Tag: June Perkins

ALEA – Meanjin 42nd Writer’s Festival

The 42nd ALEA Meanjin – Brisbane area – Australian Literacy Educators’ Association Young Writers’ Festival (for students from Years 5 to 10) is being held on Thursday 4 July at Griffith University Mt Gravatt Campus.

Featuring a Keynote from Morris Gleitzman and four workshops with a wonderful line up of authors, poets and illustrators – Candice Lemon-Scott; Gregg Dreise; June Perkins and Katrin Dreiling. 

Bookings open from the 7th of June https://www.alea.edu.au/events/event/alea-meanjin-42nd-writers-camp   (The link should work from the 7/06)

Ink of Light Presenter: June Perkins

This year I will be presenting a workshop on the Powers of Poetry on Sunday May 19th at the Ink of Light, Baha’i Writer’s Festival. I have been assisting Naysan Naraqi and Ian Hallmond with organising the festival and it is so exciting for all of us to be about to see it happen. I am especially looking forward to the panels.

Favourite Books

My favourite books are many and varied, and I enjoyed during this interview series discovering that I shared some with the presenters who will be attending the festival. A special favourite is The Secret Garden though and I love books by Jackie French and Morris Gleitzman. I’m a huge fan also of Trent Dalton’s, Boy Swallows Universe.

Heroes

My poetry heroes are eclectic and I especially love Tahirih, Mahvash Sabet, Robert Hayden, Maya Angelou and Roger White as well as numerous song writers such as Paul Simon, Leonard Cohen, Nick Cave, Paul Kelly, Vika and Linda Bull, Wendy Matthews, Troy Cassar-Daley, and Sara Storer.

Motivation

My main motivation in life is to encourage unity in diversity and the realisation of justice in the world, whilst in my writing it is to explore this through narratives and poems that are still imbued with beauty and optimism and which invite the reader to think about what they can do rather than dictating this.

Favourite Quote

I’ve learned that people will forget what you said, people will forget what you did, but people will never forget how you made them feel.

Maya Angelou

You can join me for the Poetry Workshop at the Ink of Light Festival, Sunday, May 19th.

A Cry of Art

A recent poem.

Ripple Poetry

Image Credit: Milada Vigerova

Whose Broken Window is a Cry of Art

Whose name do I speak when thinking of the
Broken, but the brother I lost
Window to his childhood
Is a photograph
A portal for mother and father who
Cry for this young man
Of bravery and beauty – crushed, then separated from the
Art of his life

By June Perkins inspired by Gwendolyn Brooks.

My first golden shovel poem 

This one inspired by Boy Breaking Glass

For more on a Golden Shovel Poem

View original post

Last In Person Tour

June and Writing Friends in front of Epiphany by Ian Fairweather, Queensland Art Gallery – Image taken by Sheryl Gwyther

My last in person tour of  Words and Pictures is tomorrow afternoon at 2pm (Saturday 17th November).  We will meet and depart from The Gift ( A raft) in the Australia Collection in the Queensland Art Gallery.  Please RSVP by gumbootspearlz@gmail.com if you are able to make it.

A mega thank you to the QAGOMA for the opportunity to create the Words and Pictures Spring Season responses.  I  loved every moment of creating these pieces and then sharing them with the public, as well as my friends, family and writing friends.

 Magic Fish Dreaming my poetry book for children, illustrated by Helene Magisson, is stocked in the QAGOMA shops and I will be reading some works from this book, and maybe from the Spring Season, at the Asia Pacific Triennial, Summer program in January, 2019.

I hope one day to develop some books out of the poetry and stories contributed to Words and Pictures and will let you know of my progress here on the blog.

Sail, on The Gift by Michael Stevenson, Queensland Art Gallery
The Gift by Michael Stevenson, Queensland Art Gallery