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Festival Of Literature
FESTIVAL
OF LITERATURE Dr Suzana Sukovic with guest speakers Wai Chim and Dr Sarah Ayoub, and students at the 2022 Festival of Literature.
PLC Sydney’s second Festival of Literature was a celebration of reading, literary research, writing and creativity. The inaugural festival was online last year, and it was exciting to present this event face‑to‑face on 8 November this year.
The evening featured a panel discussion with writers Wai Chim, the author of The Surprising Power of a Good Dumpling and Freedom Swimmer, and Dr Sarah Ayoub, journalist, researcher and fiction
writer. The guest speakers talked about their journeys as authors and shared their insights into the importance of storytelling. When Dr Ayoub mapped her path – from a young person confronted as a woman by her culture, and a Lebanese confronted by the society, to an academic and established author – she singled out libraries and stories as her shelter and source of hope. “Your story can change someone’s world” was her message to students. A lively conversation between the guest speakers and the audience was facilitated by Dr Dave Drayton who leads the College writing group. The second part of the evening was devoted to our rising literary stars. All students’ work presented at the festival was created outside class, with the exception of Imogen Sabey’s Extension 2 English 2022 personal essay. In the section called “Research and Creativity” we heard how students investigated a topic of their interest to prepare a book for publication (Juvenilia Press) or to develop a creative response to their research topic. In the “Word, Image, Sound” segment, we heard stories, poems, an alternative ending of Jane Eyre, and saw digital stories, covering a broad topical and emotional range. The final performance by Euna Oh combined her story about basking and a music piece played by the author. The festival was skillfully facilitated by Billie Ronis, Humanities Captain, who was our MC for the evening.
A highlight of the evening was the student work presented at the festival. Euna Oh’s performance combined her story about basking and a music piece.
OUR PRESENTERS
Wai Chim is the Chinese-American-Australian author of a number of titles for children and young adults, including The Surprising Power of a Good Dumpling and Freedom Swimmer. She also works as a web developer and was a contestant on Australian Survivor.
Most of the student work presented at the festival was developed as part of their participation in one or more of the Franklings co-curricular groups. The name "Franklings" is a combination of the words “Franklin” (surname of a famous Australian writer, Miles Franklin, who achieved literary fame as a teenager) and the “Inklings” (an informal group of writers who gathered in Oxford, England in the 1930s and 40s. Tolkien and C.S.Lewis were some of its famous literati). Franklings (PLC Sydney students) are our young writers with roots in a great tradition who are developing their own literary voice. Franklings has three groups: Writing led
by Dr Dave Drayton, Classics led by Dr Suzana Sukovic, and Project facilitated by both. All the Franklings groups were well represented at the festival. Dr Sarah Ayoub is a journalist, author and academic. She has written for a wide range of publications and recently completed a PhD examining the intersections of interventionist ethnic Australian YA literature. She is the author of Hate is such a Strong Word, The Yearbook Committee, and The Cult of Romance.
For the Franklings, and all other readers and writers among our students, the festival was a unique opportunity to perform their work in front of an audience developing a sense of a
literary community. Chim and Ayoub are firm believers that a community of writers has a unique ability to support and nurture each other. Communication with a live audience is an experience, which the students will value on any professional path. Finally, as Wai Chim pointed out, storytelling is a universal skill wherever you go.
Dr Suzana Sukovic
Director of Research and Library Services
Dr Dave Drayton, who leads PLC Sydney’s writing group, facilitated the discussion with the guest speakers and audience.
