Supporting National Year of Reading 2012 and Room to Read

Love talking to the fantastic kids around Australia as an Ambassador of the National  Year of Reading, Ambassador for Room to Read and  as a writer.

Books in Homes: Auburn North Park Public School LOVES reading!

650 gorgeous kids dropped their bags in the playground in Auburn North Park Public School and headed for the school hall.

The excitement was palpable as they celebrated reading, gave awards to kids who helped in the library and waited for their books provided by BOOKS IN HOMES.

With the support of the University of Western Sydney, their librarian Catherine Clift and the Principal Mark Harris, every child received 3 beautiful new books that they had chosen.

I had the privilege of addressing the students and teachers about books which was doubly pleasurable as an Ambassador for the National Year of Reading as well as a role model for Books In Homes -www.biha.com.au

Especially loved sharing my ‘Ships in the Field’ with the kids in the library.

Loved my JACK from my JACK books starring on the library wall.

Great kids at Auburn North Park School in Sydney.

Come along to Wendy Blaxland, info SCBWI Conference 5 p.m. 2nd April at The Hughenden

If you’re not away or flying back from Bologna or at festivals and conference, the SCBWI Network is:-

5-7 p.m.

Monday 2nd April

at The Hughenden

14 Queen Street Woollahra (near Paddington, Sydney).

I have been on a conference and festival trail where I have met kids, librarians, teachers, adults, even politicians from Queensland to Picton to the beautiful Dixon Room in Sydney’s heritage Mitchell Library overlooking our Botanical Gardens towards the Opera House.

I’ll be keynote at the Glouceter Festival , touring the USA with my ‘Butterflies’, visiting Taree, Melbourne ….and more ….. and I am looking forward to speaking at the IBBY Congress in London.  It’s crazy but the wonderful life of a writer.

Deborah Abela, Serena Geddes, Lesley Vamos, Christopher Cheng … are just back from Bologna Book Fair; and

shared a fabulous time with heaps of brilliant authors and illustrators in Somerset on the Gold Coast like Jacqueline Harvey, Michael Wagner, Oliver Phommovanh, Ursula Dubosarsky, Tristan Bancks, Karen Brooks, Leigh Hobbs, Scott Westerfield, James Roy, Georgia Blain and the brilliant list goes on.

Frane Lessac, Mark Greenwood, Sally Murphy, Norm Jorgenson, A J Betts, Dianne Lawrenson, Samantha Hughes …

….and all those WA writers and illustrators are on the move throughout WA and NT at festivals and reaching remote indogenous communities.

Sarah Davis and Deborah Abela have flown to Alice Springs to join them. Love it.

Aleesah Darlison is back from Hong Hong; Jan Latta just back from China speaking at festivals; Jacqueline Harvey is doing her Alice-Miranda tour in the USA and UK.

Sue Whiting’s at All Saints in Perth which I loved when I spoke there last year

This is the coolest community ever!

If anyone is in Sydney on Monday 2nd April, there’s a great talk by Wendy Blaxland on non fiction writing; catch up with SCBWI Conference information on 29th June-2nd July and networking at The Hughenden.

Wendy Blaxland is funny, fast, brilliant and has a huge amount to share – www.wendyblaxland.com

Please come along – contact Susanne Gervay:- info@sgervay.com

Light snacks and beverages are available.

Time 5-7 p.m.

There’s plenty of parking on Monday night on Queen St, but if there are special parking requests email Susanne.

Hope to see you there.

Great Week:National Year of Reading with~ Cerdon College & Illawarra Teacher-Librarians

Great week sharing Ships in the Field with the wonderful teacher-librarians who travelled from the Illawarra 2 hours each way to The Children’s Bookshop Beecroft.

They had a great time perusing the bookshop, talking books with The bookshop’s Paul MacDonald and celebrating reading onThursday.

Also thankyou to the librarians and teachers of Cerdon College who invited me to launch the National Year of Reading on friday. What a great college. The girls just love books, reading and writing and expressed great views. They were wonderful.

Special hello to the JACK fans – you know who you are.

Love being an ambassador for the National Year of Reading!

This is Our Youth with Michael Cera, Kieran Culkin & Emily Barclay at Sydney Opera House

‘

Why did you do this play?”

Michael Cera ‘ ‘Love the script’

Emily Barclay – ‘Love the script’

Kieran Culkin – ‘What they said.’

Sometimes you think film actors aren’t real actors. Theatre is a serious testing ground. These are REAL actors – giving powerful, brilliant and gripping performances.

Michael Cera said he loved the chance to perform on the stage where there are no cuts, breaks, 5 minute slots, but serious, consistent acting.

I have a new found respect for both Keiren Culkin and Michael Cera.

Emily Barclay is different as her acting is grounded in theatre.

Their performances ‘knocked my socks off’ – I was wearing joggers too!

Their raw exposure of youth searching for identity in New York was real, powerful and permeated by a deep sadness of loss and being lost.  It is a world of disconnect with drugs, broken relationships, desperately grasping for love and purpose. In the tradition of ‘Catcher in the Rye’, it is timeless.

As a young adult writer, I feel connected to ‘This is Our Youth’. All young adult writers should see this play by award winning playwright Kenneth Lonergan.

The season is short, unexpected with 15 performances between 14-25 March. See it if you have a chance at the Drama Theatre Sydney Opera House.

Don’t miss out!