Entertainment
3 August, 2026
Pictures that form stories
AWARD-winning graphic novelist Georgina Chadderton will visit Cairns in August for a series of school workshops and public events as part of a program supported by Storyfest.
Ms Chadderton, whose memoir about growing up with her autistic brother has recently been published simultaneously by Penguin Random House in Australia, the United States, the United Kingdom and Canada, will spend two days working with students, teachers and the wider community.
On Friday 7 August, Ms Chadderton will deliver workshops at Woree State High School, Holy Spirit College Edmonton, Cairns School of Distance Education and Whitfield State School.
She will also host a live drawing session and question-and-answer event for teachers, parents and artists at Folly Cafe in Redlynch.
The visit continues Saturday 8 August with workshops for children aged 10 to 12 and teenagers at Smithfield Shopping Centre.
The Cairns events have been organised by Lachlann Carter, who said Storyfest, the country’s largest children’s literary festival, was supporting the activities as well as a visit by author Andrea Rowe and potentially other future events.
Mr Carter said he had been working with Storyfest over the past year to encourage the festival to establish Cairns as its next host location in 2028, creating more opportunities for local children and young people.
He said the current program was being funded by Storyfest to help build momentum and lay the groundwork for a future festival in the region.
The workshops and public events are designed to give students, educators, artists and families the opportunity to meet Ms Chadderton, learn about graphic storytelling and hear about the inspiration behind her internationally published memoir.
The Cairns visit forms part of a broader effort to expand literary opportunities for young people in Far North Queensland, with organisers hoping the success of the current program will strengthen the case for Storyfest to bring its national festival to Cairns in 2028.
