On 23 February we were excited to welcome back to campus an Ascham Old Girl who has made her mark as a bestselling fiction author.
Diana Reid (Class of 2013) was special guest speaker at our first Books ’n Breakfast event for 2023 in the Senior School Library. Current students, parents and staff enjoyed a morning of chatting over coffee and pastries before being treated to a talk by Diana, who provided a window into her writing practice and shared her top tips for fostering creativity—one of which is to read, read, read. While we strongly encourage reading for pleasure at Ascham, Diana is a living example of how being an avid reader can also pave a path to career success, no matter your calling.
After the talk, the queue of students was long as they lined up to have Diana graciously sign copies of her novels Love and Virtue and Seeing Other People. Love and Virtue won the 2022 Australian Book Industry Awards’ Book of the Year as well as Literary Fiction Book of the Year. It also won the Booksellers’ Choice Fiction Book of the Year Award.
Diana was named a Best Young Australian novelist by The Sydney Morning Herald last year, and the acclaim for her books has been widespread.
We thank Diana for taking time out of her busy writing schedule to come back to Ascham and inspire our students and community with her wisdom and generosity.