A LITTLE BIRDY TOLD Me Told Me

STUDENTS, 2022

Our Year 12 Literature students published an anthology of short stories entitled A Little Birdy Told Me. Inspired by Sydney-based writer Ceridwen Dovey’s award-winning book, Only the Animals, the students’ stories creatively captured the voices of animals who have died against a backdrop of human conflict; from a donkey at Gallipoli to a koi fish at Hiroshima, an emu in the Australian outback, a chimpanzee in space, a butterfly at a Malcolm X rally and a koala in the Black Summer bushfires. Like Dovey’s collection, each story also pays homage to a literary figure, from George Orwell to Oodgeroo Noonuccal.

“Readers of this anthology are certain to be impressed at the maturity and complexity of the stories composed by our student writers,” Head of English, Vana Watkins, said.

“As Literature students, they have a keen eye for detail, an affinity for storytelling, and a commitment to quality which coalesces in this collection. Through the expert mentoring of their teachers, Katherine Barton and Katie Isles, they have strived to emulate Dovey’s complex style and craft their own original narratives.”

Only the Animals is on the VCE Literature Text selection and the students were fortunate to be joined by the author via Zoom to help guide their creative process. “The stories were imagined and written in just a few short weeks,” Year 12 Literature teachers, Katherine Barton and Katie Isles, explained. “We have been incredibly impressed by how our Year 12 students were able to capture the nuance of Dovey’s style, delivering narratives that demonstrate a sympathy for the complexity of human conflict with insight well beyond their years.”

Ceridwen Dovey joined the book launch in the Fisher Library in Term 4 via Zoom to “congratulate and thank” the students and their teachers. “Quite honestly, there is nothing better as a writer than to be taken up by young writers,” she said. “Not just to be taken up, but when I was reading this beautiful collection, I had the sense that I had been leap-frogged by these wonderful authors. I was incredibly moved by the whole experience of getting to know some of the students through Zoom and feeling through their questions and engagement in the work that I was welcomed into a really intimate and sacred space of learning. The stories are not only moving, but they’re also often very funny –I had this grin on my face as I was reading.”