Scotch College

Literature Festival

Getting real about Literature

The inaugural Scotch Literature Festival was an unqualified success, with students declaring that next time, it should be a 'literature fortnight'. Boys who had not been readers were buying books and reading them, students who were not previously confident writers, were 'looking forward to writing their next English essay'. Poets were running a 'Poetry Olympics' and authors were elevated to hero status.

The week long festival had something for everyone - keynote addresses, writing, illustration and storytelling workshops, performances, lunchtime roving entertainers and dramatic performances.

Monday 13 August was the first day of the festival, and staff beamed as the Year 7s chanted 'Andy, Andy, Andy' when author Andy Griffiths entered the lecture theatre,

we admired writer Archie Fusillo's ability to engage the less literary and we marvelled at the skill of consummate performer Christof. On Monday evening an enthusiastic group of parents and sons attended a forum with Archie Fusillo, John Larkin and our writer-in-residence Libby Hathorn, discussing 'Best Books for Boys'.

The highlights of Tuesday 14 included performance poet Karm Gillespie's ability to mesmerise the Year 8s with his interpretation of Banjo Paterson's works and the loss of inhibition as the same Year 8 students reggaed to the beat and sound of Jamaican performer and storyteller Jigzie Campbell.

The next day of the festival began with a breakfast for fathers and sons, where poet Myron Lysenko enthralled all with his verse. John Marsden delivered the keynote address to Year 9 students, urging them to find their 'voice' in their own writing. His wit and wisdom enthralled the boys, some of whom were lucky enough to attend workshops with John later in the morning.

Our illustrator-in-residence Kevin Burgemeestre was a huge success with the many students who selected his workshops throughout the week. He will be returning to Scotch in term 4 to work with students to complete the mural commenced during the festival.

Glyn Parry's address was a great way to get the Year 10s in the mood for their day at the literature festival. Staff and students alike were entertained by Glynn's tales of his childhood and the steps on the road to becoming an author. One of the highlights of Thursday was seeing the natural cynicism of the Year 10s disappear as actor Sue Ingleton wove her magic through a retelling of Grimm's fairy tales and caught the students in her web.

On the final day of the festival on Friday 17 August, the Year 11s and 12s, as well as attending keynote addresses by Marcus Robertson and Kerry Cue, were also able to select from a programme of twelve workshops. They engaged with journalists

Jim Schembri and Corrie Perkin, learnt the elements of storytelling from Michael Pryor and Alison Goodman and learnt to move outside their comfort zone with Barry Carozzi. The day concluded with a riotous performance from the next big thing at the Melbourne Comedy Festival, 'The 4 Noels'.

This first-ever Scotch Literature Festival concluded with all classes and staff stopping work to read during the final period of the day on Friday 17 August. This was a fitting way for us to relax and reflect on what we had learnt from the thirty-eight speakers who had delivered one hundred and ten sessions to all students from Year 7 - Year 12 over the course of one school week.

Suzette Boyd
Co-ordinator of the Literature Festival