This news is a week or so old now, but I’ve been walking a centimetre or so taller since hearing that Melbourne has been named the second Unesco City of Literature. You can read a journo’s perspective of the announcement here.

I’ve just skimmed through the very impressive application that was put together in the bid. Now I’m swelling with even more pride, as I read about Melbourne as a ‘leading centre for the writing of children’s literature’. Of course I knew we were, but it was so lovely to be reminded of all the names of great kids’ authors who hail from my hometown and some of whom I’ve been lucky to meet or work with: Ivan Southall, John Marsden, Paul Jennings, Morris Gleitzman, Andy Griffiths, Graeme Base, Sonya Hartnett, Elizabeth Honey, Alison Lester, Kirsty Murray, Martine Murray, and Wendy Orr. It is also home to many children’s book publishers, children’s book-related centres such as Dromkeen and Books Illustrated, and various hubs for writers/illustrators generally. The Melbourne Writers’ Festival, which is drawing to a close this weekend, also has an active schools’ program.

More generally, we can apparently boast that more than anywhere else in Australia, we have the highest number of books published and the highest number of bookshops (per head of population). One bookshop for every 307 Victorians! Phew, there you go! (You can find a statistic on almost everything can’t you?!)

Part of the bid included the promise by the State Government for funding to create a ‘Centre for Books and Ideas’ at the State Library, which sounds like it will help to continue and broaden the support for writers, publishing and reading. You can read more about the reaction to the news by members of the industry here.

Can’t help but thinking it’s appropriate that our little blog about children’s books should also hail from a Unesco City of Literature - yay!