Critical examination of bookish events, news and debate.
It’s the school holidays here in Sydney and, as a work-from-home mum, that means limited opportunities for me to seek out the quiet pockets of writing time I usually live to find. Luckily there have been plenty of other writing joys to inspire me between keeping kids and clients happy.…
This fantastic library meme is going around at the moment, reminding everyone about the valuable role libraries still play in our lives: I agree! Not only do I love libraries, their studious calm and mind-expending resources, but they’ve provided a safe haven for me many times over the years –…
Stories have immense power. They can change the way you think about life, let you escape from the world for a while, keep you up late at night… I love books! So do children. Stories are magical. Stories can inspire and excite. Stories can help children make sense of the…
When I was a lawyer (in a past life, see here), I wanted to be a judge. I have a strong sense of fairness and enjoy listening to others. I have also always loved stories and for me a big part of being a lawyer was understanding and then communicating…
A week in the sun can do a lot to a person. You can either get incredibly bored, or if you have a good book and a comfortable spot in the shade you can enjoy yourself. For me, last week involved the latter, I was flying home from England and…
Over the last few years, I’ve found myself asking this question more and more, because of where I live and why. In his early twenties, my Australian husband went on a working-holiday adventure to England, which is where we met. I was the souvenir he brought back, he he! I…
Last week was National Youth Week, the largest celebration of young people in Australia. Thousands of young people aged 12-25 got involved in events across Australia, and one of those events was a free writing workshop I organised for young writers at Manly Library. The NYW’s tagline never felt more…
