Inside the 2024–2026 MIRROR Mentorship
The 2024–2026 MIRROR Mentorship supported three multilingual literary artists to develop new work for children and young people through sustained mentoring, creative development, publishing guidance and industry connection.
Mentees Lima Maula, Leila Frijat and Huaning Wu worked alongside established children’s literature practitioners Sher Rill Ng, Freda Chiu and Zeno Sworder. Across the program, each artist strengthened their creative practice while developing an original multilingual leporello—an accordion-fold publication that brings together language, writing, illustration and material storytelling.
These two short films offer a closer look at the people, processes and relationships behind the program.
MIRROR Mentorship Industry Development Development Day
Held at the Scribe office in Brunswick, the MIRROR Mentorship Development Day brought mentees and mentors together with publishers, art directors, literary agents, illustrators, booksellers and production specialists.
The day combined a keynote presentation, industry panels, practical learning and networking, giving mentees direct access to the people and perspectives shaping Australian children’s publishing. Two Mandarin interpreters supported full participation throughout the program.
This film captures the exchange of experience, knowledge and ideas that made the Melbourne Development Day an important part of the MIRROR mentorship journey.
From creative development to new multilingual works
The second film focuses on the creative outcomes of the program and the development of three original leporelli:
When the Adzan Calls by Lima Maula, mentored by Sher Rill Ng
Yallah Kazdura by Leila Frijat, mentored by Freda Chiu
Heibao by Huaning Wu, mentored by Zeno Sworder
Together, the works reflect the multilingual and multicultural reality of contemporary Australia. They foreground Bahasa Indonesia, Arabic, English and Mandarin while exploring belonging, family, faith, movement, memory and everyday experience.
The unfolding leporello format enabled each artist to consider how language, narrative, illustration, sequence and physical form could work together. It also provided the mentees with an end-to-end experience of developing a literary idea into a finished publication.
Bringing the work into public life
The mentorship culminated in an Industry Afternoon at the State Library of New South Wales on 19 May 2026.
Presented in partnership with the State Library, the event brought the three completed works into public and professional view through It featured artist talks, presentations and opportunities for the mentees, mentors and publishing professionals to connect.
The event represented more than the conclusion of a mentorship. It marked the point at which three developing creative practices became three published works—ready to be encountered by readers, families and the wider children’s literature sector.