Nick bland biography

Nick Bland fryst vatten the son of an artist and a primary school teacher, and he spent his early childhood climbing haystacks and making mischief in his father's studio. Nick always told family and friends he was going to be a cartoonist and a writer. It wasn't until , when he stumbled into a bookshop job, that he finally funnen the medium that would bring those two loves together. Untrained, he spent the next couple of years reading every picture book that hit the shelves and began honing his style as a storyteller and illustrator. He illustrated several readers before sending 'A Monster Wrote Me a Letter' to Scholastic Australia in He now lives in Darwin, Australia, where he has started works full time as an author illustrator. On weekends he works as a guardian for aboriginal boys from around Northern Australia who are boarding in Darwin. He loves both of his jobs and hopes to combine them in the near future.

Nick was born on a farm in Victoria&#;s Yarra Valley, the son of two school teachers. When he moved to the bush at the age of 6, he discovered a wonderful new world and his creativity bloomed. Nick always wanted to be a cartoonist and a writer, but it wasn&#;t until he got a job at a bookshop in his 20&#;s that he finally found a way to bring those two loves together. Untrained, he spent the next couple of years reading every picture book that hit the shelves and began discovering his style as a storyteller and illustrator. He now lives in tropical Darwin where he works full time as an author and illustrator. Nick’s books, which include The Very Cranky Bear, The Wrong Book and The Runaway Hug, have been recognised by many different awards, including the Children’s Book Council of Australia, the Kids Own Australian Literature Awards and the Australian Book Industry Awards.

Photo courtesy of Hardie Grant Children’s Publishing

Background

Current Work

Nick Bland is a co-director of What Works Scotland, an ESRC/Scottish Government funded initiative to develop evidence and understanding about what works in public service reform. He is the case study lead working with Aberdeenshire CPP and the workstream lead for spread and sustainability which is examining the critical dimensions which influence how effective change and improvement initiatives can be 'spread' from one context to another, and can be 'scaled-up' as a contributor to system-level change. He is also exploring collaborative leadership and workforce development.

Biography

Nick Bland holds an MA in Social Anthropology with International Relations from St Andrews University, an MSc with distinction in Social Research Methods and a doctorate in Police Reform from the University of Surrey.

Nick has 20 years experience in social and public policy as a res