Lefa Singleton Norton's Blog, page 4

In the Good Books – a podcast by Yarra Plenty Regional Library

Another podcast? Yes! Ive teamed up with two of my fellow coordinators at Yarra Plenty Regional Library Sarah Schmidt and Patrick Jovaras to create a podcast all helping readers through their reading conundrums.

The project grew from our Book Valet service, where library members fill in a short survey about their current reading habits and likes/dislikes and one of the YPRL team recommends some books we think they would enjoy. Sarah, Patrick and I found ourself marvelling at how...

What I learned from analysing my 2019 reading highlights

Image by bdungeon76 used via CC License

My favourite books of the year all stand out for their exceptional writing, their ability to draw me in to the world they create or explore, the way they haunt me after I read them (that can be in a positive or negative way) and the desire I have to tell everyone I come across about them in detail. They are the books that make me want to pick up another book in the hopes of finding the same magic again. So why, when I read so much in the crime genre,...

2019 Reading Summary

This was a blockbuster year of reading for me. Over 100 books across most genres. But as we all know, its not how many you read that matters, it is whether you managed to find books that made your heart sing or kept you up late into the night or left an indelible impression on you. I definitely felt like this was a good year for me in finding some exceptional reads.

Highlights of 2019:

Australian fiction: Rain Birds by Harriet McKnight, A Constant Hum by Alice Bishop, Wintering by Krissy...

I’m now working at Yarra Plenty Regional Library

Eltham Library

When I finished up at the Centre for Youth Literature at State Library Victoria I promised myself (and my family) that I’d take six months off to recover from the burnout that came with doing a job where I had put 110% of myself into my work for so long (such is the joy of trying to balance working and managing a disability). The plan was to freelance while working from home, slowing down significantly and refocusing on my health.

I’m giving myself a mental high-five for lastin...

This is What Raising a Feminist Looks Like: Ellie Marney

A new episode of the podcast is available now via iTunes and all your regular podcast services!

In this episode I speak with award-winning Young Adult author Ellie Marney about her experiences raising four boys in regional Victoria. 

We chat about the isolating experience of motherhood in the western context, the evolution of parenting at different stages of your children’s lives and how teenage boys experiences are being changed by the spread of feminist concepts and much more.

I was so thr...

Darebin Mayor’s Writing Awards

It was a pleasure to be asked to return as a judge again this year for the Darebin Mayor’s Writing Prize.

The theme this year was ‘lucky’ and I was struck by how many of the entries had themes of climate change, near misses, appreciating our natural environment and mental health. It’s interesting that many of us are preoccupied with our relationship to the environment, and are instinctively aware that the health of our planet and our own are inextricably linked.

The winner was a unanimous d...

Hoarders: the TV show to cure your Marie Kondo-inspired guilt

I published this article on SBS this week about trying to understand a disorder at the opposite end of the minimalist spectrum.

Both Marie Kondo and Hoarders ask: how much of the stuff surrounding us do we really need? In an age of consumer culture, fast fashion and single-use plastics, this is a valuable question. We have an attachment to physical items that our planet cannot sustain, whether we obsessively collect them in every inch of our homes for fear of throwing out something potential...

Kidspot: we need to do more to prevent our kids becoming bullies

I’ve written about the importance of primary school aged children being able to understand and respect personal boundaries.

Being a good person, and a good friend is about more than just not being a bully. If we only focus on teaching young people how not to take part in bullying behaviour, we fail to impart on them how important it is to be a positive member of a community. When children understand everyone has a right to have their personal boundaries respected they are equipped to develop...

Finishing up at CYL

It’s bittersweet to be exiting the Centre for Youth Literature a little over a year since I first joined the team. I came on board for a short-term three month contract and as is often the way with contracts, it was extended.

In my time at CYL I’ve worked on the Inky Awards, the relaunch of Inside a Dog, Story Camp, two YA Showcases and more. I have worked with some of the most wonderful people, notably excellent in their professional abilities and also passionate and dedicated to YA literatu...

This is What Raising a Feminist Looks Like: Erin Farley

A new episode of the podcast is available now via iTunes and all your regular podcast services!

In this episode I talk to Erin Farley about raising her son, four-year-old Jose. Erin has over fifteen years experience working in communications and campaigns with not-for-profits, unions, government and in politics.  

We chat about single parenting, the motherhood penalty on careers, public discourse on mental health, deafness and the gendered nature of English language acquisition and much more...