Lachlann Carter
Lachlann Carter is an author, educator, and maker of things. His book, BIG TROUBLE with Angry Chairs, is the first in a series of funny and action-packed graphic junior fiction books, published by Hardie Grant Children's Publishing, and with art by Douglas Holgate, Illustrator of the New York Times Bestselling series The Last Kids on Earth. The second book in the series, BIG TROUBLE with An Old Fart, will be released April 2025.
A former primary school teacher, Lachlann is the cofounder and was for 10 years CEO of 100 Story Building, a not-for-profit organisation based in Melbourne dedicated to supporting the development of creativity and literacy in children and young people. Since opening doors in 2013, 100 Story Building has worked with over 50,000 children and young people.
Lachlann now lives and works in Gimuy/Cairns, where he splits his time between working with children, schools and communities on creative learning projects, and writing!
He is currently in the process of establishing a creative learning initiative for children and young people in FNQ.
Lachlann is an experienced and engaging presenter and facilitator, and has delivered over 1,000 creative writing workshops for children and hundreds of professional learning programs for teachers, mainly in Victoria and Queensland, but also New South Wales, Tasmania, South Australia, New Zealand, Singapore, London, Amsterdam and San Francisco.
An advocate for fairness and opportunity in learning and life, and using stories and creativity as a vehicle for change, he is proud to sit on the boards of the Primary English Teachers Association of Australia (PETAA) and the Education Equity Alliance, and on the Community Leadership Council of the Investment Dialogue for Australia's Children.
Talks
BIG TROUBLE with Angry Chairs
The chairs of Dead End have had enough of being sat on, and they are ANGRY! Can Maddie and Clare save their dad from being snapped by the plastic folding chairs?
Author Lachlann Carter takes students on a trip to Dead End, where anything can come alive at any time, and the inhabitants are always at risk of getting chomped. Meet sisters Maddie and Clare, their pet chicken Terrible Chicken (who thinks she is a dinosaur) and a whole host of fed up furniture, and create your own angry chair to join the chairvolution.
Drawing = Writing
I write to draw, that’s how my brain works. By sketching and doodling and creating storyboards before writing any prose, I’m able to explore ideas and stretch my imagination, without getting bogged down with finding the right words and language.
In this session, I take you through my creative process, using actual examples from my notebooks and storyboards and manuscripts and correspondence with my editor.
This talk can be tailored either for student groups, or for teachers, where I make links to developing approaches in narrative that draw on my process.
Student Workshops
BIG TROUBLE with Angry Objects
In BIG TROUBLE with Angry Chairs, the chairs of Dead End have had enough of being sat on. They have so much more to offer the world than just being bum rests!
Which gets me thinking - are there other things in our lives that have aspirations beyond the boring job they currently have?
In this workshop, I introduce students to the world of BIG TROUBLE, and then guide them through a process of character development, using crafting, oral storytelling, and drama to create complex and original characters.
Comicollaboration
Writing can feel like a lonely process, so why not do it together?
In this workshop, I facilitate small groups to co-create characters and settings, and collaborate on a shared short comic story.
This workshop can be adapted for either student groups (within a single class) or a cohort of teachers (as part of a professional learning day)
Participants will learn how sharing and building on each others’ ideas can help expand the possibilities for their storytelling, and break them free from their safe go-tos, resulting in stories that are completely wild and original.
Decisions, Decisions…
Instead of asking ‘What happens next?’, this workshop gets participants to ask ‘What might happen next?’
Building choice and decision-making into writing expands the possibilities, and helps break writers free from the tyranny of the blank page.
It includes elements of character development, world building, and story craft.
Testimonials
The sessions both with the students and with the teachers were fantastic. It made all the teachers talk about what and how we are teaching as well as ignited a passion in the teachers to implement changes to their practices.
Edge Hill State School - August 2024Lach's enthusiasm and humour drew the students in right from the very beginning of the session. He connected with each student, asking their name and remembering it later as they asked questions. Lach treated the students professionally and as if they were his equals in this journey of character and story development, engaging with their ideas and using them to assist in the example he modelled throughout the session. He empowered the students, and each of them left feeling proud of what they had created and excited to continue writing. Thank you very much, Lach, and we wish you all the best with your new book!
Lach delivered a workshop that had every student engaged in the creative process. He connected with students in a variety of ways, making them feel heard and seen as writers and creators. At a time when creative writing is at risk of being eroded away by curriculum changes, the opportunity for students to see firsthand the entire writing process, from idea in a notebook to storyboards, then drafts, then editorial and illustrator notes to a published book was incredible and unteachable in a normal classroom. Priceless stuff!
North Melbourne Primary School - August 2024Lachlann delivered a highly engaging book week activity. He talked to the students about the characters in his book called 'Big Trouble'. He made the book come to life, with drawings and storytelling moments. He is a quality entertainer, which meant that he had all students focused and hanging off each word he said. I like that he had an activity for the students to complete. We have never looked at a chair the same! Thank you! From Grade One
Trinity Anglican School, Cairns - August 2024Lachlann's model is incredibly collaborative and focuses on the entire process, where students' participation and reflection are key. I LOVVVVVEEEDDD THIS WORKSHOP! Thank you :)
Cairns State High School - July 2024Lachlann is a wonderful, energetic presenter. His energy encourages a new love of writing narratives. His workshops have engaged the unengaged writers and given them a format to build their creative worlds. Thank you, Lachlann, for the wonderful world you have opened to me and my students.
Whitfield State School - May 2024
Big Trouble with an Old Fart
BIG TROUBLE with Angry Chairs
Queensland
Speaker type
- Author
- Educational consultant
- Interstate
- Virtual visits
Links
