SLowvember: The Word

November 7, 2023 by Sally

Through my Instagram account (which you will find here), I am challenging myself with something I call Slowvember. The idea is that, in the midst of what is often a very busy month in my life, I am giving myself a word each day as a prompt to stop, contemplate, and slow down for at least a moment or two each day.

And it’s going well. I have completed the first seven days, and surprised myself with some of the connections my brain makes to each word. Then, this evening, I sat down to read a poem or two out of a poetry anthology I am reading slowly, How to Love the World , and coincidentally, the poem I read was The Word, by Tony Hoagland, which you can read in full here, where it appears with permission. The idea of writing ‘sunlight’ on a to-do list is very much what I find myself doing, and even more so during Slowvember, and I love Hoagland’s rejoinder that ‘among your duties, pleasure/is a thing/that also needs accomplishing.’ Amen!

You don’t need to do Slowvember to take a moment to enjoy sunlight, or smells, or sights, or whatever it is that gives you pleasure, but I do wish you moments of pleasure this month. And, if you want to follow along by completing one or more prompt, feel free.

What I Read in October 2023

November 1, 2023 by Sally

It’s a new month, which means time to look at what I read last month. I was in Adelaide for the month, on a May Gibbs Children’s Literature Trust Creative Time Fellowship, which meant that not only did I have lots of time for writing, I also had extra time for reading. Oh joy! And Adelaide is well provided with good bookshops, both new and used. So I had a field day! I managed 16 books in October, and brought home many more (actually I had to post them home to avoid my luggage being stupidly heavy).

Some really great reads this month, but as you’ll see I had two absolute favourites – Odder and Dog Songs, both of which filled my heart, but also made me want to keep working on my poetic craft. Here’s what I read.

Books for Children

1. 1. Annabel’s Dance, by Diane Jackson Hill & Lois Bury (Wombat Books, 2021). A really cute story about a sheep who does not want to be shorn.
  2. A Matter of Cats, by Elizbeth Hutchins (Wakefield press, 2022). I was lucky enough to meet Elizabeth during my stay in Adelaide and, by chance, we’d each brought along our cat themed book – and swapped them. Among other things, this one deals with the dilemma of being a cat lover while understanding they are bad for native wildlife.
  3. Belinda, by Pamela Allen (Puffin, 1992). What fun to pick up a Pamela Allen book for $1 while in Adelaide. I thought I knew all of Allen’s books, but hadn’t read this one before.
  4. The Children’s Jackanapes, adapted by F. H- Lee from Julia Horatia Ewing (George & Harrap, 1937). This very old little book was picked up at a second hand bookshop. I found, from an internet search, that the story was first published, presumably in a longer form in 1884, and this version was a retelling.
  5. Humbert , by John Burmingham (Puffin, 1965). You guessed, it another one I picked up second-hand in Adelaide. Humbert’s story is delightful.
  6. Jenny Angel , by Margaret Wild & Anne Spudvilas (Viking, 1999). Very surprised to find this one in an op shop, but a win for me as I didn’t own a copy of this beautiful picture book, dealing with the difficult topic of the death of a sibling, in a beautiful beautiful combination of text and art.
  7. Nurse Lugton’s Curtain, by Virgina Woolf & Julie Vivas (Bodley Head, 1991). I didn’t know that Virginia Woolf had written children’s stories, and to find one made into a picture book with illustrations by one of Australia’s finest illustrators was a real treat, especially in an op shop. Stunning.
  8. This Book of Mine, by Sarah Stewart & David Small (Farrar Strauss Giroux, 2019). A beautiful celebration of the magic of owning, connecting, and falling in love with, a book.
  9. The Dog That Dumped on My Doona, by Barry Jonsberg (Allen & Unwin, 2008). Another op-shop find, from an author whose work I like. this one is comedy, involving a talking dog, and a lizard needing rescuing.
  10. Odder, by Katherine Applegate (Wellbeck Flame, 2022). I picked this one up because of the cover, but when I realised it was a verse novel there was no question of me buying it, reading it asap, and adoring it. This book is as beautiful as its cover!
  11. The Battle of the Galah Trees, by Christobel Mattingley Brookhampton Press, 1972). As part of a historical fiction book I am writing, I went looking for a book that might have been in a local library in 1978. In an Antiquarian Bookshop in Adelaide I found this one – signed by the author in 1978. It seemed a sign, so of course I bought it, read it, and enjoyed it.

Books for Adults

1. Spring and All by William Carlos Williams (this edition 2019, first published 1923). Filling in some gaps in my reading of this modernist poet, whose ‘plum’ poem was one of the first free verse poems I ever encountered. This collection is a mix of prose and poetry, and takes some digesting, which is a good thing.
2. Love, Dad: Confessions of an Anxious Father, by Laurie Steed (Fremantle Press, 2023). I’ve been meaning to read this one since it was released a few months ago, and took it on the plane for my flight to Adelaide. A really heartfelt, honest memoir of early fatherhood and the struggles of anxiety, a writing career and life in general.
3. Second Innings: On men, mental health and cricket, by Barry Nicholls (Fremantle Press, 2021). Another exploration of anxiety, different to Love Dad, but equally as heartfelt. I found them good companion reads, one after the other.
4. Park Ruth : Dear Hearts and Gentle People, by Ruth Park (Penguin Books, 1994). First published in 1955, this is not one of the Ruth park books I had previously come across, but I really enjoyed it. Set in 1920s rural new Zealand and telling the story of a young girl going to live with her four aunts, who adore their niece, but also work to escape the control of their cantankerous father, and find their own ways forward in love and life.
5. Dog Songs: Poems, by Mary Oliver (Corsair Poetry, 2013). As with Odder (above) I fell in love with this book even before I’d opened it. I adore dogs, and I adore Mary Oliver’s poetry, so this is a perfect combination. I’ll be rereading this one often, I suspect.

That brings my total for the year to 103, with two months to go. I suspect now that I’m home and back at the day job, the number won’t be as high in December, but that’s okay. What have you been reading? I’d love to hear!

Poetry Friday: Birthdays

October 20, 2023 by Sally

This week, my beautiful friend Rebecca Newman celebrated a significant birthday. She has been a friend of mine for quite a long time, but I have been especially lucky to see that friendship strengthened this year when we worked together as co-editors on Right Way Down, a poetry anthology which is getting ever closer to being out in the world.

This little book had its origins when I pitched an idea at a SCBWI retreat, for an anthology of children’s poetry by West Australian poets. Rebecca was there and she vowed to make it happen. And she did, under the badge of her company Alphabet Soup Books: getting grant funding, asking me to work with her on editing, putting a call out for poems, securing an amazing illustrator and then, when publisher Fremantle Press suggested a partnership, negotiating that, too. The final product is going to be something amazing, and I am honoured to have played a small part in it. But what a powerhouse Rebecca is – and she is an amazing poet and all round nice person, too.

So, it seems apt to dedicate today’s post to Rebecca. I went searching for poems about birthdays and came up with this one, from Christina Rosetti, which I adore.

A Birthday

My heart is like a singing bird

Whose nest is in a watered shoot;

My heart is like an apple-tree

Whose boughs are bent with thickset fruit;

My heart is like a rainbow shell

That paddles in a halcyon sea;

My heart is gladder than all these

Because my love is come to me.

Raise me a dais of silk and down;

Hang it with vair and purple dyes;

Carve it in doves and pomegranates,

And peacocks with a hundred eyes;

Work it in gold and silver grapes,

In leaves and silver fleurs-de-lys;

Because the birthday of my life

Is come, my love is come to me.

Technically, I think this poem is not about an actual birthday, but the feeling of being born (reborn?) when discovering love. In Rosetti’s case, I believe this was probably religious love, as she was a devo0ut Christian. Regardless, I love the rich imagery of the poem, and hope that Rebecca enjoys it too.

You might not know Rebecca, but if you’d like to give her a gift, you could do it by preordering a copy of Right Way Down, the first book with Rebecca’s name on the front cover (I suspect the first of many!). Here’s to Rebecca, and to amazing friendships, and to new anthologies.

Speaking of friendships, I am off today to speak to friends old, new and (hopefully) future at a High Tea for the May Gibbs Children’s Literature Trust, who have so generously brought me to Adelaide. Best go and put on my party dress! But I’ll be back later to check out the Poetry Friday Roundup, which is being hosted today by Bridget who, coincidentally, is also having a birthday!

Poetry Friday: Turtle Joy

October 13, 2023 by Sally

Don’t you love coincidences? On Sunday I was lunching with two lovely new friends – Mary Wilson, Patron of the May Gibbs Children’s Literature Trust (which brought me here to Adelaide), and fellow writer Elizabeth Hutchins. We had a lovely lunch, but I did find myself slapping away more than one mosquito and found myself reciting a rhyme from a childhood favourite rhyme: ‘She snapped at a mosquito.’

Mary asked what the line was from, and I recited the whole rhyme which, I was surprised, neither of my friends knew:

There was a little turtle.

He lived in a box.

He swam in a puddle.

He climbed on the rocks.

He snapped at a mosquito.

He snapped at a flea.

He snapped at a minnow.

And he snapped at me.

He caught the mosquito.

He caught the flea.

He caught the minnow.

But he didn’t catch me.

(Vachel Lindsey )

And that would have been that, except that very next day I strolled through Adelaide’s parks, and came across a little fenced garden. When I entered I found a tranquil oasis, with paths and plants and grass, and a large pond. I sat for a moment – and then realised the pond was inhabited – by not just one or two turtles, but dozens of them.

What a surprise and how mesmerising to sit for a very long time and contemplate their gentle movements and the way they appeared and disappeared.

And, of course, this led to me pulling out not just my camera, but also my notepad. And, after a while, a poem draft.

Turtle Pace

Sometimes it feels

like you must

Madly paddle

just to stay afloat.

Others as if

each stroke

moves you

s l o w l y

in the right direction.

Either way

just remember

once in a while

to pop up for air

or to check out the scenery.

(Sally Murphy, 2023)

I’ve certainly been checking out the scenery here in Adelaide, but have also been making really good progress on my two novel projects. Life is good. You know what else is good? Poetry Friday. Catherine will be hosting the roundup today, and I’m off to see what other poetry goodies are on offer. See you there. Before you go, if need more turtle moments, here’s a little collation of my photos and videos.

Poetry Friday: Dear Herbert

October 6, 2023 by Sally

Hello from Adelaide!

I am really fortunate to be here as the guest of the May Gibbs Children’s Literature Trust, on a Creative Time Fellowship. These fellowships are amazing: each recipient is given the gift of time and space to write, or illustrate, for a whole month.

And what a gift that is. Like so many other creators, I have a day job which keeps me busy, and has kept me especially busy over the Covid years. So the gift of a month out of the daily routine, with accommodation and a change of location so that I don’t slip into usual routines, is amazing. Couple that with the loveliest support from the volunteers at the trust, to ensure I have everything I need, and I could well be in heaven.

While I am here, my goal is to complete drafts of two books – a verse novel and a historical. Both are projects I have planned for some time, and I am really excited to have time to get them down.

The verse novel actually started out as a picture book manuscript, which I just could not get right and so kept putting aside. But, no matter how much I neglected it, for several years the main character Herbert has been whispering to me that I needed to write his story. And, eventually, I realised that Herbert, and the other characters, were going to need more space than a picture book provided, to each tell their stories. They needed a verse novel.

So when I sat down here in Adelaide I had a plan for this story, and was ready to start writing. But something very unexpected happened. Herbert, it seemed, was not going to behave himself. While the other characters were very aware that verse novels are usually written in free verse, Herbert seemed to have other ideas. In fact, he seems to have a poetic mind all of his own!

So, it seems, I am writing a verse novel where the main character just breaks out into rhyme like a Winnie the Pooh sidekick (I half expect a tiddly-pom to appear at any moment). But, oddly, it seems to be working, so far, and I am just going with the flow. And, while I don’t generally share drafts of my work in progress here on my blog, it seemed a good exercise to write to Herbert and tell him what I think about his penchant for rhyme.

Dear Herbert

You’ve been whispering to me for years
telling me your story
dropping little reminders –
like the beautiful daffodils
that bloomed so delightfully
this Spring
and the homeless man I encountered
on my walk this morning.
You have made sure
that I won’t leave your story
to rot
in my ideas folder
or notepad.
You have whispered
plot points
at random times –
some of them most inopportune.
And I have listened
and set aside this time
to get your story into shape.
But why
oh why
oh why
did you not ever tell me
that you must speak in rhyme?
Yours in bemusement
Sally

It didn’t surprise me that Herbert decided he must write back.

Dear Sally

I have a story

that much is true

which I’ve whispered and muttered

and shouted to you.

You’ve taken your time

to pay me good heed –

the years have gone by

since I planted the seed.

I’ve waited, impatient,

for my day to come

and meantime it seems

I have mastered the drum

of rhythm and rhyme

and all it can do

so pick up the pace

and carry it through.

You’ll see that my story

will work out this way

with your free verse sincerity

and my sense of play.

Love, Herbert

Somehow, I think Herbert is right. The little pockets of rhyme are very fun to create and, hopefully, will give a sense of play in the midst of more serious moments. Time will tell.

I’m getting back to work now, but not before I head over to see what my fellow Poetry Fridayers are doing today. The roundup is hosted by Matt. And, if you’d like to keep up with what I’m doing in Adelaide, I’m posting daily glimpses on Instagram .

What I Read in September 2023

October 3, 2023 by Sally

September is done which means it’s time for another round up of what I read last month. I managed nine books, with old treasures being a recurrent theme here. Here’s what I read.

Books for Children

1. 1. 1. Farmer Schulz’s Ducks, by Colin Thiele & Mary Milton (Walter McVitty, 1986). Look at this stunning cover! The inside is just as lovely. I love Colin Thiele, and was delighted to pick up this first edition hard cover from a local second hand booksale.
    2. Please Mrs Butler, verses by Allan Ahlberg, illustrated by Fritz Wegner (Puffin Books, 1983). Another treasure from the booksale. Ahlberg’s verse is funny, clever and sometimes poignant.
    3. Staying Alive in Year 5 , by John Marsden (Piper Books, 1989). Another from the booksale. You can see what a real treasure trove it was! A fun, but also touching story, about the excitement of a teacher with seemingly magical abilities.
    4. How Does Santa Go Down the Chimney? by Mac Barnett & Jon Klassen (Walker Books, 2023). Not from the booksale – this one came in the mail as a review copy from the publisher. And how glad I was. I LOVE Christmas books, and I love the illustration work of Jon Klassen. Funny text, funny illustrations, sure to be a favourite with my grandies and with you.
    5. Raging Robots and Unruly Uncles , by Margaret Mahy (Puffin, 1981). Yes, you guessed it, another from the booksale. I thought from the title this might be a collection of short stories but is indeed a junior novel about the children of two twin uncles – one who is as saintly as can be, and the other who is wicked and villainous. A whimsical read that I really enjoyed.
    6. The Aboriginal Children’s History of Australia, Written & Illustrated by Australia’s Aboriginal Children (Rigby, 1977) . Another second hand book, though not from the local sale, but tracked down and bought online after I saw a reference to it somewhere. I wanted to see what how first nations children who were at school when I was a child saw Australia and its history. Well worthwhile reading and contemplating.

Books for Adults

Yellowface, by Rebecca F. Kuang (The Borough Press, 2023). A critique/satire/exploration of the publishing industry through a dark drama. June Hayward, the viewpoint character and struggling author, steals the unpublished manuscript of the far more successful Athena Liu when the latter dies suddenly. When June rewrites the manuscript it is snapped up by a major publisher – and her career takes off. Except that she is accused both of cultural appropriation and of stealing the manuscript – and events start to spiral out of her control. It feels kind of meta to even review this book, as it is largely played out through social media from reviewers, readers and others, but I both enjoyed the read and found myself thinking about the issues it explores.
Mao Tsetung Poems (Foreign Languages Press, 1976). An interesting find at the booksale – a first edition of the poems of Chairman Mao .
Rottnest Island Sketchbook, drawings by Paul Rigby, text by Kirwan Ward (Rigby, 1969). Another second hand book – though I bought this one online. Doing a little research on the history of Rottnest (more appropriately named Wadjemup, as that is the traditional name) and while this only a brief overview, it still makes for interesting reading, in spite of its oversight of both the pre-colonial history and some of the terrible history during its time as a penal settlement.

That brings my total for the year to date to 87 books. Far fewer than last year, but the goal this year has been to read more for pleasure, and less for getting through them. I think I’m managing that.

What have you been reading? I’d love to hear.