sallymurphy.com.au

Sally Murphy, Australian author

Amazing Sharjah!

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I have just returned from eight days in Sharjah, one of the Emirates in the United Arab Emirates. As the guest of the Sharjah Book Authority, I attended the first six days of the Sharjah International Book Fair, where my mind was well and truly blown.

The Bookfair, one of the largest in the world, is like nothing I have ever experienced.  With a combination of rights fair, literary festival, bookshops, cooking show, library seminar, kids’ section and more, it is hard to explain the scale of this event.

The massive Sharjah Exhibition Centre is filled with row after row after row of booths and stalls, from publishers from around the world, to booksellers, government agencies, cultural organisations and more.  A Kids’ Activity area boasts smaller rooms where a wide range of activities from writing and illustration workshops, to science demonstrations and craft, an open area with lots of hands  on activities and a theatre with stage shows. Last year the fair was visited by over 2 million people over its eleven days, and, if the first six days are anything to go by, this year’s numbers will be just as high.  And not only do the people come, but they buy books (lots of books!) and participate enthusiastically in all of the events.

Twice each day I ran writing workshops in the kids’ area, with three different topics: Perfect Plotting, Writing A poem About YOU, and But I Don’t Know What to Write.  At times my room was packed, with parents or children who had missed a spot participating through the open ‘windows’ of the room.

When I wasn’t running workshops I was lucky enough to meet other presenters from around the world and also chatted to publishers, booksellers, academics, journalists and more as I browsed the trade fair.  It was fun, inspiring and, quite simply, amazing!  I was sad to leave it behind, but, of course, happy to get home to my family. And I’m sure this won’t be my last visit to the wonderful Sharjah.

Here’s a little glimpse of  some of what I managed to capture photographically.

Bookmonth Wrap-up

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I wanted to sit and write a post about all the awesome schools and libraries I visited during August, and into September,  for Bookweek – which actually stretches over the whole month. But somehow, my post turned into a poem, which I hope captures what I do and why I do what I do. So here it is:

A Book Week Poem

Bookweek comes but once a year

Visiting schools both far and near

To tell the world that’s reading’s fun

And spread the joy to every one.

I read my books and talk a lot

Answer questions on the spot

Laugh and cry and laugh some more

And meet young readers by the score.

Give clues for writing for keen minds

And share some favourite literary finds

Not minding (too much) early morns

Leaving home before day dawns

And driving driving to get where

I need to be to chat and share

Or flights that take me far from home

I love to travel and to roam.

My voice struggles to get through

But lozenges and water too

Keep me going every day

To say the things I want to say.

And as one week stretches to four

And back and eyes and feet grow sore

I still feel pumped by what I do

And draw such energy from you

The readers who I get to meet

On this awesome Bookmonth beat.

 

Thanks to every school and library which hosted me over August, and into September. And a special thanks to the hundreds of young readers who engaged so enthusiastically in my sessions.

 

I love my job!

 

Busy Times (Or Why I have been a bit quiet)

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Apart from my regular Monday Quotes, this blog has been a bit quiet of late. This is because, offline, my life has been frantically busy. This is what I have done in the past few months:
• Submitted my completed PhD thesis for assessment.
• Celebrated the release of two new books – Looking Up and Sage Cookson’s Singapore Sensation.
• Became a Doctor – yes, the thesis has been accepted and I am now allowed to add ‘Doctor’ to the front of my name. My thesis is titled Belonging: Finding a Place In and For Children’s Poetry
• Visited dozens of schools and libraries and spoken to thousands of kids (and their teachers and librarians).
• Finalised edits on the sixth Sage Cookson book: Sage Cookson’s Christmas Ghost, due out in November.
• Prepared for the release of book 5, Sage Cookson’s Literary Launch, which is released tomorrow.
• Presented on a panel bout writing children’s poetry at the Queensland Poetry Festival.
• Started work on Book 7 and 8, coming in 2018
• Started work on another project, hopefully coming in 2019
• Written poems, and drafted a new picturebook.
• Made notes for about a jillion other books I want to write, after I’ve finished the current batch.

I am writing this post sitting at the Brisbane Airport, on my way home from three wonderful days at Kirwan Primary School in Townsville. Tomorrow I will be home, and back at my desk, as well as visiting my dolphins.

I love my life!

It’s All About the Books

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August is always always always my busiest month of the year – and it’s the same for  all of my Aussie author and illustrator friends, as Bookweek stretches out to become Bookmonth. I’m spending this month visiting schools and libraries in Bunbury, Perth, Brisbane and Townsville, talking about books and reading and writing. Exhausting, doing so many visits back to back, but at the same time exhilarating, because I am sharing my great love with enthusiastic kids (and adults too).  Every school, every library, every session, is different and that’s because every audience is different, and has different interests and experiences and questions. How lucky am I to spend my days doing what I do?

Here’s a song by some clever young choir-mobbers that thrills me. I just had to share.

 

 

Have a great Bookmonth. I am already, and know it’s going to keep being wonderful.

Looking Up and the Great Big Kids Book Read

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What’s better than a book launch to celebrate a new book? A big book party to celebrate not one, but five new books! I was lucky enough to be part of the Great Big Kids Book Read run by Fremantle Press and hosted at the State Library of WA.

With six creators: Ezekiel Kwaymullina, Moira Court, Kyle Hughes-Odgers, Cristy Burne, Yasmin Hamid, Deb Fitzpatrick and myself,

Waiting to start.

celebrating five books between us all either recently released or about to be released,  we shared a stage and read from our new works to a full house.

Reading under a big book!

There was laughter, food, book signing and a lovely sense of community.

 

 

 

 

 

My favourite moment was a young girl telling me she would treasure my book forever. When I asked if she would like a photo with me, she hugged me so warmly I thought my heart would overflow.

 

Life is great, isn’t it?

A New Diary

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Yesterday I bought myself a new, funky diary for the new year which is rapidly approaching.

My next goal is to fill it up with lots of school visits and festivals and lunches and writing workshops and poetry performances. Basically,  I want to spend lots of time in 2017 talking. As you can see from this photo:

I don't dress like this every day - but sometimes dressing up helps me feel authorly.

I don’t dress like this every day – but sometimes dressing up helps me feel authorly.

 

And this one:

Sally Murphy

Without an editor, I might still be throwing my hands in the air!

And even this one:

gesture2

I love getting out and about talking about my books, answering questions, and speaking to audiences big and small, young and not-so young.  So if you’d like me to visit your school, library, writers group, festival, luncheon or anything else you can think of in 2017 (or beyond), now’s the time to get in touch.