I'm Sally Murphy, an Australian author of over 50 children's books. You'll find bits of me buried somewhere in every one of my books. I love reading, writing, and speaking about reading and writing and I especially love poetry and verse novels.
View my books or hire me to speak at your school, festival, or writers group.
On ANZAC Day we remember those who have fought for Australia and New Zealand. I’ll be pausing today to think of those who died, and those who returned home, often haunted by what they’d experienced.
Call me home
that I may march
proud, not just
that I was there
but that
I withstood the dark.
Release day for If I Could Eat the Stars is almost here and, in the meantime, it’s been a big week, with my box of editor copies arriving, and some funny moments when I tried to make an unboxing video. You can see what I posted on Instagram here:
View this post on Instagram
I’m not a social media expert. obviously, but at least I am keeping it real, as they say.
Then, today, news of the first two reviews. First, from Joy Lawn at Paperbark Words who said, among other things:
From the lyrical to the laugh out loud, If I Could Eat the Stars and other poems is ideal to dip in and out of. Teachers could even select poems to read as lesson-break rewards.
If I Could Eat Stars showcases a fabulous depth of talent in Western Australia.
You can read the full review here. Note that she also acknowledges that Fremantle Press, the publisher, is celebrating 50 years of publishing Western Australian books. Happy happy birthday Fremantle Press and thank what you have done for my career, and for many others, and, most importantly, sharing diverse, rich, quality stories with readers of all ages. And thanks Joy for the review.
And, just when I thought my joy was complete for today, a second review, from Good Reading Magazine, shared on Instagram here:
View this post on Instagram
Last night I sat down and read the whole book from cover to cover for the first time since we finalised the editing. It was a real pleasure to read all the wonderful poems and adore Briony Stewart’s divine art and realise that this book is going to be in hearts and homes very soon. (On that note, you can preorder your copy at your local bookshop or online now).
Poetry Rocks!
Another month has ended – and one begun – so time to look at what I read in March. I read 8 books, with my usual eclectic mix. Here’s what they were:
second hand shop and finally picked it off the shelf and read it over a few weeks. Many familiar poems, plus perhaps an equal number unfamiliar, either at all, or that I knew of but not well. I enjoyed the poems, but also the little contextual note for each and the illustrations, from a range of illustrators.That brings my total for the year to date to 19. Hoping to get through a few more in April – I have the extra long weekend marked for catching up on some quality reading time, including more of the CBCA Shortlisted titles, which were announced earlier this week.
What have you been reading?
How beautiful is this cover? Really looking forward to sharing this beauty with the world – out in late April.
Edited by Rebecca M Newman and me, illustrated by the divine Briony Stewart , published by Fremantle Press and with poems from established and emerging Western Australian poets, is a feast of poetry for young readers – readers of any age, really.
Available for preorder now from your favourite local bookstore or online.
Can’t wait to share more with you!
Did you know that today is World Poetry Day? Well, you do now!
Why do we need a day to celebrate poetry – well, because although we need poetry every day, marking a special day reminds us of its importance, and its commonality – as the UNESCO site says, poetry is ‘one of humanity’s most treasured forms of cultural and linguistic expression and identity’.
Poetry makes us laugh, cry, think, express things we find hard to express, connect with other experiences, and so much more.
But, poetry is often seen by people who don’t know better as something hard, or something elite, or something that is somehow frivolous. It can be each of these things, but I am here to remind you that if its hard or elite then you can look elsewhere for poetry that is accessible. And as for frivolity, though not all poetry is frivolous, a bit of frivolity is a wonderful thing. At a time when the world is really hard for many people, moments of frivolity or joy can remind us of WHY we need to fight for change.
On that note, I made a little video for today, shared on Instagram, including a somewhat frivolous poem. I hope you enjoy it!
View this post on Instagram
With the school holidays fast approaching here in Western Australia, I want to share where you can
find me and my books.
Firstly, I am delighted to be a Children’s Literature Champion for South Perth this year and, as part of this, I’ll be presenting a writing workshop at South Perth library on April 9. You can book a ticket here and then come hang out with me and write write write.
Then, in the second week of the holidays I will be in Bunbury at both the Bunbury and Withers library for three different sessions – one for young writers, one for parents
and carers, and one for the very young (and their parents and carers). This is all part of the Bunbury Literacy Festival and you can find the full program and book free tickets here.
One of my favourite things in all the world is live appearances where I can share the joy of reading and writing – so I hope you can join me in April! If you live further afield, know that I love to travel, and can be booked for festivals, school and library visits, workshops and more.