The Ways of Winged Ones and Women 18 September 2014

My friend Teen Hartnett and I are working on the an idea for the Words on the Wind project curated by Anne E Stewart for Storytelling Australia Victoria. I have been enjoying building a small set from bamboo tripods and suspending papier mache, life-sized migratory shore birds from a pole slung across the top.

The Ways of Winged Ones and Women, a weave of folktale, myth and history. Created with the environment of the Docklands especially in mind, this tale contemplates the nomadic and migratory movements of women and birds. Through the air and across oceans, these precarious journeys create webs of deep connection. For millennia, the migratory birds of our wetlands have journeyed annually to the arctic tundra and back again following the East Asian Australasian Flyway. Without instinct or wings but with beating hearts, thousands of women crossed oceans, disembarking in the burgeoning colony to begin new lives, for better or for worse. 

Jackie Kerin and Teena Hartnett are two women whose passion for history and folk tale is contagious. Insatiably curious and delightfully mischievous, time spent with these two is never dull.

Thursday 18th September
Theatre Doors open 5.30pm for 6pm start
Where: The Library at The Dock
107 Victoria Harbour Promenade
Docklands Vic 3008
Getting there:
Tram from City: 31, 48 , 11 (stop D18).
Short walk from Southern Cross Station

Eastern Curlew beautifully painted by John Kean. Not normally sighted in suburban back yards!

The Sydney International Storytelling Conference 2014

I for one, am very grateful that the Australian Storytelling Guild NSW host a storytelling conference every second year. We are so spread out across this vast continent; the conference provides a great focus for us to gather, make new friends and strengthen old alliances not only across Australia but around the world. I think video skills are improving!

Congratulations Claire Saxby: ‘Emu’ hits the shelves

Friend Claire Saxby has launched Emu (illustrator Graham Byrne, publisher, Walker Books Australia).  The shelf I have dedicated to my picture book collection, is starting to bow – thanks Claire! My favourite is always the one I'm using at the moment. This week I have been up to my kneecaps with very young people so There was and Old Sailor has been getting a big work out.

Claire has been steadily adding to the list of beautifully illustrated nonfiction titles available for older children.  With Kangaroo and now Emu, the marriage of her rich text with Graham Byrne’s illustrations is evocative of arid Australia and the monumental animals that the stride and leap through the bush.

Emu was launched at my local independent bookshop Book and Paper on National Independent Bookshop Day. The window is wonderful celebration of Claire Saxby’s achievement in the world of Children’s books.

Kangaroo has been listed as an Eve Pownell Notable Book 2014. I wouldn't be surprised to see Emu listed in 2015

Read more about Claire HERE

Tucker Rd Bentleigh PS and Ford Street Publishing Literary Festival 2014

This was a literary festival held at a primary school for the grades 4 – 6. The time-table was abandoned and the whole day was dedicated to celebrating stories. The festival included the launch of Adam Wallace’s latest, Jamie Brown is NOT Rich, a literary quiz, a book-stall and show-bags. But at the heart of the day were the workshops. There were 10 on offer and each student had the opportunity to participate in 3. One only has to look at the list of presenting illustrators and authors to see the quality that was on offer: Paul Collins, Corrine Fenton, Kevin Burgemeestre, Meredith Costain, Adam Wallace, Claire Saxby, Ian Trevaskis, Sue Lawson, Andrew Plant and George Ivanoff.  Between them, these people offered serious, hilarious, ridiculous, profound, fictional and non fictional sessions.  Even Jordon the Labrador (seeing eye dog in training) was swept along in the excitement that never flagged from the get-go.

This awesome idea of having a Literary Festival in a school has won me over completely

My role was that of MC and it was a joy to work alongside Paul Collins and Ford Street Publishing and the staff of Tucker Road Bentleigh PS.

Read all about Ford Street HERE

pics: The line up of authors and illustrators. Ford Street gave all the students small books for them to collect autographs and they took to this idea with gusto!