Festival of Stories
This week, 韩国AV hosted its own Festival of Stories, celebrating the Children’s Book Council of Australia’s Book Week. This is an opportunity for our students to engage with Australian literature and hear from authors and illustrators on their writing/drawing practices.
Upper School students heard from Hayley Lawrence, who spoke of the significance of storytelling so that our honest selves are heard, encouraging students to start journalling for themselves. She also discussed the power of female writers to ensure authentic depictions of women’s experiences are showcased, which was her aim in her novels, What They Told Me and The Other Side of Tomorrow. Middle School students heard from Katrina Nannestad, author of We are Wolves and Silver Linings, who spoke of the importance of learning from the past when telling authentic stories, while detailing her journey as an historical fiction writer. Will Kostakis, author of We Could be Something and The Sidekicks, shared insights into his writing process and different techniques to consider for the HSC Craft of Writing module with Senior College students.
The Junior School Festival of Stories was condensed into a whole day, where students experienced the joy of dressing up as their favourite book characters, becoming authors and illustrators and celebrating literature. Author and illustrator, Aura Parker (Bower Bird Blues, Meerkat Splash), held a fantastic workshop with students in Kindergarten to Year 2, bringing their own characters to life through beautiful illustrations. Students in Years 3 and 4 heard from Jacqueline Harvey who spoke about her writing processes for her series including Kensey and Max, Willa and Wolf, and of course her much-loved Alice Miranda. The wonderfully creative Sami Bayly ran a drawing workshop for Years 5 and 6, and spoke about the power of good research when writing.
Throughout the week a variety of activities including guess the book in the jar, writing and poetry competitions, were also held. A book-focused House trivia battle took place in the Jackson Library with Palmer House scoring full marks, showing off their author and writing prowess.