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About Joyce
Joyce Dunbar was born in Lincolnshire, one of four children of a steel worker and a fishing net maker.
She read for an English degree at Goldsmiths' College, London, and worked in Further Education for many years before becoming a full time writer in 1989. |
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She has written over seventy books for children, translated into many languages. Most of them are picture books, including the best selling TELL ME SOMETHING HAPPY BEFORE I GO TO SLEEP, illustrated by Debi Gliori.
Many of her stories have been turned into animation - MOUSE & MOLE - with the voices of Alan Bennet and Richard Briers, produced by Grasshopper. This has also has also been on tour as a stage production. Hugely successful as a puppet show and in its 3rd year on tour is SHOE BABY (Walker Books) which is illustrated by her daughter Polly, with music by Tom Gray of Gomez and produced by Longnosepuppets.
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In June 2008, MOONBIRD (RANDOM HOUSE), a story about a deaf prince illustrated by Jane Ray, was staged by I-Theatre in Singapore. Joyce was invited to see it and also to give a keynote speech at the Asian Children's Writers and Illustrators Conference, as well as running masterclasses and workshops.
Forthcoming publications include ODDLY (Walker Books) illustrated by Patrick Benson and PUSS JEKYLL, CAT HYDE (Puffin) illustrated by Jill Barton.
Joyce did 'A' level art, but even though she chose literature over Art School, she spent some years running an art department in an adult education centre in London. From 1972 to 1995 she was married to James Dunbar, who is an artist, and they collaborated on several books together. They have two children, Polly Dunbar, writer, illlustrator and co-founder of Longnose Puppets, and Ben Dunbar-Brunton, the photographer. |
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Joyce regularly visits schools as an author and for eight years taught creative writing on the Greek island of Skyros and elsewhere. In 1998 she cycled across Cuba for the National Deaf children's Society and in 1999 journeyed to the Himalayas with a guru for the founding of a new ashram.
She is currently a Writing Fellow of the Royal literary Fund at the University of East Anglia, as well as being a visiting writing tutor on a new M.A. course in Creative Entrepeneurship (M.A.C.E) at UEA. She is also working on a book for adults.
She loves gardens, animals, visual arts, theatre, cinema,reading, walking, cycling, gazing out of the window and Leonard Cohen. In another life she would like to be a dancer or an explorer/naturalist.
She lives in the Centre of Norwich with her cat, Minnie ha-Ha.
IN THE PICTURE
From 2005 to 2008 Joyce was on the steering committee of SCOPE'S IN THE PICTURE campaign, with the aim of including disabled children in picture books.
AUTHOR VISITS
Joyce is happy to visit schools and to give talks to adults about children's books. For prices and possibilties contact Hilary Delemere hdelamere@theagency.co.uk
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