Yesterday we went to the Melbourne Writers’ Festival. We met the authors of some shortlisted books, like Robyn Dennison, Neil Shusterman, Gary Lonesborough and Solli Raphael. Dennison's debut novel, “Blind Spot” was about the protagonist, Dale, who is going through an existential crisis. To me, her speech was the most inspirational as someone who really likes to build stories around characters. Shusterman was the author who spoke of the dystopian novel ‘All Better Now.” Lonesborough was another author who really spoke to me, as it was about exploring a vulnerable part of his world and exploring his sexuality. Finally, Solli Raphael spoke about poetry. I liked his window and book analogy, where just like a window, text can show the outside world and the personality of other people.

On Wednesday, a few years 8, 9 and 10 SEEK students were fortunate enough to attend the Schools Melbourne Writers Festival with multiple other schools from Melbourne. We had the opportunity to listen to 4 renowned Australian authors including Robyn Dennison, Gary Lonesborough, Neal Shusterman and Solli Raphael and the option to purchase signed copies of their new and popular books. These authors worked in multiple different genres, most including young adults (YA) and poetry. From these speakers we were given a lot of amazing advice for up and coming or aspiring authors. I found that a lot of the speakers were very inspirational, Solli Raphael specifically shared a quote that I loved, “Everyone creates poetry, poets are just the ones who capture it”. I thought this was very smart and highlighted that poetry is all around us in everyday life. Overall, the Melbourne’s Writers Festival was a very inspiring opportunity that I am sure everyone will remember.

The Writers Festival was a captive lecture that offered an alternative lens into writing. With four authors/speakers presenting authentic views and ideas, everyone in attendance was able to pick out parts that spoke to them and take away a lesson different from the next. The authors shared about their inspiration and experience, as well as their individual advice that had evolved and been refined over time.

Solli Raphael spoke about the importance of identity, the way in which we see ourselves. Identity can be shaped by our actions, passions and appearance. I find I express myself through my hobbies like netball, paddle boarding and art. These activities help me feel like myself, and when I think of my identity, those are things that come to mind. The way I appear to others through physical appearance and through my personality is a format of my identity. Overall, I see myself as a kind and open-minded person.

I have learnt today that writing offers windows into other worlds, other minds. And so I hope to use this writing to make a window into my world and my mind. I have always stretched myself thin with aspirations, I have aspired to write songs, poems, perform in front of thousands and graduate with a prestigious degree. I have always had the dedication to back up these aspirations to an extent, however, I have never been able to properly dedicate myself to anything. That was until I started playing Soccer. This was the one thing that pushed the other aspirations aside and started taking up most of my time. I still pursue academics and still enjoy poetry, but Soccer is my new dream.

Today I was part of a group of Kingswood students that visited the Melbourne Writers Festival. We heard from four authors, Robyn Dennison, Neal Shusterman, Gary Lonesborough, and Solli Raphael. Each author had a completely different writing style, from sci-fi to slam poetry, and gave us their unique perspective on why they write, and what makes writing so important to them. After they had spoken, we were given the opportunity to ask questions about their creative process, their inspirations and their advice. We also had the chance to purchase some of the books from the authors that spoke to us. This opportunity provided a lot of insight into the work it takes to become a published author, and how everyone’s reason for writing and journey to publishing looks different.

First, Dennison gave us an overview of the power of books and the ability to transfer the reader into a whole other life. Next Shusterman talked about his works and his story, characters and his ideation process. Then Gary Lonesborough talked about his struggles with identity and the importance of finding something to relate to in his books. Lastly Solli Raphael talked about his compelling story around his poetry based on life, providing insights into the essence of poetry and the idea of becoming an author.