Book presentation
Melissa Hekkers, author of the My Cyprus Mandala series will present the three publications included in the series (MY Nicosia Mandala, My Akamas Mandala and My Cape Greco Mandala). Melissa will talk about the concept of the series from its inception, the journey the book has taken as an educational tool and as a tribute to the cultural and natural heritage of the island of Cyprus. She will also speak about the creation process of the unique mandalas found in the books which are used for colouring in purposes.
Friday 23 November 2018
6:30 for 7:00pm
CYPRUS HOME
(Cyprus High Commission in the UK)
Attendance is free but registration is essential - RSVP HERE
*Please note that all our events are overbooked and tickets (printed or digital) will be checked before entry. You are strongly advised to arrive at the venue at least 15 minutes before the event start time as after this period seats will be allocated on a first-come-first-served basis.
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
Children's Workshop
A 3-hour workshop will introduce students to the Cyprus Mandala series and the highlights of each area explored in the books (Nicosia, Akamas and Cape Greco). This will enable children to gain knowledge on the areas and their uniqueness, as well as attain relevant vocabulary (Greek and English) on the designated subjects (i.e endemic flowers, bastions of the walled city of Nicosia and biodiversity to name a few). After the presentation, children will be able to colour in and create their own Mandala.
Saturday 24 November 2018
10:00am St. Demetrios Greek School, Edmonton
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
Melissa Hekkers is a freelance journalist and creative writer, who has frequently been featured in mainstream news outlets and other publications in Cyprus.
Recently, she has been focusing on developing her writing, promoting her own books and teaching creative writing to children and adults. Her most recent publication (2017)—My Akamas Mandala—which is the second in a series, is a colouring book inspired by the variety of endemic plants found on the Akamas Peninsula. In 2016, she published My Nicosia Mandala, the first of the above series, an innovative, interactive colouring book about the historic fortifications of the old town of Nicosia. The third book in the series ‘My Cape Greco Mandala’ will be released in November 2018.
Melissa also focuses on silenced communities in Cyprus: she writes about migrants, both as a reporter and a features writer; profiles them and teaches them creative and script writing skills.
In 2007, soon after graduating with a Communications degree, she published her first children’s book in both English and Greek entitled Crocodile, which won the Cyprus State Illustration Award. In 2012, she launched her second children’s book Flying across Red Skies (in English and Greek), using an experimental approach to literature, for which she was nominated for the Cyprus State Literary award. Her third, similarly well-received children’s book was Pupa (Greek and English), published in 2014. In between the last two books, she published her first free-verse poetry book entitled Come-forth.
