Ken Spillman


Ken Spillman is an Australian writer based in Perth, Western Australia. Best known as a prolific author of books for children and young adults, his work has spanned diverse genres including poetry, sports writing and literary criticism. His output also includes a large number of books relating to aspects of Australian social history.

Early life

Born in London to Australian parents, Spillman spent his childhood in Sydney and Perth. He was active in amateur theatre during his teens and also performed in a school rock band. Encouraged to write by a teacher at Newman College, Perth, he began publishing poetry and stories after moving to Brisbane to attend Griffith University.

Non-fiction career

From 1977 Spillman began an association with Griffith University academic Ross Fitzgerald, researching Fitzgerald's book From the Dreaming to 1915: A History of Queensland. The pair later collaborated in compiling a landmark collection of literary writing on Australian football, The Greatest Game, as well as Fathers in Writing.
Spillman's first major solo publication was concerning the history of Subiaco, Western Australia. "Identity Prized" was launched by Sir Paul Hasluck, a former Governor-General, at an open-air function attended by more than a thousand people. Spillman returned for a follow-up history of Subiaco some 20 years later. Tied in with writing and research of the Subiaco book, he also conducted interviews which are now part of the Battye Library oral history collection. After completing this book, Spillman worked with Professor Gordon Reid on a thematic history of the Parliament of Australia.
Subsequently, Spillman wrote books on Mining in Western Australia, Bankwest, the Shire of Mundaring, the Shire of Victoria Plains, Edith Cowan University, a surf lifesaving club, a ballet college, a major hospital and a number of Western Australian schools and sporting clubs.
According to Rod Moran, former Books Editor of The West Australian, "Ken Spillman writes history in a marvellously lucid style, one enhanced further by a keen turn of phrase, or sharp observation, at an appropriate moment in the narrative. He writes the history of institutions with a deep sense of their broader context, and underpins his analysis with an admirable command of the primary sources."
In 2008, after the publication of his 17th work of non-fiction, Spillman made it known that he had decided to give priority to his fiction career.

Fiction career

After a successful full-length fiction debut in 1999 with the highly acclaimed novel Blue, Spillman wrote three children's books with writer and comedian Jon Doust. One of these, Magpie Mischief was shortlisted for a Wilderness Society Environment Award. These collaborations were subsequently re-released as ebooks with new illustrations by James Foley.
Spillman's 2007 novel for teenagers, Love is a UFO won the Western Australian Premier's Book Awards, but his international success can be traced to the launch of the 'Jake series' of books for early readers, which began with Jake's Gigantic List in 2009. A celebration of books and reading, Jake's Gigantic List is dedicated to the Children's Book Council of Australia, to which Spillman has donated royalties. The 'Jake series' has appeared in close to 20 nations and languages, and is especially popular in India.
In 2011, Spillman launched another series for young readers titled The Absolutely True Fantasies of Daydreamer Dev. Four years later, his 12-book "Virtues Series" was released in South East Asia. This drew its inspiration from the global, grass-roots Virtues Project, founded in Canada in 1991. Myra Garces-Bacsal, a professor at Singapore's National Institute of Education, wrote of this series: "This series by Ken Spillman demonstrates sensitivity towards children's emotions and profound respect for children's judgement, without being didactic."
Spillman's picture books include The Strange Story of Felicity Frown, The Great Storyteller, Rahul and the Dream Bat, The Auto That Flew, The Magic Bird and Clumsy! He has also written a picture book for all ages titled The Circle. This deals with such issues as deforestation, human displacement, refugees and multiculturalism.

Philanthropy

Spillman is known to support many foundations working with disadvantaged children through the donation of books and money. He has also interacted with the children served by such foundations in a number of Indian cities and Malaysia.

Works

Non-fiction