Sally Murphy's Blog, page 5

Poetry Friday: Mail

I’ve been thinking about mail, inspired by sending off my first poem card in the Poetry Friday Summer Poem Swap, where friends send poems to other friends via snail mail (and yes, while I’m deep in winter, it’s a summer swap, because most of the participants are in the Northern Hemisphere).

I don’t remember a time when I wasn’t fascinated by the idea of people I couldn’t see writing and sending letters to me. As a child it was mostly things like birthday cards from relatives, but once I could write, it moved on to pen pals, and letters to and from my siblings and boarding school.  The pen pals were a part of my life for many years, and I miss the regularity of those letters.

These days I rarely get letters in the mail – occasional fan mail, from a young reader, a very occasional invitation or card and, perhaps mostly of all, unexpected postcards or notes from friends. As for sending them – I too am sporadic. I try to send postcards to my grandchildren when I travel, and last year when I was away for a month, sent postcards to friends and family, which garnered some replies when I got home.

While we live in an age when we can message and receive replies within seconds or, of course, pick up the phone and talk, and social media lets us see our friends’ every move (if they choose to share), I don’t think I’ll ever outgrow the excitement of receiving a real life letter in the mail. So, while I wait for the Summer Poem Swap to work its magic, I thought I’d share a poem I wrote some time ago.

Mail

When Mum was little

people wrote letters

to each other

to say hello

or share their news

Or say happy birthday.

Letters were delivered

by the postman

days or even weeks

after they were written.

Nowadays

people send

texts or emails

that come straight away

and the postie

mostly just brings bills.

(Sally Murphy, 2015)

When was the last time you wrote a letter? I think I might send another one today – after I’ve checked out the Poetry Friday roundup, which is hosted this week by Tabatha who, coincidentally, is the hard working organiser of the poem swap.

You’re Invited

If you are in or around Perth (or just feel like a trip to Perth!) I would love to see at the launch of The Riding Gallery, on July 18 at Curtin University. It’s free, of course, but we’d love you to register here.

To be launched by my colleagues (and friends), Dr Sally Lamping and Tamara Reads, and with a door prize for one lucky school, of a free author visit later in 2024.

See you there!

 

The Riding Gallery: Two Weeks to Go!

There is nothing quite like the feeling of counting down to a book’s release. The feeling of excitement, anticipation and, yes, a healthy dash of nerves all mean that I can’t think of much else.

Luckily, there’s just two weeks until The Riding Gallery hits the shelves of a bookstore near you or, if there isn’t one handy to you, a virtual shelf.

 

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I can’t wait to share the story of Anton Weniger, his much loved merry-go-round, and the two children I created to help tell the story, set in St Kilda during World War 1.

Poetry Friday: You Should Know

I  am so lucky to have just returned from a visit to the Pilbara region, in the North of Western Australia where, alongside three other creatives, and staff from FORM, I was part of the Scribblers on the Road Festival.

We visited the towns of Port Hedland, Marble Bar and Newman, as well as remote community schools, hoping to spread a love of creativity, and to empower young people to tell their own stories through writing, art and storytelling.   It was an amazing journey – over some verrrrrry bumpy roads and through the most stunning red dirt scenery imaginable. You can see some of the things we saw and did in this little video (look out for the bumpy road clip)

All the scenery and the great company on the trip was of course very special, but the highlight was meeting young people willing to have us visit their communities. Even though we were there to share our knowledge, we were also learning from the people we met. I learnt a lot about giving and receiving, about the stories of the children we worked with, about languages other than English, and so much more. But perhaps one of my favourite lessons was from a girl called Matilda, in Marble Bar, who asked me, after I’d run a poetry workshop,  why I talked so much.

I do talk A LOT (I have ADHD) but I also value listening, and Matilda’s question led me to ask one of my own. ‘I’m going to listen to you right now,’ I said. ‘What do you want me to know about you?’ Matilda thought about this and, with some help from her friends, started to tell me about the things she likes doing. I sat and listened, but also started writing and, when Matilda had finished, I told her she’d just  made up  a poem of her own – and she had. I’d simply written it down as she spoke.

Later, I  added a title and  typed it up and, with now, with Matilda’s permission here it is:

 

You  Should Know That

Salted plum lollies,

playing on my phone,

going swimming

or down to the river,

walking around

annoying people

playing basketball

going to the pool

or driving really fast

are all

much

much

much

better than school!

 

By Matilda and Sally

 

Thank you Matilda for reminding me of the importance of being quiet long enough to hear what is important to the people you meet, and for being willing to let me share your poem with the world.

I am home now in the South West, feeling a little cold 9winter is here! but also with lifelong memories of the amazing Pilbara to keep me warm.  And, because it is now Friday, I am sharing this post with the Poetry Friday community –  a group of poets and poetry lovers from all over the world who share poetry every Friday. If you want to check it out, Denise is sharing a round up.

 

A Purrfect day for a birthday

Happy Friday! AND Happy Birthday to Queen Narelle, my little cattitude filled verse novel, which is one year old today!

If you haven’t yet encountered Narelle, her story (and that of Maddie, her human) is still available instore and online, and would be a purrfect read aloud for your junior primary classroom, library, or just for at home reading with its focus on how kids tackle friendship issues, and the bond between pets and their humans.

Happy birthday Queen Narelle!

Poetry Friday: What a Riot!

It’s Poetry Friday and, even while I still play catch up from my recent overseas trop, I am today on the road again, in the north of Western Australia visiting Port Hedland to speak poetry, books and writing as part of Scribblers on the Road.  How lucky am I?

In the meantime, I wanted to share a glimpse of this amazing anthology, a copy of which was waiting for me when I got home  last week.

It’s an absolute feast of nature photography and poems, with each contributor asked to submit both an original photo, and  an ekphrastic poem responding to that photo. When Carol Labuzzetta put out a call for submissions for this project I knew I just had to take part – and I was lucky enough to have all three of the poems I submitted included in the final production.

While I won’t share all three here (we want you to read the book!), here’s one of the photos I submitted (and which I have shared here previously):

taken when this feathered trio paid me  a visit last year. And here is the poem that I finally wrote for the anthology, after some earlier attempts.

Noisy Guests

 

What’s that ruckus

in my yard?

A feathered trio

laughing hard.

 

What’s that rumpus

I can hear?

They’re carolling

that rain is near.

 

What’s that riot

on my fence?

Kookaburras

making sense!

(Sally Murphy, 2023)

Did you know that  the collective noun for a group of kookaburras is a riot?  Isn’t that an excellent choice?

Speaking of riots, I’m off to make some noise in a school today, but after that I’ll be checking out what my Poetry Friday friends have been up to this week. Tracey will be hosting the roundup.

 

The Riding Gallery: One Month to Go!

It’s June 3 which means it is exactly one month until my newest book-baby The Riding Gallery, is released into the world. Hooray!

The Riding Gallery is my sixth verse novel, but the first that brings together my love of historical fiction and my love of the verse novel form. It tells a story based on a true tale of a man named Anton Weniger, who opened a merry go round (or, as the title suggests Riding Gallery) on the foreshore at St Kilda, in Victoria, in 1915.  This should have been a really happy event, but by the time Anton’s ride was opened, World War 1 was raging – and Anton, although a naturalised Australian, had come from Germany.

The story integrates Anton’s story with those of two fictional characters, Evelyn and Rory, who are growing up in St Kilda, and also each impacted by the far away war.

Although you might (correctly)  imagine that a story set against the backdrop of a terrible war will not be all happy, I do hope that sharing the story with readers young and old brings this piece of history to life, and does its part in making the world a better place.

Although it is not yet for sale in store, you can pre-order now in a bookstore near you – thus supporting both my book and the brick and mortar bookstores which serve your community or, online from bookstores including Booktopia.

 

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You’ll be hearing more about The Riding Gallery in the weeks to come her on my blog and over on Instagram.

 

What I Read in May, 2024

It’s a new month, which means time to share what I read last month. I was on the road – in France, London and Singapore – for most of May, so was surprised when I tallied up and saw I’d still managed 12 books. Here’s what kept me up late in hotel rooms all over the world

Books for Children

1.Kitty and the Kidnap Trap, by Paula Harrison, illustrated by Jenny Lovlie (Oxford University Press, 2021). I spent some time browsing London bookshops and came away with several books including this one. Kitty is a human child by day but a superhero, with cat powers at night – and in this instalment uses those powers to rescue her friend’s pet hamster. Very cute.

2. Squishy McFluff: The Invisible Cat! (Squishy McFluff the Invisible Cat), by Pip Jones, illustrated by Ella Okstad (Faber & Faber, 2018). Another London purchase – this time an early reader chapter book, in rhyming verse, which I found quite novel. Ava and her invisible cat get up to lots of mischief.

3. The Lonely Book, by Meg Grehan (Little Island Press, 2023). Also bought in London, but recommended to me at my conference in France by a bookseller from Canada. Really pleased to get hold of this – a verse novel about a magical bookshop, families, gender identity and acceptance. Great stuff.

4. Keisha Jones Takes on the World, by Natalie Denny, illustrated by Chante Timothy (Little Tiger, 2023). And yes, also bought (and read) in London. This one is about a determined, feisty girl who is out to make a difference – in spite of her propensity to not always get that right.
5. Overheard in a Tower Block: Poems by, by Joseph Coelho, illustrated by Kate Milner (Otter Barry Books, 2017). Another one bought in London, a collection by the current Children’s Laureate that reads a lot like a verse novel, though many of the poems do stand alone.

6. Little Hero, by Emily Lim-Leh (Penguin, 2024). I was lucky enough to attend the launch of this book at the AFCC in Singapore this month, and headed staright to the bookshop to buy it.  Inspired by the real life of the author’s father (who was on stage at the launch) it tells the tale of seven year old Xiong as he navigates life in post-war 1940s Singapore.

7. The Riding Gallery, by Sally Murphy, illustrated by Marine Heiduczek (Walker Books, 2024). Yes, I’m the author of this one, but also, I sat down and read it cover to cover after my author copies arrived. It doesn’t matter how much I have worked on a book, how well I think I know it, it’s only when it arrives in hard copy and I can turn the pages, seeing both text and image in physical form that I really know whether it works. I think it does – and can’t wait to share it with the world in July.

8.Eye Spy Singapore: A look and find activity book, by Pippa Chorley & David Liew (Marshall Cavendish, 2021). I was gifted this book by my wonderful friend David Liew (who, you might notice, is also the illustrator) and was lucky enough to have it signed both by David and by the author, Pippa, at the AFCC. A fun book exploring many of Singapore’s attractions and landmarks, with each spread also inviting young readers to find items in each scene.

9. Picture Perfect Poetry: An Anthology of Ekphrastic Nature Poetry for Students, edited by Carol J. Labuzzetta (2024). What a treasure! I have been eagerly waiting for this anthology, because I had three photos and three poems included, but also because I knew it would be a visual and literary feast, pairing nature photography with poems, from members of the Poetry Friday community and beyond.  I read it in one sitting but will be dipping in and out for a long time to come.

10. Abre, by Amandine Laprun (Actes Sud, 2022). I fell in love with this little beauty when I saw it in the window of a Paris bookstore. The shop was closed so I had to wait till the next day to go back and buy it. The image doesn’t do it justice – the book is shaped like a tree and has a ribbon which ties the front and back covers together so the book stands upright like a little tree. Each spread shows the cherry tree at different times of year, so that it goes from spring, through summer, autumn, winter and back to spring, with blossoms, leaves, cherries, autumn leaves and bare branches, as well as squirrels, birds, and even children all visiting the tree. Stunning.

11. Curly, by Rachelyn Gordon, illustrated by Cecilia Hidayat (2023). I bought this book at the AFCC after listening to the amazing author speak on a panel. Curly’s pixie cut makes her feel strong and confident – until she starts school and other children tease her about having short her. An important message, but also just a lovely story.

Books for Adults

The Spare Room, by Laura Starkey. Read on Kindle on two of my flights this month. A  heart warming rom com.

That brings my total for the year to 57, with more to come. I brought home quite a few books from my trip, and often ponder whether I could read in my sleep to keep on top of all the amazing new books I want to read.

What have you been reading?

Poetry Friday: Crisscrossed Skies

It’s Poetry Friday and I am home, after a wonderful month of travel, with a very full heart and three very full notebooks.

One of the wonderful experiences I had was a writing retreat in the South of France.  It still feels luxurious just to say that!  I spent six days at a French farmhouse  (aptly called the French Houseparty) near Carcassonne, with a brilliant group of fellow writers, and under the tutelage of poet Anne Caldwell.

One post can’t do justice to all I learnt – about writing, and about life, with this wonderful group in this equally wonderful location.  But, since it’s Poetry Friday, I thought I’d share two poems I wrote in one of the sessions. Anne had us focussing on all five senses as we took in our surroundings. Firstly, as we stood on the edge of a field of poppies. There was so much to take in, but I was especially drawn to keep looking up – the sky was crisscrossed with the vapor trails of seemingly dozens of planes, and I had to snap pictures, even while I was busily trying to focus on the exercise. 

I’ve seen vapour trails before – many, many times – but never as, on this day, so many. In fact, over the course of the morning, I lost count of how many planes I actually saw flying over adding to the pattern. It was magical. So, no surprise that when it cam time to write, that the trails made it into my first poem.

Blue Sky Day

Bumbling bee

dipping in and out

of red pockets of pleasure

hums a tale of spring.

Tottering tractor

rolls across

brown furrows

ensuring

summer’s sunflowers

are safe.

Winsome windmill

stands still

ready

for Autumn’s toil.

Crisscrossed sky

shows the path taken

by winter-weary travellers

following the sun.

Sally Murphy, 2024

The second exercise we did honed in even more on the senses, as we led each other, one with eyes closed, around the garden, and then stopped and asked our partner to tell us what they could see, hear, feel, smell and taste. I found myself saying, with surprise, ‘I can taste Spring!’  But, when I sat down to write, I was also still obsessed with those vapor trails. This is what I came up with:

Taste It

White trails

crisscross

otherwise perfect-blue sky

showing the paths of

winter-weary travellers

seeking spring.

Down below

I know

they will find it here.

The sun caressing my cheek

my legs

my soul.

The resiny pines

singing with the wind

the dove crooning –

they all know it too.

I can taste spring.

Sally Murphy, 2024

I am, as I said, home now in Australia, and the wintry weather has hit with a vengeance. It is cold and wet. But every time I think of France, I can still taste Spring!

And in other tasty news, when I got home, my copy of a brand new anthology was in the post. I’ll post more about this soon – but today’s Poetry Friday host, Janice, is not only sharing some glimpses, but has included one of the poems I have in the book. So head over there to learn about the anthology, and then  you can see what other poetry Friday goodness is on offer.

An Unboxing: The Riding Gallery

I’m soooooo excited. Waiting for me, on my return from a month long trip to France, England and Singapore, was a box. And inside that box was author copies!  So pleased to be holding The Riding Gallery in my hands for the first time, and can’t wait to share it with the world from July.  You can see the unboxing video, and hear a little about the book,  here:

 

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Out in July, you can preorder your copy at your local brick and mortar bookstore (support these if you can), or online.