Andrew McDonald is set to bring his “whacky storytelling” to Emerald, the gateway of the Central Queensland gemfields, from 15 to 16 September. Taking flight with a ragtag group of Australian authors and illustrators to deliver Storyfest Central QLD Writers’ Festival. Two days of student sessions and workshops, followed by a Pencil to Plate dinner that’s set to be a highlight.

If you’re not familiar with the bookshelf-expanding series Real Pigeons or the growing Hello Twigs series, we strongly recommend diving into the laugh-out-loud, bestselling graphic novels for primary-aged readers. If you’re struggling to get your hands on copies, our festival bookshop is your best bet, with author signings and plenty of Andrew’s titles to pick from.

Returning to Storyfest

Storyfest Out West 2024 marked Andrew’s first author visit to regional Queensland, a fun and eye-opening experience that sparked his curiosity for a return visit. It’s rare to see authors in outback Australia. The travel, outlay, and resources required to reach rural and remote communities create a barrier for storytellers who are often employed in addition to their writing work. Storyfest offers a unique opportunity for both authors and the students and schools. For Andrew, it’s all about “revelling in a shared love for storytelling which often happens when you visit a school or a library or a festival”.

It’s a mighty logistical undertaking, but a worthwhile one that sees the Storyfest team activate three writers’ festivals across three weeks. Prologue Parties set against the backdrop of the lands of St George, Longreach and Emerald. Festival sessions and workshops bursting with questions, characters and a whole lot of fun. That’s what Storyfest is all about. So, it’s no surprise that Andrew is wholeheartedly on board for the tour.

Good Goofy Fun

If you’re not privy to the world of Real Pigeons or Hello Twigs, we’ll set the scene. It starts with collaboration, Andrew with the words and his creative accomplice Ben Wood illustrating the scenes. Each book takes anywhere from six to twelve months, blending storylines with imagery into graphic novels is fun but hard work.

Across the globe, you don’t have to try too hard to find a pigeon. Right now, outside the window, an army of pigeons is roosting next door. For Andrew, the idea came from his own bird spotting, thinking of pigeons as “the ultimate surveillance network”. Hiding in plain sight, then the what-ifs led to “pigeons as crime fighters” and a series was born.

Hello Twigs, came from “thinking creatively about nature” and a group of twigs “exploring their own emotions and their own friendships”. Each series is, as Andrew describes, “serious stuff going on, but mostly we’re just throwing out funny jokes and weird moments and lots of quirkiness”.

Which makes for a good read with heart and humour.

Aiming High, Flying Higher

Andrew believes “all kids deserve access to quality books”, and if you could see us, the entire Storyfest community would be nodding their heads in agreement. It goes further than nurturing a love of reading; it’s vital to lifelong outcomes that impact the well-being of our future generations.

“Kids deserve to have access to really great bookish experiences as well. I guess promoting literacy is part of it, but it's also really great to just model the books as being an object for pure entertainment. That's all a book needs to be.Once you're reading and you're having fun and you're absorbed in a book, it's the best thing in the world. Storyfest is really great at doing that. I saw it firsthand when I was in Longreach last year.”

So, while we’ll be making memories at our festivals, we’re also fostering a lifelong love of imaginative play and learning. Which is why we encourage reading and writing at every age.

Silly Question, Great Answer

Andrew is an open book when it comes to question time, and from his tales of school visits, he has a lot of fun with it. So, we took the opportunity to ask the hardest one we could think of.

We ask, “Would you rather be a pigeon or a twig?”.

Dramatic pause.

Andrew thought deeply before collating his response.

“I would like to be a pigeon so I could fly. That would be pretty sweet, and I remember I've got a six-year-old at the moment, and he's desperate to be able to fly. It really transports me back to my own childhood of running up and down my driveway, flapping my arms, just trying so hard to fly. Then, being so disappointed when all the grown-ups said, "That's never going to happen", but I did think about this question a little bit. I think ultimately, I'd be a twig…Because you would get to exist for a much longer time, a greater lifespan than a pigeon. And I think it would be cool to just lie around and watch the world go by. It would be very relaxing as well.”

All excellent points to ponder.

Andrew McDonald at Storyfest Central QLD

While he might not be a real pigeon, not that we know for sure, Andrew is setting flight from Naarm/Melbourne, to join us in Emerald for Storyfest Central QLD. We encourage you to bring all your silly out-there questions along from the 15 to 16 of September.

All our programme details and ticketing information can be found here. We hope to see you soon!