EDIT: I very quickly filled out my Term 3 with as many school visits as I could safely do and balance with work, so I am unfortunately no longer offering free visits. I am happy to do further school visits in Term 4, but I will be charging ASA rates.

I am so very excited that Phonobet is finally out in the world. I am so passionate about giving kids the best start on their literacy journey, and understanding how the sounds in our speech work is an important first step in that direction.

To celebrate and help spread the word, I am going to be offering free author talks for K-2 to some of my local schools in Term 3. I am a pretty wacky person, so these sessions will be packed with fun and silly sounds! If you work in, have kids at, or are in any way affiliated with a school that might be interested, I’d love to hear from you!

Following on from last week’s post poem about rejection, here is another one I wrote about struggling with the desire to quit.

How do you know
When its time to say goodbye,
When to proudly pin “The quitter” to your chest?
Is it braver to push on
Watching love grow old and cold,
Or more truthful to let passion find its rest?

I have held my pen at arms
Gritted teeth against rejection,
Sought perfection from the words I bled in ink.
I have held my head up high,
Spat “push on, the sky is yours”
Doors will open, just as long as you don’t sink.

But so long I’ve felt the fraudster
I belong with fleeting passions
Steady beating faithful hearts are not my way.
Yes, I love one day a poem,
Then a language, then a song,
Is it wrong to watch my interests ebb and sway?

I will leave the goal to others
Mothers heaving golden children
I will catch my death as soon as catch my dream.
But I will not close the door,
I prefer it left ajar
Loves are never quite as hopeless as they seem.

As I was digging through my poorly organised files, searching for a particular poem, I came across this one instead. I wrote it a couple of years ago, probably in a moment of particularly melodramatic self-pity and frustration. Rereading it, I felt that it still expresses something I care deeply about, and deals with a concept I believe is incredibly important to share with my students. So I though I might share it here, for anyone else you might find it useful.

Dear Person/Place/Thing,
Although your idea is
Charming and/or Interesting,
We advise you that it is not for us.
You have been rejected.
Now, remember, that this is all subjective,
You have not been found defective,
Your objective is to stay protective,
This is just not your day.
Though your hopes go up in smoke,
they form the ashes
from which your dreams will rise.
Don’t let this charred past stamp out your will.
You’ve got this.
I’m not telling you to dry your tears!
Go on and let them flow.
Let them sting and blister,
Let the howls come rushing like a torrent,
‘til your nostrils bleed and throat goes hoarse.
But then get up.
You’ve got this.
For when you do, you’ll look around and say,
‘I did not surrender’,
On the slender precipice I chose to stand my ground.
You will walk straight back into the flame
Unashamed of your name and game.
You’ll gather up scars like medals.
Still they’ll sting, still you’ll howl and shout in indignation
As doors go on locking and the house goes on burning.
But you will also be proud.
Stay with this.
You’ve got this.