Madness – I’m Sane Again

The Madness Poetry Tournament continues over at Ed DeCaria’s blog – but I am sane again. 😛 I was knocked out of the tournament in Round Four, and seem to have spent the last 36hrs fighting sleep. (Five hours sleep per night isn’t enough for me. Who knew? Who knew sustained suspense could take such a toll?)

You can still follow the madness at Ed’s Think Kid, Think blog – and vote on the remaining two rounds. I’ll be there, voting.

Meanwhile, here is my collection of poems, inspired by the Madness. If you click on the pictures, they will take you direct to the match-up on Ed’s blog. Remembering that each poem had to include a given prompt word… All poetry on this page is Copyright Kathryn Apel, 2012.

March Madness – Poetry Tournament

After writing a poem a day for January, and a haiku a day for February, it most definitely IS madness to have put my name down for a poetry tournament in March – but silly, smart or otherwise, I’ve done it. And I’m sure it will be fun! You can read more about it at  Ed DeCaria’s blog, Think Kid, Think. (You can read the official rules here.)

Today the draw went up. Pressure is mounting! It’s a knock-out tournament, so each round – each poem – counts! My Round One ‘opponent’ is Carol Wilc. (It’s okay, Carol. I play nice. :P) 

DO NOT FORGET AUSTRALIA – Blog Tour and Giveaway

This past week I’ve enjoyed reading the backstory for the wonderful new-release Walker picture book, DO NOT FORGET AUSTRALIA, by Sally Murphy and Sonia Kretschmar. Both Sally and Sonia have a swag of awards and commendations to their names, and collaboratively, they have created a rich and warm picture book that Australians can be proud of.

DO NOT FORGET AUSTRALIA tells the story of Henri and Billy, two boys who are oceans apart, but together in heart. Billy’s Australian father is fighting the war near Henri’s French hometown, Villers-Bretonneux. The year is 1918.

Inspired by a significant battle in World War I, the story doesn’t focus on the despair of war. Rather, the illustrations and text gently move the story past death and destruction, to focus on the hope – the lasting good that comes from cross-cultural compassion, empathy and aid.

When Henri’s village is destroyed in battle, Billy is one of many Australian children who work together to help rebuild Villers-Bretonneux. To this day the sign of acknowledgment remains; DO NOT FORGET AUSTRALIA.

DO NOT FORGET AUSTRALIA is a must read for all Australians.

Lest we forget.  

Do Not Forget Australia – Blog Tour

Hoping you can drop by next Thursday, 8th March, when I interview Sally Murphy and Sonia Kretschmar about writing and illustrating historical picture books.

A Match Made in 2012

It’s Valentine’s Day. Not something I would normally  blog about. But this year, is worth an exception. Because 2012 is the Australian Year of the Farmer and the National Year of Reading and in a household where he is a farmer, and she is an author – I guess that means 2012 is our year!   

Ebb and Flow of 2011

I blogged about my Ebb and Flow writing process in 2009.

In 2011 I experienced the ebb and flow of writing in a different way, with extended family health dramas taking all head and heart space for 6months. When I first heard the word ‘cancer’ I resolved to let my writing go, for unlimited time, to invest in family and fighting this dread disease. There would be no stress on my part if there was no time for writing or submitting. In fact, any writing would be a bonus.

School Visit at St John’s, Bundaberg

Author visits to schools are great fun! At a recent visit to St Johns in Bundaberg we;

• Dramatised ‘This is the Mud!’ (Prep/Yr1)
• Wrote shape poems (Yr2/3)
• Wrote haiku (Yr4/5)
• And performed poetry (Yr6/7)

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Dramatising 'This is the Mud!'

How to Show Desktop with Mac Lion

Being a new Mac user, there are one or two (or a hundred thousand) Mac things that have caused me a just a little frustration. One of the biggest annoyances is the fact that there is NO Show Desktop option on Mac Lion. It drives me crazy!!

Today I made an accidental discovery as my fingers dawdled across the track pad…

It is possible to get the MacBook Pro’s OS X Lion equivalent to Show Desktop. 

Mud in Pre-Prep

I loved hearing about the fun that the Pre-prep student at Bundaberg Christian College had after reading ‘This is the Mud!’ recently. Thanks for sharing!

We put paint onto foam letters and matched them to the letters on our sheets and then had another look at ‘This is the Mud’ book, at the mess the diggers and tractors made in the mud. We drove some small tractors and diggers into our ‘mud’ and then drove all over our paper with it.

This is the mess that they made in the MUD!

We all had a great time and learnt something about rhyming words and really enjoyed the book.

Joanne Henderson, Prep Teacher

A very rough ride!

Romans 12:12 “Rejoice in hope, be patient in tribulation, be constant in prayer.”

Last week was torrid – riding the rollercoaster of fears and tears in what one doctor accurately described as, ‘a very rough time’. (For him and us!)

A complicated medical procedure for a near and very dear family member went a little awry, and for too long we were living a nightmare beyond anything I’d imagined.