On Monday I’m travelling with some year 9 and 10 students to the “Melbourne Writers Festival – Schools Program”. I look forward to this for a number of reasons. I always enjoy taking the students on excursions, because they are always engaged and at their best. We can only take a small number of students, so only those who are really passionate about reading and writing have gone to the effort, or been selected by their English teachers. I expect this will make for great conversation on the 2 hour + bus trip. I will also enjoy listening to the authors speak about their books. I’m not sure yet, which sessions I will be attending, but I will be sure to tell you after I’ve been.
For those who live a little closer, “Melbourne Writers Festival” is for adults also and there are plenty of sessions to cater for all. Check out the program on the webpage.
Amanda Bloom – WoW
Last night I heard Amanda Bloom’s ‘Magdeline‘ on the radio. It is an amazing song. I loved it on first hearing. I remember the first time I heard Tori Amos and it was a similar experience. She is like Kate Bush. I love Kate Bush.
The lyrics of ‘Magdeline‘ are moving and you can read all about them on her myspace blog.
She is a Sydney woman. Her voice is magic and I look forward to hearing more. I would buy a CD of hers today if I could. The Triple J radio announcer said last night she was classically trained. You can hear that discipline and excellence. I can’t say enough. If you go to Triple J Unearthed, you can download Magdeline and listen for yourself. I am going to register today and vote.
Ted Talks
Considering what it costs to see Anthony Robbins live, this is good value. It’s free! He tells a very touching story. I’ve listened to a few Anthony Robbins tapes over the years, but not until today did I hear him say the F word. So that was interesting! I kinda liked it. Made him seem more human to me. I know, I have issues.
Actually you can watch a video of Tony Robbins. He looks good too.
I have been checking out TED Talks again today. I watched a video there the other day, I don’t know if I mentioned it here but it was about Happiness by Dan Gilbert and I really enjoyed it. This is a valuable resource. There are quite a few great speakers on this site and I think you could treat yourself to the time it takes to listen to a half hour or so, or download a podcast.
Oh and since U2 is in Australia, you might like to celebrate that by watching Bono here.