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.
‘the best thing’ by Margo Lanagan
First Impressions
‘the best thing’ by Margo Lanagan
Mothering
I loved the way Margo Lanagan describes the passage of pregnancy and childbirth and the early days of mothering. Her protagonist is a young woman, yet I found it a description that closely resembled the feelings I had when I was a slightly older young mother.
Margo Lanagan’s Writing
I discussed Margo Lanagan’s writing today with a colleague and we both agreed it wasn’t always easy to read, not that it was difficult to understand, it was emotionally confronting. I always find her writing rewarding though precisely because it is confronting.
Short Story vs Novel
When I started the novel, I wondered if I didn’t prefer Lanagan’s writing in short story form as I had loved the three anthologies of short stories I had read ‘Red Spikes‘, ‘Black Juice’ and ‘White Time’. At the conclusion of this novel, I find that I love her writing in both forms. She cuts to the heart of what’s really important and describes it beautifully. It is truly a vibrant and triumphant tale that is gutsy in it’s subject choice as well as the depth it delves into.
Planting Trees
It feels so great to do something practical. We took 50 kids from our school out to a park today and planted 900 trees. I am exhausted tonight, but I feel satisfied. The kids really threw themselves into it. When we asked for volunteers, my entire class immediately volunteered and brought their forms back the next day to ensure they got to go. There were plenty of kids in the school who wanted to go, so we had to make it a first in best dressed arrangement. Kids were rushing into the office before school to try to be the first and the cut off occurred before homeroom started.
If you were cynical, you could say it was just about having a day out of the classroom. I believe 80% at least though want to do the right thing. They want to make a difference and are quick to jump to opportunities to do so. I see many kids doing amazing volunteer work in my community and I will tell you more about some of the things they do soon. 
Today it’s the tree planters day.
Today it’s the tree planters day. We could harness this enthusiasm and good will more often. If only we had the energy to keep up and keep it safe!