PhD candidate Stephanie Holm has been announced as the recipient of the prestigious Children’s Literature Fellowship from the State Library of Victoria.

Miss Holm, PhD candidate in the field of Natural History Illustration, will receive funding to develop a graphic novel exploring representations of Australian fauna and flora in early Australian children’s book publishing.

“I’m incredibly excited and elated to have this opportunity. Illustrating and books are two of my greatest interests, I’m thrilled they’ll come together in this fellowship,” she said.

The award carries a grant of $12,500, provides a workspace and special access to the library’s collections for 3 months research.

Miss Holm’s research project is titled From curious creatures to bushland beasts.

“I’ll be looking at illustrated books, fictional texts and pedagogical works to see how Australian native flora and fauna species have been represented and characterised in early Australian children’s literature. I am interested in how Europeans responded to what would have been to them, a strange and alien land, filled with unfamiliar species.

“I’ll be looking at works by well-known authors including May Gibbs, but also less widely-known titles by Edward Sorensen, Amy Eleanor Mack and her zoologist husband Launcelot Harrison,” she said.

Stephanie Holm is also the author of the best selling Wildscapes: an Australian art therapy colouring book (Murdoch Books, 2015) and won the Newcastle Herald Short Story Competition in 2015.

She plans to share her fellowship journey through sketches and concept artwork on her social media platforms and website. You can follow her journey via Twitter & Instagram @ByStephanieHolm or Facebook Stephanie Holm Illustration.

About University of Newcastle

Established in 1965, the University of Newcastle provides innovative and leading-edge research and education to the world. Operating on two main campuses, the largest is set on a 125 hectare natural bushland site at Callaghan (just 12 km west of Newcastle’s Business District). The other campus is on a picturesque 80 hectare site, about halfway between Newcastle and Sydney, in Ourimbah on the Central Coast.The student population is 35,000, including about 3,000 international students form over 60 countries. The University employs close to 2,300 staff and offers over 150 undergraduate and postgraduate programs.With outstanding research and teaching facilities, well stocked libraries, award-winning buildings, a state-of-the-art sporting complex, shops and cafes, all within a natural bushland campus, the atmosphere at the University of Newcastle is relaxed and friendly.

The city of Newcastle offers a coastal landscape, surf beaches, historic sites and a vibrant nightlife.

The harbour waterfront is popular for locals and visitors with restaurants, parkland and waterfront attractions. In the city, you will find the coolest collection of cafes, restaurants and pubs. The climate is temperate with warm to hot summers and mild winters and Newcastle is only about 2 hours by train to Sydney.

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