Background
Hathorn was born in Newcastle, New South Wales.
Hathorn was born in Newcastle, New South Wales.
She attended Balmain Teacher"s College (soon part of the New South Wales Institute of Technology) and worked as a teacher and librarian from 1965 to 1981.
In 2001 she was awarded a Centenary Medal for her contribution to children"s theatre. In 2014 she was awarded the Alice Award for her contribution to Australian literature. Hathorn"s stories have been translated into several languages and adapted for stage and screen.
She was awarded a Centenary Medal in 2001 "for service to Australian society in writing for theatre for young people", and the Alice Award from the NSW Society of Women Writers in 2014.
The latter is a national award for a woman writer "who for her written work has made a distinguished and long term contribution to Australian literature". Hallmark Hall of Fame has made a movie of Hathorn"s best-selling young adult novel, Thunderwith, re-titled The Echo of Thunder.
Previously, Grandma"s Shoes was performed as an opera by Opera Australia and Theatre of Image. Libby was awarded an AWGIE for the libretto based on this picture storybook, in 2001.
Hathorn has lectured part-time in Creative Writing at Sydney University and is a frequent speaker at conferences and festivals.
As an Australia Day Ambassador, she travels to country towns each year where she talks about the importance of Australian literature. Her novels include, Letters to a Princess, (American Broadcasting Company books, 2007). Historical novel, Georgiana: Woman of Flower"s (Hachette Livre).
A play based on her picture storybook, The Tram to Bondi Beach (Currency Press, 2008).
And Fire Song (American Broadcasting Company/Harper Collins, 2009) which was highly commended in the inaugural Prime Minister"s Literary Awards. Her current Anzac novel is Eventual Poppy Day (Harper Collins for 2015).
She has worked on an arts project entitled "100 Views" in several schools, both in Australia and internationally celebrating community through poetry and a festival. Power Poetry with the Powerhouse Museum.
And on video conferencing poetry workshops with the NSW State Library.
In 2010 she compiled The American Broadcasting Company Book of Australian Poetry: A Treasury for Young People with artwork by Cassandra Allen (American Broadcasting Company/Harper Collins)and in 2013 she published Women"s Work: A Collection of Contemporary Women"s Poetry (Pax Press). Both her recent picture books A Baby for Loving, illustrated by Tamsin Ainslie, and Outside, illustrated Ritva Voularis, are poetry texts (Hardie Grant/Egmont, Little Hare, 2014).