(Libby and Cassandra's) Book of Australian Poetry
May 4th 2010 03:26
Original Creative Writing:
Compiled by Libby Hathorn
Link: 100views.com.au/
The ABC Book of Australian Poetry:
A Treasury of Poems for Young People
Compiled by Libby Hathorn
Illustrations by Cassandra Allen
The ABC Book of Australian Poetry introduces readers to a vibrant and engaging collection of poems, each carefully selected by multi award-winning author Libby Hathorn to help ignite and foster a love of poetry in young Australian people.
Libby Hathorn has had a lifelong love affair with poetry.
The author of over 50 books for children, Libby is passionate about poetry's enjoyment and also sees it as a means of stirring creativity in all of us.
She finds it a continual source of inspiration in her work and in her life, with many of her stories beginning with fragments of poetry.
Libby has won awards and commendations for her novels and picture books for young people, several of which have been adapted into movies, plays and opera. She is currently working on a fantasy novel and her arts program 100 Views 100views.com.au, bringing poetry to schools, especially to teachers in Australia and overseas.
She takes readers on a poetic journey all along the river, from the water's source, down the rugged mountains, across the plains, through country towns and the city, and finally out to the sea. Here are Australian landscapes and life, as seen through the eyes of some of our best Australian poets.
With exquisite illustrations by Cassandra Allen, The ABC Book of Australian Poetry includes favourites from poets such as A B 'Banjo' Paterson, Henry Kendall, Dorothea Mackellar and C J Dennis; as well as more contemporary poets such as Judith Wright, Les A Murray, Gwen Harwood and Steven Herrick, making it truly a collection to be treasured.
Inspiration
by Libby Hathorn
The idea for the Hundred Views Project was triggered by the work of the Japanese artist Hokusai and his major work, One Hundred Views of Mt Fuji which was first published in Japan in the 1830's.
The publication came into my hands in a bookshop in 1995 and was inspirational for me as a writer. At the same time, I was aware of the task the Chilean poet, Pablo Neruda, had set for himself, to write a hundred love poems for his beloved. The discipline of conceiving a hundred ideas or images on one subject, to find an inner meaning, as Hokusai put it, had great appeal. I thought I'd like to experiment with the idea but then wondered how it might apply to children themselves attempting do the same thing.
Finding the Way
I wanted to provide workshops for teachers to help their children achieve the '100 VIEWS' of their community ÂiconÂ. This is through poetry and art in the first instance, using technology to showcase their offerings, and then working towards a celebration of the community in the form of a Festival.
I came to conclude that the best place to test the idea was with students and their teachers in a school, in a living experiment. I decided it should be a Public School to begin with as it needed to be a whole school endeavour. I had to find a school principal sympathetic to the idea of using the 100 VIEWS concept, combining the arts and reaching out to its community.
Bondi Beach Public School had such a principal in Ms Maria Hardy and Bondi Beach was indeed iconic as a place to celebrate 100 times over.
The ABC Book of Australian Poetry by Libby Hathorn
Publication Date: 1 June 2010
ARP: $29.99
Format: CHB
ISBN: 9780733320194
A Treasury of Poems for Young People
Compiled by Libby Hathorn
Illustrations by Cassandra Allen
The ABC Book of Australian Poetry introduces readers to a vibrant and engaging collection of poems, each carefully selected by multi award-winning author Libby Hathorn to help ignite and foster a love of poetry in young Australian people.
Libby Hathorn has had a lifelong love affair with poetry.
The author of over 50 books for children, Libby is passionate about poetry's enjoyment and also sees it as a means of stirring creativity in all of us.
She finds it a continual source of inspiration in her work and in her life, with many of her stories beginning with fragments of poetry.
Libby has won awards and commendations for her novels and picture books for young people, several of which have been adapted into movies, plays and opera. She is currently working on a fantasy novel and her arts program 100 Views 100views.com.au, bringing poetry to schools, especially to teachers in Australia and overseas.
With exquisite illustrations by Cassandra Allen, The ABC Book of Australian Poetry includes favourites from poets such as A B 'Banjo' Paterson, Henry Kendall, Dorothea Mackellar and C J Dennis; as well as more contemporary poets such as Judith Wright, Les A Murray, Gwen Harwood and Steven Herrick, making it truly a collection to be treasured.
My wish for the ABC Book of Australian Poetry: A Treasury of Poems for Young People was to compile a rich collection of Australian poetry, peppered with old favourites alongside works of contemporary poets, which would offer readers pleasure and renewed appreciation of our Australian culture and land.
I have been concerned that works of certain classic Australian poets may be slipping out of sight, while the fine works of poets of our time may never be heard or read by young people. This anthology gave me the opportunity to invigorate classic works and highlight contemporary Australian voices, using the metaphor of the river of life for each section and reflecting so aptly on the phases of our history.
I hope this collections stirs something in the heart and mind of young and old alike, so that the poems will be shared, read aloud, even sung, for the sheer pleasure of their particular Australian poetic voice and identity.
- Libby Hathorn
I have been concerned that works of certain classic Australian poets may be slipping out of sight, while the fine works of poets of our time may never be heard or read by young people. This anthology gave me the opportunity to invigorate classic works and highlight contemporary Australian voices, using the metaphor of the river of life for each section and reflecting so aptly on the phases of our history.
I hope this collections stirs something in the heart and mind of young and old alike, so that the poems will be shared, read aloud, even sung, for the sheer pleasure of their particular Australian poetic voice and identity.
- Libby Hathorn
Inspiration
by Libby Hathorn
The idea for the Hundred Views Project was triggered by the work of the Japanese artist Hokusai and his major work, One Hundred Views of Mt Fuji which was first published in Japan in the 1830's.
The publication came into my hands in a bookshop in 1995 and was inspirational for me as a writer. At the same time, I was aware of the task the Chilean poet, Pablo Neruda, had set for himself, to write a hundred love poems for his beloved. The discipline of conceiving a hundred ideas or images on one subject, to find an inner meaning, as Hokusai put it, had great appeal. I thought I'd like to experiment with the idea but then wondered how it might apply to children themselves attempting do the same thing.
Finding the Way
I wanted to provide workshops for teachers to help their children achieve the '100 VIEWS' of their community ÂiconÂ. This is through poetry and art in the first instance, using technology to showcase their offerings, and then working towards a celebration of the community in the form of a Festival.
I came to conclude that the best place to test the idea was with students and their teachers in a school, in a living experiment. I decided it should be a Public School to begin with as it needed to be a whole school endeavour. I had to find a school principal sympathetic to the idea of using the 100 VIEWS concept, combining the arts and reaching out to its community.
Bondi Beach Public School had such a principal in Ms Maria Hardy and Bondi Beach was indeed iconic as a place to celebrate 100 times over.
Publication Date: 1 June 2010
ARP: $29.99
Format: CHB
ISBN: 9780733320194
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David Jobling
