Dianne Bates

Dianne (Di) Bates
Born (1948-03-20) 20 March 1948 (age 76)
Sydney, Australia
OccupationAuthor, teacher
Period1980–present
GenreChildren's literature, non-fiction, young adult fiction, fiction
Website
diannedibates.blogspot.com.au

Dianne "Di" Bates (born 20 March 1948) is an Australian writer and teacher .

Bates was born in Sydney and spent her early years in Appin, New South Wales, attending Campbelltown Performing Arts High School. Later she undertook teaching training in Wollongong where she received a Diploma of Teaching, since gaining a Bachelor of Arts at the University of Wollongong.

While teaching, Bates began her writing career with her first book, Terri, published by Penguin Books in 1980. Since then, she has published over 140 books,[1] mostly for young readers. Some of these books have won state and national awards; others have been translated into French, Danish and German. Her junior verse novel, Nobody's Boy and junior novel, The Shape, have won CBCA Notable Awards.

Bates has received Grants and Fellowships from the Literature Board of the Australia Council for the Arts and has toured for the National Book Council.

Bates has undertaken commissioned writing for a large number of organisations and has worked on the editorial team of the New South Wales Department of Education School Magazine. She was co-editor of a national children's magazine, Puffinalia (Penguin Books) and editor of another national magazine, Little Ears.

Bates has founded several sub-branches of the Children's Book Council of Australia (CBCA) of NSW. She has presented community radio and television programs about children's literature and reviewed books in numerous magazines. She has also worked as a regional newspaper editor.

In 2008, Bates was awarded The Lady Cutler Prize for distinguished services to children's Literature.

Bates is married to prize-winning YA author, Bill Condon, whose awards include the Prime Minister's Literary Award in the inaugural category of young adult fiction and two CBCA Honor Books of the Year. She lives in Wollongong, NSW where she works as a freelance writer and manuscript assessor and writes a popular blog Writing for Children.

Awards and Commendations

  • 1987 Writer's Fellowship from the Literature Board of the Australia Council
  • 1988 Writer's Fellowships from the Literature Board of the Australia Council
  • 1988 West Australian Young Readers' Book Award (Grandma Cadbury's Trucking Tales)
  • 1993 Special Award, Australian Multicultural Children's Literature Award (I'm An Australian: A Classroom Journal)
  • 1995 Varuna Writers’ Centre Fellowship
  • 1999 Kids' Own Australian Literature Award (Desert Dan the Dunnyman)
  • 2000 Varuna Writers’ Centre Fellowship
  • 2001 Children's Book Council of Australia Notable Book (The Shape)
  • 2002 Kids Own Australian Literature Award Hall of Fame (Big Bad Bruce)
  • 2008 Lady Cutler award for distinguished services to children's literature
  • 2013 Children's Book Council of Australia Notable Book (Nobody's Boy)

Published Books

References

  1. ^ Bates, Dianne, Writing for Children About page. Blogspot. Accessed 2013-11-20 at http://diannedibates.blogspot.com.au/p/about-di-bates.html