Festival fun: Magabala creators, Marie Munkara, Dub Leffler and Sue McPherson soak up the sun during the Eye of the Storm Writers’ Festival in Alice Springs

In late April 2013, some of Australia’s most outstanding Indigenous writers, illustrators and film makers came together in Alice Springs for the ‘Eye of the Storm Writers’ Festival.’ Magabala creators Dub Leffler (Once there was a Boy), Sue McPherson (Grace Beside Me), Ali Cobby Eckermann (Ruby Moonlight), Brenton McKenna (Ubby’s Underdogs), Clem Wakupi Toby (Traditional Healers of Central Australia: Ngangkari) and forthcoming Magabala author Marie Munkara (A Most Peculiar Act) showcased their talent and took in all that the three-day festival had to offer.

Dub Leffler – who ran an illustrators workshop for children on the front lawn of the Alice Springs Library – described the festival as one of the most unique writers’ festivals he had been too. ‘Eye of The Storm  ... conjures up images of the energy of nature swimming over sand and this writers’ festival did just that; iconic surrounds with a great variety of writers getting fuelled by some amazing energy,’ he said. ‘There were many great events with spirited crowds amongst a very relaxed atmosphere.’ In addition to the illustrator workshop, Dub participated in a panel alongside fellow children’s authors Nick Bland, Katherine Battersby and Magabala’s own Sue McPherson and forthcoming author Marie Munkara.