The KidLit Pod

Helen Farch is a high school librarian and Instagram influencer who shares how her hustle has turned a passion for books into success for both her school, and herself.

In this episode of The KidLit Pod, host Shara Curlett chats with Helen Farch about her role as librarian at Forest Hill College, a secondary school in Melbourne. Helen is an advocate for school libraries, reading for pleasure, and Australian authors.

Helen explains how she started the @fhclibrary Instagram account to make her library visible, and how the platform led to global librarian connections, publisher relationships, donated review books, and speaking opportunities, as well as building a thriving school library community.

She discusses removing barriers to borrowing, successful engagement ideas like loyalty cards and weekly “Would You Rather” votes, and the need for dedicated library staff amid underfunding and space pressures.

Helen describes revamping and genrefying nonfiction to boost borrowing and support research, notes popularity trends like manga, fantasy, romantasy, and horror, and highlights grants and community networks to support library programs and author visits.

LINKS:

Instagram: @fhclibrary

Forest Hill College Library

123Read2Me - empowering disadvantaged kids to succeed with free books.

Article in The Sapling - The Reckoning: Every Student Deserves a School Librarian in their Lives

Kirsty Everett on Instagram: @kirstyeverettauthor

Kirsty Everett on Mamamia

Kirsty Everett - Channel Nine Interview

Students Need School Libraries

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BOOK SHOUTOUT LINK:

Seasons of Clementine by Jess Galatola - published by Perentie Press

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Follow The KidLit Pod  on Instagram (@thekidlitpod)

Find out more about The KidLit Pod host, Shara Curlett, here:

Shara Curlett on Instagram (@sharacurlett)

Shara Curlett Website (www.sharacurlett.com)

In this episode of The KidLit Pod, host Shara Curlett chats with author-illustrator and almost-neighbour, H P Fryer on becoming a published author, and motherhood

H P Fryer (Hannah Powell Fryer) is the New Zealand author-illustrator of OGG, her debut picture book published by Scholastic Australia in 2025.

Hannah shares how she entered the publishing scene via an illustrator portfolio call, how she developed OGG from a university character exercise, and describes how she created the book’s detailed gouache-and-pencil illustrations.

The conversation covers her history and illustration studies, artistic influences, how parenting increases exposure to children’s books, and Shara and Hannah discuss shared views on limiting devices, valuing boredom, and “feeding” children’s minds with stories.

Hannah's illustration influences, mentioned throughout the podcast include:

• Quentin Blake
• Sarah Ogilvie
• Júlia Sardà
• Alex Scheffler
• Beatrice Alemagna
• Lynley Dodd
• Bob Graham
• Alison Lester
• Briony Stewart
• Briony May Smith
• Alex T. Smith

You can find out more about our guest, H.P. Fryer (Hannah Powell Fryer), here:

HP Fryer on Instagram (@hpfryer)

HP Fryer Website (www.hpfryer.com)

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BOOK SHOUTOUT LINK:

Josie Mack and the MEGA Division - published by Wombat Books

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Follow The KidLit Pod  on Instagram (@thekidlitpod)

Find out more about The KidLit Pod host, Shara Curlett, here:

Shara Curlett on Instagram (@sharacurlett)

Shara Curlett Website (www.sharacurlett.com)

Introducing The KidLit Pod: A New Industry-Wide Conversation on Children’s Books

The Kid Lit Pod is a new podcast launching in June 2026, hosted by Shara Curlett, author of the middle grade fantasy novel Welcome to Miracle (Scholastic Australia, 2025) and the upcoming series Protector of Beyond (Penguin Australia, releasing September 2026).

The KidLit Pod will be focused on inspiring creativity in kids and exploring connection, play, children’s neurological development, and the impact of devices. KLP will facilitate collective, industry-wide discussions about the importance of children’s books. Featuring Australian and New Zealand creators and industry professionals, the show will share opinions, ideas, research, and science through conversations with marketing teams, booksellers, librarians, teachers, specialists, publishers, as well as authors and illustrators, to uncover the stories behind the stories. We'll also be having a monthly hang with some kidlit friends (KLP Hang).

 The KidLit Pod will premiere on 2 June, with an episode featuring H.P. Fryer.

Follow The KidLit Pod  on Instagram (@thekidlitpod)

Find out more about The KidLit Pod host, Shara Curlett, here:

Shara Curlett on Instagram (@sharacurlett)

Shara Curlett Website (www.sharacurlett.com)