to kids is more important than ever, and how creators are digging deep to write the best books possible to engage with kids. In this podcast we discuss thoughts, ideas, research, and the science around the importance of stories, and why we need to persist in encouraging our children to turn to a book, rather than a device.
Episodes
19 episodes
KLP Chat - Lauren Hackney on Creative Resilience and Build a Burger
During Covid, Lauren Hackney lost her aviation job, had to sell her house, and also had to navigate her husband's life threatening heart attack. And creativity is what saved them.In episode 18 of The KidLit Pod, host Shara Curlett welcom...
KLP Chat: Shara Curlett on Grief, Persistence, and Beyond!
Patience, persistence, and passion are three core elements that led Shara to writing her middle-grade fantasy novel, Protector of Beyond (Penguin Australia), which is out the day this podcast goes to air.This episode of The KidLit Pod fl...
KLP Chat: Graci Kim on Becoming the Hero of Your Own Story
When Graci Kim was young, she felt like a side character in her own life. 40 years on and Graci is now a New York Times Bestselling author, as well as most recently the 2026 winner of the Junior Fiction award at the NZ Book Awards for Children ...
KidLit Hang with Bethany Loveridge, Adrian Beck and Shara Curlett
And we're back with another KidLit Hang! Shara Curlett hosts Bethany Loveridge and Adrian Beck for a bonus episode, where they chat about everything - and absolutely nothing at the same time.They discuss the Book Week/Book Month juggle, ...
KLP Chat: Sharon Giltrow on her Love of Language and Hybrid Authorship
When author Sharon Giltrow found herself at her book launch with no books available from her overseas publisher, she knew something had to change. Now, she's regained her rights and taken back control.In episode 14 of The KidLit Pod, Sha...
KLP Chat: Jess Galatola on Teaching, Parenting, and Everything in Between
The foundational building blocks of language are essential for setting a child up for success. And tackling this, one book at a time (including those pesky homophones), is Jess Galatola.In episode 13 of The KidLit Pod, Jess shares how sh...
KLP Chat: Tenille Seow on Self-Publishing & Self-Belief despite Learning Struggles
Tenille Seow is an Australian author passionate about creating accessible fantasy stories for younger readers, despite challenges with dyslexia.In episode 12 of The KidLit Pod, Tenille describes a childhood immersed in books, how ...
KLP Chat: Carla Salmon on New Teen and Clean Romance
Carla Salmon is one of the authors in Australia paving the way for a brand new age group of books that nestle right in between middle-grade and YA, called 'New Teen'.We're seeing more and more feedback that YA spans too great an age grou...
KLP Chat: Inside Book Hero, a Fast-Growing NZ Bookstore with Lizzy Lockhart
Are bookshops dead? Hardly! One business in Auckland that has experienced exponential growth has shown quite the opposite.Lizzy Lockhart, “Bookshop Hero” at the fast-growing independent online (and physical) bookshop Book Hero, shares th...
KidLit Hang with Bethany Loveridge, Adrian Beck and Shara Curlett
And we're back! It's time for our monthly chat with Australian kidlit legends Bethany Loveridge and Adrian Beck, accompanied by our host, NZ author Shara Curlett.The team joke about Zoom call distractions (including Bethany’s dog, Sugar ...
KLP Chat: Kristen Willis on Creativity, Kidlit Illustration, and Piccolo Prints
Kristen Willis lives a life full of creativity, from her graphic design work to children's book illustration and her brand new venture, Piccolo Prints. If you love art and creativity, then this is the episode for you!Host Shara Curlett w...
KLP Chat: Ariane Beeston on Contemporary YA, Ballet Culture, and Real Voices
Having been part of the Debut Crew 2024 for her memoir, Ariane Beeston is a debut once more with her new YA contemporary novel, Don't Forget to Smile.Host Shara Curlett welcomes author Ariane Beeston to The KidLit Pod. Ariane is a former...
KLP Chat: Tina Strachan on KidLit Community, Parenting Gen Alpha, and Industry News
After signing a three-book deal as a debut, Tina Strachan has launched onto the Australian kidlit scene in a big way, becoming a wonderful advocate for children's literature, a popular emcee for events, and co-host of the The Book Deal podcast....
KLP Chat: Jack Heath on Storytelling, Career Writing, and Craft
Published at 19, Jack Heath had an early introduction to being an author, and shares the knowledge and insights he's learned over the past twenty years.In this episode of The KidLit Pod, host Shara Curlett delves deep with Jack Heath, an...
KLP Chat: Jacqueline Harvey on Storytelling, Teaching, and Building a Kidlit Career
A children's author who has published 67 novels, Jacqueline Harvey has turned her passion into a career, and shares wise insights on being an author.In this episode of The KidLit Pod, host Shara Curlett chats with Jacqueline Harvey about...
KidLit Hang with Bethany Loveridge, Adrian Beck, and Shara Curlett
Host Shara Curlett introduces a monthly “KidLit Hang” format with Bethany Loveridge (Betty Love) and Adrian Beck, where a few authors hang out and chat.In their first hangout, they banter about deadlines, school visits, teaching, and do ...
KLP Chat: Helen Farch @fhclibrary on Hustling for School Libraries, Going Viral, and the Importance of School Librarians
Helen Farch is a high school librarian and Instagram influencer who shares how her hustle has turned a passion for books into success for both her school, and herself.In this episode of The KidLit Pod, host Shara Curlett chats with Helen...
KLP Chat: H P Fryer on OGG, Illustration, and Feeding Kids' Imaginations
In this episode of The KidLit Pod, host Shara Curlett chats with author-illustrator and almost-neighbour, H P Fryer on becoming a published author, and motherhoodH P Fryer (Hannah Powell Fryer) is the New Zealand author-illustrator of OG...