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If you saw yesterday's post, then you know there's been a call for sweaters to be knit for penguins following an oil spill off the coast of New Zealand. The sweaters keep the birds warm and also prevent them from preening (and thereby ingesting globs of oil) while they wait their turns to be cleaned up.

Here in the U.S., last year's oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico wreaked havoc on the environment, and still requires cleanup efforts. I was fortunate to have my poem, "Troubled Water", included in the anthology Breaking Waves: An Anthology for Gulf Coast Relief. In fact, it held pride of place as the final selection in the book - closing out an anthology that opened with a poem by Ursula Le Guin. I've been pleased to see the poem favorably mentioned in several reviews of the anthology, including this one by Helen Gallagher.

In light of the recent spill off New Zealand, I thought I'd share the poem here today. And in case you're wondering, the answer is "yes, you can still purchase a copy of the Breaking Waves e-book, which is available from Amazon in Kindle format, from Barnes & Noble for the Nook, and from the publisher, Book View Cafe for a mere $4.99 US. All proceeds go to Gulf Coast relief.

Troubled Water

by Kelly Ramsdell Fineman

"The first of the slick to reach the shores will not be the last."
Janet Ritz, The Environmentalist, 4/30/10

Long before St. Aidan's time,
ancient sailors cast their oil
on roiling seas to stay the waves.
No miracle, but science:
primitive, powerful as magic.

A modicum of oil could quell
a cresting swell, a thinning drop
enough to influence a distance
farther than the fingers
of its prismatic sheen.

Not more than a teaspoonful
calmed half-acre Clapham waves
for Benjamin Franklin, noted inventor,
Renaissance man. Reconnaissance now
cannot quantify the effect.

Two billion plus teaspoons of oil
gush daily into Gulf water,
quelling wildlife, not waves;
stopping sea life, not storms;
troubling water, industry, conscience.

Worried water – a geyser spews.
Gobbets of gull-coating crude expands in the sea.
Disturbed water – methane chokes oxygen.
Desperate dead zones nothing can survive.
Troubled water – upsetting the balance.

Economy and populace washed-out as wetlands,
unsteady as shifting beach sand.
St. Aidan's cruet will not quiet this squall;
St. Jude, he of desperate causes, waits offstage,
wringing his hands.

Elohim means God of Israel, a small Christian school sitting precariously in the dust of the shanty slums towns on the outskirts of Arequippa Peru.

Susi Prescott, an Australian teacher, writer, mother, went in search of meaning, leaving Australia when her marriage broke down after 30 years. 

Enduring harsh conditions, she taught in the SOS orphanages in Nepal, volunteered for Abana a small charity establishing a school in Rwanda. No water, electricity, working in mud huts, Susi taught, sang, brought hope to the children… and then she embarked on the greatest journey of her life.  Elohim.

The children of the Peruvian shanty towns live without sanitation, limited water, no education, on piles of garbage and rocks, in a world of abuse, alcoholism and violence.

Susi  found her calling – working with these children, offering hope and education in this little shanty school.

Elohim’s founder Rose Gil Huaman was born to desperate poverty, her mother illiterate, her father a brutal alcoholic, her home a stone hut with no water of sanitation. She has dedicated her life to giving hope to the children of the dust through creating a haven, a school, called Elohim.

Patricia Roberts Billig an Arequipenan poet also dedicated her life to the children and people offering spirtuality and learning.

I was honoured to launch Susi Prescott’s book ‘The Poet, The Teacher and The Traveller’ in Sydney – about these 3 remarkable women and Elohim.

Rosa the teacher, Patricia Roberts Billig the poet and Susi Prescott the teacher.

I LOVE being an author.

It gives me the pleasure of Making a Difference for our kids, families, community.

I’ve just updated my website and these are organisations I love and work with:-

National Year of Reading – www.love2read.org.au

    Monkey Baa Theatre for Young People – www.monkeybaa.com.au

    Cancer Council – www.cancercouncil.com.au

    Life Education –  www.lifeeducation.org.au/

    The Alannah & Madeline Foundation – www.amf.org.au

    Room to Read – www.roomtoread.org

    NSW Writers Centre – www.nswwc.org.au

    Books in Homes – www.biha.com.au

    May Gibbs Trust Fellowship – www.maygibbs.org.au

    Australia Day Ambassador – www.australiaday.com.au/ambassadors

    The Hughenden Arts & Literary Hotel – www.thehughenden.com.au

Plunkett Street Public School, Books in Homes, Susanne Gervay Role Model author for Books in Homes

This was one of the special experiences as an author. The privilege of going to this small inner city school in the heart of the Housing Commission was inspiring.

The amazing principal Mr Moran has brought community, teachers, children together in an environment of learning and love. Every child was celebrated. Every teacher was celebrated. Every community supporter was celebrated.

Police officers, the pastor from the local Baptist Church, Head of Distance Education, Macquarie Bank – everyone from local people to corporates were there contibuting to these young people’s future.

As a role model author for Books in Homes, I had the pleasure of handing out books to the children so that reading would be part of their lives.

As an Ambassador for the National Year of Reading, I had the opportunity to share books. It was my pleasure to donate a class set of ‘I AM JACK’ to the school.

Thankyou Plunkett Street Public School.

I was privleged to hear Professor Charlie Teo give the Australia Day Address at the Conservatorium of Music  in Sydney.

‘I would like to see this Australia Day as a turning point.

I want my fellow Australians, those who were born here and those who have immigrated here, to pause and think of the lives that have been sacrificed for what we take for granted today.

I want everyone who finds themselves angry and intolerant to think first about the misfortunes of those who are less fortunate . . . such as those with cancer.

I want anyone who has come from another country to embrace the Australian way of life, it has served us well.

I want all Australians to see how immigrants have contributed to our nation and to appreciate that a rich and prosperous country such as ours has a moral and global responsibility to share our resources.

Finally, I want to thank Australians for giving me professional and personal fulfilment, for believing in me when some of my colleagues didn’t, for seeing a Chinaman as an Aussie, not as a foreigner and for this wonderful opportunity to address the greatest nation in the world.’

Read more: http://www.smh.com.au/opinion/australia-day-2012-address-full-speech-20120123-1qdh9.html#ixzz1kHbJA539

The Australia Day launch at Darling Harbour was emotional as John Williamson country songwriter singer sang ‘True Blue’.

Actor Kate Richie was MC and spoke about her Australia as a girl from Campbelltown in Sydney, who grew up on Home and way at Palm Beach.

The Australia Post Living Photographs of Australia were powerful, funny, warm, quirky and captured Australia.

Australia Day Ambassadors were there to share their experiences before they headed off across the country.

I’ll be flying to beautiful Port Stephens to give an Australia Day Address there and to participate in the Blessing of the Fleet.

As Ambassadors for the National Year of Reading, Christopher Cheng and I launched Jean Genies an Gosford Library initiative supporting teen reading across Australia and beyond.

Jeans are decorated by young people from libraries and this year the jeans will be going to Peru and Slovakia this year.

The fantastic librarians Claire Stuckey and Sharon Dalgleish initiated this Jean Genies celebration of books. It’s a natural partner with the National Year of Reading.

ABC radio Central Coast supports both the National year of Reading and Jean Genies – thankyou to Scott Levi. Loved our interview and sharing ‘Ships in the Field’ with the Central Coast.

Special hello to the Adventist School who I spoke to.

Special hello to the wonderful Gosford High School Choir who moved me deeply with their voices and generosity in supporting reading and community.

Special hello to the wonderful Gosford Library.

Maurice Saxby AM is one of the significant people in the development of children’s literature in Australia.

The inaugural lecture where Maurice will be speaking will be important.

It’s a National Year of Reading 2012 event.

Date: Thursday 1st May

State Library Sydney NSW

Bookings are open:-

Ph: 02 9818 3858

or email

cbcansw@bigpond.com

Cloudy Collection is excited to announce our latest special edition print set, honoring and including the inimitable Ed Emberley. There are two “Monster Parade”-themed prints available: one 8”x10” four-color letterpress made exclusively for Cloudy Collection by Ed Emberley, and the other is a set of fifteen (plus one!) 4”x6” four-color screen prints by Ed Emberley, his daughter Rebecca Emberley, S. Britt, Tad Carpenter, Maura Cluthe, Becky Dreistadt, Bob Flynn, Meg Hunt, David Huyck, John Martz, Caleb Neelon, ;Heather Ross, Souther Salazar, Bwana Spoons, and Nate Wragg.

A portion of the sales of these prints will go to Heifer International, providing reliable sources of food to women and families in developing nations, and to the Central Asia Institute, which provides books and literacy and educational opportunities to girls and women in Pakistan and Afghanistan.

Get one or the other or both sets right now at Cloudy Collection!

As an Author Role Model I have the joy of supporting the Books In Homes Programme.

I’ll be giving out books at La Perouse Public School in Sydney, at the  Book Giving Assembly next week.

South Sydney Junior Rugby League Club is a sponsor of the Books in Home programme at La Perouse Public School. I LOVE that.

“The Books in Homes Programme has given our children the choice and ownership of books to read and enjoy at home.”  Empowering Kids, Literally.

Books in Homes provides good new books to children and families living in disadvantaged circumstances in Australia,  promoting reading and literacy.

Since 2001, Books in Homes has distributed in excess of 1,000,000 new books to more than 110,000 needy children from 290 schools and communities around Australia.

I’m proud to be an author Role Model for Books in Homes.

For more information – www.booksinhomesaustralia.com.au

Thankyou Tom Zubrycki for getting me a ticket to the opening of ‘The Hungry Tide’ for the Sydney Film Festival. It was BOOKED OUT very quickly and deservedly so!

Lines of people wound outside the Sydney cinema complex down George Street last night, despite pouring rain.

Cinema doors open, crowds seated and Tom Zubrycki spoke about his important 3 year journey making ‘The Hungry Tide’ – a documentary following the life of Maria Tiimon from Kiribati and her advocacy for her Pacific Island nation against the hungry tide – the rising seas of climate change. A significant film.

The Edmund Rice Centre, Phil Glendenning, Jill Finnane who were at the premiere, are passionate advocates for Kiribati and advocates of Tom Zubrycki’s film.

I was part of the Pacific Calling Delegation to Kiribati with Nicola Daly cinematographer and Louise Whelan award winning photographer, Patrick Dobson father of Aboriginal Reconciliation – looking at urbanisation on the island of  Tarawa, need for fresh water, rising tides -to this welcoming nation in the middle of the Pacific.

The Queen’s Honours list – I am overwhelmed and teary by this honour from my country.

Order of Australia

I’ve set up a special file for the beautiful congratulations, emails, phone calls, letters …

Thankyou to my friends across Australia and the world.

Special thankyou to Society of Children’s Book Illustrators and Writers SCBWI - states across USA, Hong Kong, Scotland, Singapore … to India – for your messages.

Thankyou to Room to Read, the NSW Writers Centre, the Children’s Writers * Illustrators Network at The Hughenden, the school librarian’s network … and family and friends.

Feel embraced by your all.  THANKYOU.

LOVE YOU ALL!.

Yesterday I was part of the Cancer Council’s photo shoot for their Pink Ribbon Day – with kids, babies, young women, old women, guys – it was great fun and something close to my heart as a multiple breast cancer survivor and author of  ’Always Jack’ that carries the Cancer Council’s logo – the yellow daffodil.

SUPPORT the Cancer Council’s Pink Ribbon Day in October.

http://www.pinkribbonday.com.au

Beautiful congratulations are coming from all over Australia & the world.

Thankyou to HarperCollins Australia for the stunning bouquet of flowers.

Thankyou to the organisations I advocate for – the NSW Writers Centre, Monkey Baa Theatre for Young People, Room to Read, CBCA, the Children’s & Illustrators Network (at the Hughenden), SCBWI, Books in Homes, Cancer Council …

Thankyou to my very funny friends – who think an OAM is hilarious and keep courtseying and sending me cards with OAM.

Thankyou Australia for the OAM!!!!

Thankyou for SCBWI – the messages are coming from everywhere.

As the child of post war refugees, my parents with my baby brother, left everything to escape Hungary across minefields in the dead of night, for freedom. In the Austrian refugee  camp, they hoped a country would take them.

They wanted to be chosen by the USA, but it was Australia who offered them home. They  didn’t know what or where Australia was, except it was far away from war, communism and imprisonment.

They came on a refugee ship, without language, possessions, community, but with hope. Like many,  they rebuilt their lives in a new country. It is the story of America, Canada, UK …. many countries.

It’s hard to believe that as the child of refugees, I have been awarded an Order of Australia. It is overwhelming and deeply meaningful.

My daughter Tory and I peer into Don Bosco House in inner city Marrickville.

The youth officer opens the locked front door, hands me a large knife and Tory a lighter for the gas stove and we head down the corridor.

We pass bedrooms, graffitti,  a billiard table, mix-match gym machines, a well worn mega lounge with a girl watching the TV, EminEm belting through the house, the dining room -

‘Here’s the pantry.  Up to you, what to cook.’

Tory & I look at each other. ‘For how many people?”

Around 10 and then the youth officer is gone and we’re in the kitchen.

It’s a search and discover expedition – our menu:-

Wholemeal pasta, tomatoes, onions, capiscum, bacon pieces, carrots, pesto sauce……and more. We start.

The knife is the bluntest knife possible. I cut the onions with big strokes. Tory’s into the chopping the tomatoes.

 Really liked meeting the kids. 

They chatted, talked about sharing Don Bosco House with 10 other kids. Don Bosco House was giving them a chance to work out their lives.

One girl was starting at TAFE. One young guy with plenty of studs in his face was starting work at a tattoo parlour doing piercings.

Some of the kids spoke to us, others didn’t. The staff were cool and everyone liked our mega pasta. 

What wasn’t eaten will be taken on the on the Youth off The Streets bus to feed homeless.

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By: Susanne Gervay, on 7/25/2011
Blog: Susanne Gervay's Blog (Login to Add to MyJacketFlap)
JacketFlap tags:  Charities, News, Annalise Law Kanga Group, Dalai Lama, Kids Off The Street, NAB Private Wealth, Natasha Stott-Despoja, OzHarvest, Ronni Kahn, Sandra Levy, Tory Gervay song writer, Add a tag

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By: Susanne Gervay, on 9/2/2011
Blog: Susanne Gervay's Blog (Login to Add to MyJacketFlap)
JacketFlap tags:  Charities, News, Always Jack by Susanne Gervay, I Am Jack by Susanne Gervay, Literature Live!, Literature Live! connecting classrooms, Mr Gambia North R-7 Public School, Polycom, Super Jack by Susanne Gervay, Add a tag

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By: Kelly Fineman, on 9/28/2011
Blog: Writing and Ruminating (Login to Add to MyJacketFlap)
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I'm going to be walking (or possibly limping - same difference) 5k on October 23rd as part of my tai chi club's team in the Making Strides Against Breast Cancer walk run by the American Cancer Society.

See, I started taking tai chi class, and folks who take tai chi at my gym are automatically part of the tai chi club - it's kinda like Facebook, where someone just puts you in a group, only without all the annoying Facebook stuff that sometimes follows. Anyhoo, my friend Tess is the team leader for the club's team, "C Steps for a Cure". (A C-step is pretty much what it sounds like - your right foot makes a forward C, and your left a backwards one, as you swing your leg in and out while taking a step. Look, I don't know, okay?)

Only then Tess had to be in Florida for a month this summer as we were trying to get folks to join the team, and she's going to be back there for the month of October as well, so I became de facto team leader, which is why I make all the announcements and am in charge of the shirt orders and stuff.

Our team is, at present, on the small side - there are only 6 of us so far - and our donations are rather commensurate with that. I'm hoping that will change, of course - and I do have a few checks to enter online, so I've raised a bit more than my own $75 contribution. I'm hoping you guys will cheer me on - especially since this damned RA flare hasn't abated yet and I'm fixing to walk over 3 miles in about 3-1/2 weeks' time.

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By: Susanne Gervay, on 10/3/2011
Blog: Susanne Gervay's Blog (Login to Add to MyJacketFlap)
JacketFlap tags:  Charities, News, Breast Cancer Network Australia, Cyndi Freiman, Female Elvis Tribute Artist Jacqueline Feilich, NCJWA, Susanne Gervay's 'Always Jack', The Hon. Gabrielle Upton MP, The Hughenden Boutique Hotel, Add a tag

 PINK SUNDAY – JOIN IN – IT’S FREE  ~SUPPORTING BREAST CANCER AWARENESS!

A Celebration for All Children’s Activities Arts and

Crafts Information Stalls Trees of Life Pink Silhouettes

Prizes and Surprises Winners of Creative Art Exhibition

and Best Dressed Pink Window Display will be announced

THINK PINK DRESS PINK SHOP PINK EAT PINK

FREE FUN FAMILY & FRIENDS ~ Come along ~16 October 11:00am-2:00pm
111 Queen Street & Dorhauer Lane, Woollahra KIDS & TEENS CREATIVE ART EXHIBITION

Celebrities with ~ 11:00am Official Opening by The Hon. Gabrielle Upton MP,

Featuring:-

Storytelling with Susanne Gervay, Creative Art Activities with Cyndi Freiman,

Belly Dancer & DJ and ~SHE IS THE KING 

~Award winning Female Elvis Tribute Artist, Jacqueline Feilich

Come along and join in the Sunday fun and support Mums, Kids and Community.

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25. Knitters Wanted

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By: Kelly Fineman, on 10/20/2011
Blog: Writing and Ruminating (Login to Add to MyJacketFlap)
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Dudes, how could I not pass along this Public Service Announcement once I knew about it? See, there was an oil spill off New Zealand, in a place where there are lots of penguins.

Specifically, baby penguins, who need warmth.

Specifically, they need sweaters. Or, if you prefer, jumpers.

You can read the entire call for action here at gothamist, complete with links to news articles, proof that the call for sweaters is real, and instructions on how to knit the sweaters/jumpers and where to send them.

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