Sally Murphy's Blog, page 38
October 12, 2016
Wonderful Wednesday
Friends.
It is – finally – starting to look and feel like Spring in my part of the world. This morning I walked bare foot on the beach, with my feet in the water. There were dolphins swimming just off shore, dogs playing on the beach, and fellow walkers smiling as broadly as I was. And I felt happy and grateful to be alive.
If you are a regular visitor here, you might notice that I don’t post a lot about my personal life, but my sense of contentment this morning inspired me to write a bit this post. Those who know e well know it’s been a bit a tough year for me – I lost my beautiful sister, I’ve had niggling (but thankfully minor) health issues, other people close to me have had health battles, and I’ve been a bit stressed about deadlines and stuff.
But on a beautiful day like today, I’m reminded of the importance not to discount those sorrows but, at the same time, to find things to be grateful for and happy about. So, today, here’s what makes me feels blessed:
The family I was born into, the family I married into, the family my beloved and I have created, and the families our children are growing. Four generations of love and laughter – and chaos.
The sunshine, and the ocean, and the fact I can enjoy both.
Friends, near and far, who always seem to pop up at just the right moments.
Hmm. Maybe I’ll make regular thing of sharing my blessings. It makes me smile even more when I put them into words.
Have a wonderful Wednesday.
October 8, 2016
Sage’s Adventures in the Wild
No, Sage has not gone wild, but my friend, fellow author Kat Apel, sent me this photo of Sage Cookson’s Sweet Escape in the Bundaberg Library, and I thought it might be fun to start a series of posts of where Sage has been posted.
Here’s Kat’s pic.
iI you’re in the Bundaberg area, pop along to the library and check Sage out.
And if you’ve seen Sage out and about – in a library, bookshop, or in your own home, send me a picture and I’ll post it here.
October 7, 2016
Another Great Review
Really pleased with this lovely review of the first two Sage books by Zac, a librarian from New Zealand. Of course, reviews aren’t written to please the author, but a good one always makes my heart sing.
October 6, 2016
Poetry Friday: The Milkbar
It’s supposed to be the middle of Spring here, but it sure feels like winter is here to stay – it is cold and wet and miserable. I long to be barefoot at the beach, soaking up some sun and even swimming, but that all seems so far away as we’ve just finished our coldest September on record and October has continued the trend. So, feeling a bit miserable about this, I decided I needed to share a happy poem for today’s Poetry Friday. And the wintry weather has given me lots of photos to go with it, so I decided to record it. Here it is, The Milkbar.
Hopefully by next week I’ll be writing about Spring springing, but in the meantime. have a great Friday. The Poetry Friday roundup will be hosted by Violet.
September 29, 2016
Poetry Friday: The Cookie Thief
Yesterday, I visited my parentsfor the day and, for the first time in a looooong time I helped my mum make biscuits (cookies, as some of you might call them). Actually, Mum made the mixture, but I helped her roll them into balls ready for baking, a task made easier with two of us to work through the huge batch. I thought I would come home and write about it, but after cooking making I helped in the garden, then came home exhausted and now it’s Poetry Friday and the poem isn’t written, so instead I went searching for this poem, which I like and thought was worth sharing.
For my labours, I managed to bring home some of those delicious cookies., so maybe they will still inspire me to write my own poem.
Have a great Friday. Today’s Poetry Friday roundup is hosted by Karen Edmiston.
September 22, 2016
Poetry Friday: Poetry Rules!
Last week I shared my found poem about what teachers didn’t like about poetry. Some commenters agreed with the sentiments expressed, others found them sad. So, as promised, here’s the opposite poem – a found poem from the positives. I asked workshop participants to write either their favourite line of poetry or something they loved about poetry. At home, I played with the sticky notes till I had some sort of structure, and this is a result.
Poetry Rules!
With rhythm
With rhyming
And sometimes
Great timing
Expressing yourself:
Poetry lets me dream and hope
drifting through my soul
Lowering my blood pressure
Like stroking a cat
Anything quite like poetry
It’s personal
And brings out students’ emotions
Surprising teachers
surprising even themselves.
Poetry speaks from the heart
Both dark side and light
Endless inferred meanings
With rhyme and rhythm
The joy and pleasure it brings
Usually short
But deep
And dost like poetry
Where things
Have space to make sense.
Poetry can stay.
Where I was able to trace the lines from poems, I have made them into a hyperlink so you can go and read those original poems. Thanks to the participants at the ALEA/ACMI State Conference for their contributions and their willingness to be open to poetic possibilities.
Today’s Poetry Friday roundup will be hosted by Reading to the Core. Head over there to see all the other poetry posts across the blogosphere.
September 15, 2016
Poetry Friday: Rules rules rules
It’s Poetry Friday and, after a few weeks’ absence, I am really happy to be posting again today.
Last Friday as an actual Poetry Friday for me. I spent the day at a conference where the focus was children’s poetry. The ALEA/ACMI State Conference in Melbourne was a wonderful event, with participants able to choose a poetry workshop or keynote for every single session. Magic. I was lucky to be invited to the conference to present a keynote on the importance of pleasure in poetry, and to then give a workshop.
I began the workshop by giving each participants two stickynotes: a heart shaped one (on which I asked them to write something they liked about poetry, or a line of poetry they loved) and a down arrow shaped one. On this second I asked them to write the thing they liked least about poetry. Sadly, I think lots of people found this one easier. the stickynotes were then stuck on the whiteboard – the hearts on a Poet-Tree and the arrows on a rubbish bin.
I brought the stickynotes home, and, as I looked at them on my desk, knew I needed to use them for something. What better than a found poem? So, here we have it: a poem about what teachers DON’T like about poetry.
So Many Rules!
Rules
Rules
Rules
So many rules
and forms
and different types.
Curriculum restricts
prohibits
limits
making kids frustrated
And me too!
Structures
and restrictions
and rules.
Hard haiku
ridiculous rhyme
limitations of vocabulary.
Skill heavy
makes it hard to teach.
Takes time to read
to understand
to connect.
Sometimes I can’t relate
to the words
and I hate being told
what a poem means
when I think something different.
Writing in rhyme can be boring
I don’t know what to write about!
Even if I had the ideas
I don’t have the technical ability:
I am terrible at writing poetry!
Boys want to write
about snot
the toilet
disgusting food –
and that’s just not poetry to me.
Poetry can be sad
and dry
and it’s filled with
rules
rules
rules.
(Poem copyright Sally Murphy)
Sound negative? Actually, this was a really positive bunch of teachers, there to learn, to share because they recognised that poetry is important. Next week I’ll share a second poem – based on the things they liked about poetry. See you then.
In the meantime, this week’s Poetry Friday roundup is hosted by Michelle at Today’s Little Ditty.
September 14, 2016
September 13, 2016
Sage’s (and Sally’s) Bookweek Adventures
Wherever I went over the past month, Sage came too. She loves getting out and about. Today, we went through our photos and made a little slide show of our adventures. Enjoy.
It’s only 11 months till next Bookweek. Can’t wait 
September 12, 2016
I’m Baaack!
My apologies for the lack of regular posts this past month. Bookweek hit me! And, in author-land, Bookweek is rarely just one week – and, in fact, for me it’s been four weeks, visiting schools and libraries in regional Western Australia, metro Perth, as well as Townsville. I also presented at the ALEA/ACMI State Conference in Melbourne.
I’m back at my desk now, working hard on caching up, and there will lots of new posts in the next few weeks. It’s great to be back.
Reading fro Sage Cookson’s Sweet Escape at Adam Road Primary in Bunbury.
