Days of being an author – is called crazy-good and up-for-air. Madly frantic!!!!
Racing from KINGS School, to TARA Girls School to Murray Farm Public School to share my I AM JACK books and ‘Elephants Have Wings.’ The librarians are so hospitable – I got well fed and lots of coffee and I got to share my books with gorgeous kids.
Then it’s Gleebook shop Book Launch of Alice Pung’s first young adult novel – Laurinda – launched by my friend and colleague Melina Marchetta. Both Alice and Melina are Room to Read Writer Ambassadors like I am. We’re all on a mission to get books to kids in the developing world.
Then it’s off to a fabulous Indian restaurant with the Room to Read team led by Jennie Orchard and stayed too late because I was having a great time.
Highlight was the citizenship ceremony at Woollahra Council. I addressed a packed house overlooking the beautiful harbour. Purple-blue jacaranda trees heavy with flowers greeted em and I got to hang out with the Mayor Of Woollahra Toni Zeltzer. Loved the gold chains and warm welcome by Toni and all the Council staff but more than that – I had the privilege of addressing 36 new Australians – from Hungary, Germany, Malaysia, Turkey, Pakistan …
I am an Australia Day Ambassador – it’s something I love doing. I’ll be flying to speak in Tamworth this year on Australia Day.
It was moving addressing the 36 new Australians and their families and friends from countries as diverse as Thailand, Singapore, Netherlands, Germany, Hungary, UK … Pakistan. The Pakistan young man and his 3 young friends were beside them
selves that they became Australians today.
I loved speaking to them about our immigrant country that embraced them all and I did a show and tell and held up my Order of Australia.
They loved it. I loved it and it was very special. Made me think about my parents and their journey here.
The post Melina Marchetta, Schools and Citizenship address appeared first on Susanne Gervay's Blog.
How do you feeling about our crazy life?
Ask the PUG!!!!!!
Can any more events, parties, book fairs, get togethers …. be squished into the 4 weeks before December’s Christmas!!!!!!
It’s on … we’re heading for the turkey and an almighty crash!
Diary of November 2013:-
- Celebrations of Hazel Edwards receiving an Order of Australia – YEAH!
- MC for SCBWI’s INSIDE STORY with our loved authors & illustrators at The Children’s Book Beecroft telling the inside story of creating their books including Deborah Abela, Tony Flowers, Yvette Poshoglian, Jan Latta, Christopher Cheng and more.
- Lunch with assistant editor of School Magazine - LOVE Sue Murray - a talented playwright as well as editor
- Sharon Rundle editor and friend and I went off to the launch of ’A Country Too Far’ at Glee Books- caught up with professor Elizabeth Webby and Tom Keneally, Rosie Scott and others.
- brilliant theatre at the opening at The Ensemble of ‘Rapture Blister Burn’
- catching up with my favourite actor Tim McGarry to talk about the I AM JACK USA tour for 2014
- Society of Women Writers’ at the State Library – lunch and collect a prize for ‘Ships in the Field’ – lovely
- Christmas celebrations at the CBCA lunch Northern Branch – catching up with children’s laureate Alison Lester and fabulous illustrator Sarah Davis
-Unleased Writers Festival in Sydney – loved speaking about the journey of writing with the audience
- post Unleashed Festival shared the book industry over dinner with publisher Paul Collins and author James Roy
- I’m the prize on e-bay for the UNLEASHED FESTIVAL! Talented author Mo Johnson won me – well a mini mentorship!
- Caught up with Sue Meyer at the Francis Keevil Gallery to se Sue’s beautiful art
- lunching with the fabulous authors Meredith Costain & Louise Park for Christmas cheer
- dinner with my wonderful publisher Lisa Berryman from HarperCollins to share news and my new book JACK 4 – yet untitled!
- coffee with Jesse Blackadder – love her last book STAY the last dog in Antartica -at The Hughenden who’s down in Sydney for a minute meeting her publishers
- my darling friend Kim’s 40th birthday
- the Australian Publisher Association party – sooo good and caught up with the HarperCollins team there.
- speaking at my old school Daceyville’s Creative Writing Festival – aaahhhhh – memories
- Books in Homes committee meeting selecting books for indigenous & disadvantaged kids – great charity
- launching Margaret Roc’s ‘Jellybean Goes to School’ at the Lindfield Learning Hub – lots of jellybeans and love Margaret
- the SCBWI BOOK FAIR at The Hughenden with some of our best ever authors like Sopgie Masson. kate Forsyth, Belinda Murrell, Deborah Abela and the lsit goes on.
- at the BOOK FAIR supporting ROOM TO READ www.roomtoread.org – loved seeing Jennie Orchard, Wendy Rapee, Cathy and Margaret and the Room to Read team.
- MC for Susan Wyndham’s talk on her book she edited and contributed to ’My Mother. my Father’ (Allen & Unwin) with authors Margaret Rice and Gerard Windsor – such great wrietrs at The Hughenden. Buy the book for Christmas.
Phew – that’s November!
The post Writers Go Crazy in November as XMAS starts %@# appeared first on Susanne Gervay's Blog.
Room to Read is celebrating its tenth anniversary year as a ‘Year of Tens’ with more than:-
- 1000 schools built
- 10,000 libraries
- 10,000 girls on long-term scholarships
Geraldine Doogue is the MC for the Ten by Ten Launch in the Atrium in the Australian Museum
6.30-8.30 p.m. Thursday 16th September 2010
Jennie Orchard, Development Director Australasia
Mihiri Udabage, Sydney Chapter Leader; Raji Ambikairajah, Ten by Ten Team Leader – guest speakers are:
Stephanie Dowrick
Susanne Gervay
Emily Maguire
Christine Manfield
Pauline Nguyen
Susan Wyndham
Contact Room to Read for more information about the event:-
Website: www.roomtoread.org/australia Email: [email protected]
Susanne Gervay and Jennie Orchard with Room to Read
The Edmund Rice Centre brought forward the brilliant initiative of an event about the power of story to engage young people in social justice. The auditorium was full, the stands representing Fair Trading, the Pacific Islands and Room to Read bringing literacy to the children of the developing world were there.
The speakers were passionate, committed and had the audience moved and ready to act for eco justice and human rights.
Melina Marchetta, Nadia Wheatley, Maria Boyd, Libby Hathorn, Libby Gleeson advocated for human rights through their stories.
Lynette Riley a Wiradjuri & Kamilaroi woman, Deputy Director of the Koori Centre, was especially powerful in her advocacy for the indigenous. Robin Morrow spoke about the power of literature to enrich and inform.
Mark Raue is working to save the Pacific Islands from drowning with climate change , a founding member of the Pacific Calling Partnership sang for social justice and ecology. I loved his songs.
Mark Raue
I spoke about my emotional experience talking about ‘Butterflies’ at the World Burn Congress in New York. The audience responded with tears and a commitment to engagement with those who face the challange of disability.
It was wonderful. All wonderful
Susanne Gervay's Butterflies
Melina Marchetta, Libby Hathorn, Maria Boyd authors supporting Room to Read
Jennie Orchard the head of Room to Read Australia impressed the authors at The Hughenden, with the extraordinary work of Room to Read, bringing literacy to developing nations - from Nepal to India to Vietnam and now Africa.
Room to Read has:- built over 750 schools; created over 7000 bilingual librarues; donated over 5 million books; 320 local language titles; provided scilarships to over 7000 girls and brought books to over 3 million children.
Pam Cook organiser of Students Helping Students program and ambassador for Room to read author Markus Zusak
- Jennie Orchard and author James Knight
