Sally Murphy's Blog, page 53

More Things I Learnt During Bookweek

I get invited to speak about my books, and about writing and reading, in the hope that I might inspire or teach my audiences. But every single time that I speak, I get inspired in return, and I am constantly learning things about myself and my books from my audiences. Further to my post a couple of days ago about the links I have started to see between my books, here are a few more things I learnt in Bookweek.

There are a lot of FIFO families in WA. Actually I already knew that (one article I read suggested there are 60 thousand FIFO workers in WA), but it was only when I started going into schools to talk about Fly-In Fly-Out Dad that I realised what this translates to. In every classroom there are children with a dad or mum who goes away to work. And in some classrooms, the majority of children are in this situation, or have another close family member (granddad, aunty etc) who does FIFO work.


Not every FIFO child, even of primary school age, really understands where it is that their absent parent goes, or what they do there. Even eight and nine year olds who knew that their parent was FIFO, didn’t know where it was that Mum or Dad worked.


Kids love poetry, even though they don’t always realise that what they are reading IS poetry. Lots of kids tell me how much they love my verse novels, but when I tell them that these are poems, they are surprised, especially when the books have been read aloud to them. It doesn’t worry me whether my readers know that they are reading poetry, or whether they know what a verse novel is. What concerns me is whether they are enjoying the stories. The form aids that enjoyment, and the connection with it, but if the reader doesn’t recognise the form, that’s fine. I call his poetry by stealth.


Using a footy analogy to get my point across never gets old. I have been using the fact that I am a Fremantle Dockers supporter to illustrate why I write books with big highs and low lows for several years. It never fails to get a reaction from the audience, especially in WA where footy rivalry Is strong. One of my proudest Bookweek moments came a couple of years ago when a boy in a Eagles guernsey approached me after my session to tell me he was going to switch to supporting the Dockers.


Nothing energises me more than a fresh audience. I drove 200 plus kilometres to and from every day of Bookweek this year, and in between sessions and at the end of every day I was exhausted. But when each new audience arrived, I got a lovely whoosh of adrenalin and felt on top of the world. I danced, talked, sang (sorry about that), jumped, paced, talked some more, and loved every moment of it.

Of course, I was pretty weary by the time Bookweek was over, but that’s what weekends are for, right?

Poetry Friday: Australians All

Warning: the following post is heartfelt, and a bit political, and very different from my usual poetry posts.

It’s Poetry Friday, and this week the thing that has been on my mind is the Syrian Refugee crisis. There are 11 million (yes ELEVEN MILLION) displaced Syrians, either displaced within their former country, or having fled. And, governments and individuals from  around the world, spurred to action at last, have been opening their hearts and their borders to help these people, many of them children.

Australia’s government was  slow to act, though has finally agreed to take in 12,000 refugees. This is wonderful news, though it should be said that 12,000 out of 11 Million is just a tiny drop. And it doesn’t change the fact that Australia also has many other legitimate refugees (from Syria and other countries) in detention centres both offshore and within Australia, treated like criminals for seeking help.

Anyway, I wanted to respond to my strong feelings about this subject  but every time I tried to write, nothing came out. The only words that came to my mind are the words of our national anthem, which I have been unable to sing proudly since we started mistreating refugees on Manus on Nauru. The anthem speaks of welcoming “those who’ve come across the seas”, yet our Prime Minister talks, quite proudly of ‘stopping the boats’ and that those who have come that way will never have homes in Australia. And our so-called Opposition supports this stance.

So, for today’s Poetry Friday I give you the words of our National Anthem. A poem which once stirred me to feel proud and hopeful. May we be able to sing it, not just for the 12, 000 who we are about to welcome, but for the thousands who are currently being held in detention.

AUSTRALIAN NATIONAL ANTHEM
Australians all let us rejoice,
For we are young and free;
We’ve golden soil and wealth for toil;
Our home is girt by sea;
Our land abounds in nature’s gifts
Of beauty rich and rare;
In history’s page, let every stage
Advance Australia Fair.
In joyful strains then let us sing,
Advance Australia Fair.
Beneath our radiant Southern Cross
We’ll toil with hearts and hands;
To make this Commonwealth of ours
Renowned of all the lands;
For those who’ve come across the seas
We’ve boundless plains to share;
With courage let us all combine
To Advance Australia Fair.
In joyful strains then let us sing,
Advance Australia Fair.

Because my post is political, I have not added to to this week’s Poetry Friday roundup. But please, if you have time, head over to the roundup which is today hosted today by Robyn at The Deckle Edge.

Not as Different as You’d Think: Things I Learned in Bookweek

As I talked about books and writing during my Bookweek visits, I used my three latest books – Fly-In Fly-out Dad, 1915, and Roses are Blue – to demonstrate where ideas come from, and how an idea can be moulded into a story. In most sessions I referred to all three books because I felt that using such diverse books would mix things up a bit. But, after a week of discussing three very different books, I started to realise that while they are very different, these three books had quite a lot of similarities.

All are about absence, and missing loved ones. In Fly-in Fly-Out Dad Tiger misses his Dad, and Dad misses his son. Even when they are together they realise that soon they will be apart again. In 1915 Stanley, fighting at Gallipoli, misses his family desperately, and probably his twin sister Elizabeth most of all. And Elizabeth, at home in Australia, misses Stanley, and worries about him every day. In Roses are Blue, Amber misses her mum, even though Mum is still with her. She misses the way Mum was before her terrible accident, and the things they could do together which they now can’t.


All three feature strong child characters.Tiger is only little, and struggles to understand where Dad goes, and even why they can’t always be together, but he tries to be brave about this. It’s important though, that he is able to recognise that being ‘brave’ doesn’t mean he isn’t allowed to miss his dad or to feel sad about Dad’s absences. In 1915, Stanley and Elizabeth are not children – though as young teachers they really aren’t much past their teenage years. And they are both strong individuals. But to me, the child characters who strike me as strong here are Miles’ sons, Bobby and Harry , who Elizabeth teaches. They represent the many many children who, in World War 1 (as in other armed conflicts) watched their fathers go off to war, not knowing if they’d come back. And (spoiler alert) when their father does die, they do their best to carry on their lives. In Roses are Blue, Amber too has the strength to carry on, trying hard to be happy, to support her family – especially her baby brother, Jack – and to make the most of what she’s got.


All three make people cry. I spent a lot of time during Bookweek (as with all my appearances, really) discussing why I choose to write books which rouse emotion. Though I don’t set out to make people cry, I’m kind of glad that I am able to connect with people in this way. And my aim is, that even when someone cries reading one of my books, they should feel happier afterwards.

There are probably other links between the three, and between these and my other books. Perhaps the biggest link is that, because they were written by me, inside each and every one of my books is a piece of me. Intentionally or otherwise, I put myself on every page. It’s one of the fun parts of being an author.

A Visit to Townsville

Whew! What a busy couple of weeks. After all the fun and frenzy of Bookweek, I jumped on a plane (two planes, actually), and flew across Australia to visit sunny Townsville, in Queensland. The thirteen hour journey was worth every second, because once there I spent a couple of amazing days working with the students and staff of Kirwan State School.

At Kirwan, all four year six classes have read and studied my three verse novels. They haven’t just read them – they have  talked about them and written about them and analysed them and, I suspect, there are kids there that now know my books better than I do!

Every student wrote me a letter asking me to visit and telling me their responses to Pearl Verses the World. They are all also preparing for panel discussions where they will analyse my writing style. All of this is wonderful, but what is the most wonderful part is the very personal connections that so many of the students have made with the books. They are opening up to each other, to their teachers and to me about their own life experiences and how they find themselves reflected in the pages of the books. For me, this is heart-warming, and inspirational, and perhaps slightly overwhelming.

As a writer I spend a lot of time working in isolation and wondering if what I am doing is reaching readers. When I visit Kirwan, I know that my books are certainly doing all of that, though I think the biggest reason this is happening is because there is a team of teachers who present the books in a meaningful way, and wonderful young readers who are prepared to engage.

Thank you Kirwan for having me, for the second year running. I look forward to visiting again in the future.

Bookweek Wrap Up

Last week was Children’s Bookweek here in Australia, and I was lucky enough to spend the week visiting libraries around Perth and talking about books and writing.

A big shout out to the staff at The Grove,  Manning, South Perth, Cambridge, Mt Claremont and Canning Bridge Libraries, and to the staff and students from Cottesloe Primary School, Mosman Park Primary School, Manning Primary School, St Columba’s Primary School, Como Primary School, South Perth Primary School, Floreat Park Primary, Holy Spirit Primary, Moerlina School, Mt Pleasant Primary and the parents and littlies who came along to Storytime at Mt Claremont.

It’s hard to pick out highlights from such a wonderful and joy-filled week, but here are a few:

1. This gorgeous display of pictures illustrating the theme for the week, Books Light Up My World. 2. The questions. Some are funny, some are insightful, some are hard, but the questions are one of the best parts of each session.

3.  Sharing my books. Writers spend so much time working in isolation, that a week like Bookweek is a wonderful opportunity to share with audiences. Not only do I get to inspire young readers, but they inspire me equally, if not more.

4. Games! Dressing up, singing, dancing, laughing. Can’t believe this is part of my job.

5. The fact I get to it all again next year. I’ve already started taking bookings for Bookweek 2016. I’m looking forward to coming to a library or school near you.

Since Bookweek I have been to Townsville to speak to the students  of Kirwan State School. That’s the subject for another post.

Poetry Friday: Spring Is Here

It’s Poetry Friday and, here in Australia at least, it is Spring! Not being a winter person, I ahve been looking forward to Spring for weeks – months even.

So, of course, today I want to share a poem about Spring. A few weeks back Heidi from My Juicy Little Universe hosted Poetry Friday, and shared a poem mourning the ending of summer. You can read her poem here.  I loved the form of her poem so much that I wanted to experiment with it for myself. I  set myself an extra challenge of using one rhyme sound for each stanza, just tos ee if I could. Here is my effort:

Spring is Here!

Birds are tweeting. Spring is here

Lambs are bleating. Spring is here

Cold is fleeting. Spring is here.

Sun is greeting. Spring is here.

No more shivering

No more dithering

No more quivering

Spring is here!

 

Leaves are greening. Spring is here.

Birds are preening. Spring is here.

Folks are cleaning. Spring is here.

Garden tools leaning. Spring is here

 

No more complaining

No cold raining

Or chill blaining

Spring is here!

 

Magpies singing. Spring is here.

Kids are swinging. Spring is here

Spring is springing! Spring is here.

Yes spring

spring

spring

is finally here!

(Copyright Sally Murphy 2015)

Thanks so much to Heidi for the inspiration.

Poetry Friday today is hosted by Teacher Dance. Head over there for a round up of all the Poetry Friday goodness.

A Monday Book Quote

Poetry Friday: Another Poetry Haiku

It’s Poetry Friday. I’m in the midst of one of my busiest couple of weeks ever – Book Week, a burst of promotion for Fly-In Fly-Out Dad, a move of house, family illness, a busy period with my studies, a writing deadline… Anyway, rather than let this prevent from participating in Poetry Friday, for the second week in a row, I’m sharing a quick post in the form of a haiku poem.

I took this photo on the Abrolhos Islands last year. I’m fairly sure this plant was a weed, but it reminded me of tiny little trees from a Dr Seuss book. Thus, my poem.

 

 

Poetry Friday this week is hosted by the amazing Sylvia at Poetry for Children. You’ll find the round up there.

Bookweek Day 2: Manning and South Perth

More Bookweek fun today, speaking to kids from Manning Primary at the Manning Library and St Columba’s, Como  Primary and South Perth Primary at  South Perth Library. Yes, I’m a little blurry – I’m not very good at standing still

Bookweek at The Grove

It’s Children’s Bookweek, and I had a lovely time today speaking to children from Mosman Park Primary and Cottesloe Primary at The Grove Library in Cottesloe. Thanks to librarian Stewart and the teachers and parents who brought the children along. I have no idea what I was doing when this photo was taken – I tend to get a bit dramatic. But I had a fun – and hopefully the kids did too.