09 - 15 NOVEMBER 2026
Local Authors
Welcome! As part of the Gibraltar Literary Festival, schools have the opportunity to host local authors for inspiring talks, workshops, and presentations.
Please complete the form below to register your interest and help us coordinate visits. Kindly read the information pack before applying.
Please note that submitting this form does not guarantee an author session. All requests are subject to availability and will be confirmed by Gibraltar Cultural Services (GCS) via email.
LOWER & UPPER PRIMARY
Karim Vatvani
Age Range: Upper Primary Years 3-6
Karim Vatvani is a Gibraltar-based teacher and author with a passion for storytelling, history, and inspiring young readers. He has written five books, and drawing inspiration from Gibraltar's history and culture, Karim creates stories that encourage curiosity, imagination, and a love of reading among young people.
‘The Missing Chime’
When a grandfather clock in Gibraltar refuses to strike midnight, thirteen-year-old Ali is drawn into a centuries-old mystery where forgotten secrets, local legends, and a dangerous truth are waiting to be uncovered.
Mystery
Thriller
From Gibraltar’s History to a Story: How the Past Can Inspire Fiction How do you take something that really happened hundreds of years ago and turn it into an exciting story?
Karim Vatvani explores how Gibraltar’s history inspired his Young Adult historical mystery. Students will discover how real events, people and places can be transformed into fiction, learn how writers research the past, and explore eighteenth-century Gibraltar through a storyteller’s lens. The session encourages creative writing by showing how local history and familiar locations can spark original stories, proving that inspiration can often be found close to home.
Natalie Rolling
Age Range: Lower Primary Year 2
Natalie is a children's author and Special Needs Learning Support Assistant. Inspired by the students she works with each day, she writes stories that celebrate empathy, resilience and individuality. Her books aim to ensure that all children, especially those who learn or experience the world differently, can see themselves reflected in the characters they read about. She is delighted to share her journey from classroom assistant to published author and to inspire the next generation of young storytellers.
‘Princess Penelope’s Problem’
Princess Penelope's Problem follows a spirited young princess with a habit of reaching for things that aren't hers. Curious and a little too confident, Penelope touches other people's belongings without asking and soon finds herself facing the consequences of her actions. As things start to go wrong, she's forced to confront an important lesson about respecting other people's things, listening to the adults around her, and understanding that actions have consequences.
Fiction
Interactive
This engaging session introduces young children to the idea that every story starts small. Using Princess Penelope's Problem as an example, Natalie will share how a simple everyday habit inspired her story and demonstrate how small ideas can grow into characters and adventures. Through interactive discussion and age-appropriate storytelling activities, children aged 4-7 will be encouraged to use their imagination and discover that stories can come from ordinary moments in their own lives.
Shane Dalmedo
Age Range: Lower Primary Reception to Year 2
Shane Dalmedo is a practising artist whose work spans a variety of media, including mixed media, sculpture, illustration, and digital art. Her creative approach blends traditional and contemporary techniques, allowing her to explore storytelling and visual expression in diverse forms. She has exhibited widely, taking part in numerous group exhibitions as well as holding her own solo exhibitions, which reflect the depth and diversity of her artistic practice. In addition to her personal art projects, Shane has worked in the animation industry bringing her artistic skills into commercial and collaborative settings.
‘Gustavo Bacarisas’
Shane is also the author and illustrator of a children’s book about the life of the Gibraltarian artist Gustavo Bacarisas. The book introduces young readers to his work and legacy through colourful illustrations and storytelling. Through her diverse body of work, Shane continues to share her passion for art, creativity, and imagination across multiple platforms and audiences.
Gibraltar History
Art
Join Shane Dalmedo for an inspiring and interactive session celebrating the power of words and creativity. Drawing on her experience as an author, Shane will explore the joys and benefits of reading and writing, sharing insights from her own literary journey and published work. Perfect for young readers, aspiring writers, and poetry lovers alike, the session will also feature storytelling, followed by a Q&A exploring the life of Gustavo Bacarisas, his artistic legacy, and the travels and experiences that shaped his remarkable career.
Karen Truman
Age Range: Upper Primary Years 3 to 5
Karen is Gibraltar’s Dementia Co-ordinator and a specialist in dementia care. With a career spanning nursing, elderly care, and service development, she leads the implementation of Gibraltar’s National Dementia Strategy, championing greater awareness, support, and quality of life for people living with dementia and their families.
‘Mama’s Treasure Chest’
Aurora and Charlie realise that their Mama is behaving differently and want to find out why? They begin to understand what it means to live with dementia.
Fiction
Nuerodivergent
Through the story of Aurora and Charlie, this engaging and age-appropriate session helps children understand what dementia is and how it can affect families. Exploring themes of empathy, patience and kindness, the talk encourages young people to develop a greater understanding of those living with dementia. Interactive discussion points will help pupils reflect on their own experiences, ask questions, and learn how compassion can make a meaningful difference in the lives of others.
SECONDARY SCHOOLS
Christina Guiffre
Age Range: Secondary Years 12 & 13
Christina is a Gibraltar-based coach, leader, and DEI&B advocate. Originally from Australia, she uses her professional and personal experiences to inspire inclusion, resilience, and growth, helping others create positive change in work and life.
'Dear Unique One'
A warm, practical guide to self-compassion, emotional resilience and finding hope through life’s challenges. (Teens & Adults)
Fiction
Nuerodivergent
From writing her first book by hand inside a hyperbaric chamber to bringing the loveable Sunny and Sheepito to life and turning their message into a wellbeing app, author Christina Marie Giuffré shares the unexpected journey behind the Dear Friend collection. Along the way, she offers a three-minute introduction to neurodiversity, reflects on how understanding her own autism and ADHD shaped her writing, and explores the words we all need to hear about kindness, difference and belonging.
Karl Ullger
Age Range: Secondary Years 12 & 13
Karl is an award-winning artist and secondary school art teacher with a BA (Hons) in Graphic Design and a PGCE in Art & Design from Leeds University. His expressive mixed-media work has been exhibited internationally and has earned numerous awards, including selection for the Royal Academy Summer Exhibition and a place in the quarter-finals of Sky Arts Landscape Artist of the Year. His work celebrates Gibraltar's landscape, culture and identity.
‘Echoes of Legacy’
A series of works paying homage to iconic paintings from throughout art history, reinterpreted through the artist’s own perspective. Each piece explores a personal response to the original, whether through style, technique, emotion, or compositional elements, offering a contemporary lens on celebrated masterpieces.
Non-Fiction
Art
Inspired by Art History Karl Ullger discusses the ideas and creative process behind his latest book, a collection of paintings inspired by iconic works of art. Developed from his successful 2024 solo exhibition, the project reinterprets familiar masterpieces through his own distinctive visual style. Through selected works, he will explore artistic influence, personal interpretation and the dialogue between artists across generations, offering audiences a fresh perspective on some of art history’s most recognisable images.
Richard Garcia MBE
Age Range: Secondary Years 7 to 13
Richard is a former Chief Secretary to the Government of Gibraltar and is now widely recognised as an author, historian, broadcaster, and lecturer. He has also written and presented several television series on Gibraltar’s history for GBC. His latest publication, Useless Mouths, which will be launched at the Gibraltar Literary Festival, is his 25th book. Collectively, his works offer a unique insight into the social history of Gibraltar, exploring a wide range of subjects that have shaped the community’s past and identity.
'Useless Mouths'
This book looks at the build up to World War II in Gibraltar, from the Sudeten Crisis of 1938, for the civilian population, and what happened to the people of Gibraltar after World War II broke out up to the point when the evacuation to Morocco started in May 1940.
Gibraltar History
World War 2
Drawing on the themes and stories within the book, the presentation will be adapted to the age and interests of the audience, ensuring an engaging and accessible experience for all participants.
