A big thank you to Little Gnome Bookshop for supporting independent and small publishing houses, self-published authors, and a congratulations on their travelling bookshop.
To find out more about this delightful shop and their many community building activities, the latest of which is the travelling bookshop, visit Little Gnome Bookshop.
June Perkins is thrilled to have a poem ‘My Scariest Things’ and a short story ‘Storm Girl’ published in this collection.
‘In Spring 2018, June Perkins contributed some of her written works to the Words and Pictures project at Queensland Art Gallery. Each season we invite local artists and authors to respond to artworks in the Australian Collection.
While these poems and stories were on display, June led an enthusiastic group of children and their grandparents around the gallery on a special tour for Grandparents Day.
June was also invited back to QAGOMA to perform for three days at the APT9 Summer Festival Relax by the River space where she read some of her stories and Magic Fish Dreaming poems to a delighted audience of families.
June is a joy to work and collaborate with, she is organised and has consistently shown solid dedication to her projects at the gallery. June is also a captivating storyteller, she has a careful and considered style of communicating and genuine interest in exploring ways to engage the listener.’
Laura Mudge, Senior Program Officer, Children’s Art Centre, QAGOMA
Sophie Dixon, A/Project Coordinator, Exhibitions Management, QAGOMA
Hannah Grzesiak, Public Programs Officer, Public Programs, QAGOMA
Taken by Natasha Harth – QAGOMA – APT 9 Summer Festival
June Perkins with the Kiribati Community storytellers and Roshni, Taken by Natasha Harth – QAGOMA – APT 9 Summer Festival
Report on APT 9 Summer Festival Storytelling Session From Pearlz Dreaming Blog.
It was so much fun to share these poems and the story behind their inspirations.
I loved performing my new ‘Brolga’ poem and ‘Cassowary Chat’ with the help of the children and two home made puppets.
Some other poems performed were ‘Giggle Poems’, ‘Curtain Fig Tree’, ‘River Song’,’Brahminy Kite’, ‘Discovering Magic’, and ‘Magic Fish Dreaming.’ I varied it a little each day, but performed the participatory puppet poems every day!
The setting by the river under the shade of a tree was just perfect, and cool and comfortable for families.
Thank you so much to all those families who stopped to listen and participate in the storytelling.
A big thanks to Laura, Roshni, David and my family for their supports on the day and Hannah for support in the lead up. As well as to Maree from Deaf Services Queensland, for her Auslan of the poems.
Working hard towards some new poems, and especially keen to include the Brolga poem in a new collection for children.
Whilst the festival is over, the exhibition continues and you can find out more here. APT9 DETAILS
June Perkins
Come and relax under the fig tree by the river from 11.00am – 12.00pm and hear poems by poet and children’s author Dr June Perkins and stories from members of the Brisbane Kiribati community.
Free, no bookings required.
Friday and Saturday Auslan Translating Available.
So delighted to receive a short listing for a middle grade fiction story in the Scribbles Creative Writing Awards.
June Perkins, Chosen.
A warm congratulations to all winners, short listers, entrants and thank you to the judges for their feedback on my story.
To see the rest of the Hall of Famers and to find out more about Girl and Duck head to website.
(Not quite everyone could make the launch but we were thinking of them!)
It was a joyful, festive atmosphere in which we celebrated the official launch of It’s Beginning to Look a Lot Like Christmas at the Grandview Hotel, Cleveland.
And such a delight to hear people read their work. Contributions varied from gentle poems and stories, to hilarious stories. There really is something to suit everyone in this collection as well as a delicious and sometimes very humid taste of celebrating christmas in Australia.
John Duke’s work was particularly loved by the children gathered and would I think make a brilliant picture book in its own right. With so many infectious giggles rippling through the room it was definitely a big hit!
All the other readers did a wonderful job, many presenting fragments so that families were just itching to read the rest of the story. OCD elves, toys longing to be reunited with their children . . . you’ll just have to read more.
Maria Parenti-Baldey, the final reader, gave a dynamic and energetic performance to keep all enthralled.
A particular congratulations to people who were published for the first time and possibly doing their first ever public readings!
The children were so brilliantly behaved and engaged (well done all readers and parents and grandparents) and especially excited when Santa and Mrs Clause turned up!
Congratulations to all the authors, illustrators and producers as well as all those who helped in anyway on launch day.
Thank you to the team, especially Share your Story, Michelle Worthington, Julieann Wallace and to all the illustrators, especially Di Spediacci for the vibrant cover!
This special collection seeks to raise money for bicycles for teachers in Tanzania.
To ensure that a trainee teacher has every chance of punctuality, attendance and success, proceeds from the sale of the Share Your Story Anthology – ‘It’s Beginning to Look a Lot Like Christmas’ will be put towards purchasing a bicycle for the trainee teachers to ride to the Teachers’ Training College in Tanzania.
Here are the details on how to purchase your copy!
And don’t forget to leave a review on Good Reads or Amazon.
You can obtain a copy of the book at the following links
(The program: also including Maria Parenti Baldey, Margo Gibbs and a few others reading!)
Maria in the flow of reading.
Some of the other books by authors featured in the Anthology.
Meeting Mrs Clause and Santa.
Michelle being surprised by a gift from all the contributors
Various contributors enjoying the readings.
The lovely morning tea!
By June Perkins
June’s Story in the Collection is ‘Starry, Starry Lemon Blanket.’
Photo Credits: By various peoples at launch including me, family, Maria Parenti-Baldey, and other contributors.
All online purchases before the end of the year will receive a surprise mystery gift with their book.
At this time the book is only available to people in Australia, but do contact me if from overseas gumbootspearlz@gmail.com
(The Book is available to schools and libraries in New Zealand visit Wheelers and look it up in the catalogue.)
If you want to bulk order reduction in postage costs may be possible for orders of 4 +, so contact me first if that is you.
I will be story telling from this collection in January at the Asia Pacific Triennial!
Magic Fish Dreaming to Purchase
CLICK HERE TO 
DONATE TO MAGIC FISH DREAMING BOOKS TO PNG (You will be asked to verify you are not a robot first!)
Inspired by a meeting with Gregg Dreise, where we learnt about the Indigenous Literacy Foundation in Australia and their various projects I decided I needed to do something for literacy for my mother’s homeland Papua New Guinea.
I decided to run a non profit book drive to send some copies of Magic Fish Dreaming, via local charities that deliver them, to Papua New Guinea. In this way I hoped to cover my cost price only, and effectively donate the profit on these books to charity.
I wanted to do this so that rather than sending second hand books, that might not be culturally appropriate I could send a brand new book, from my heart to the heart of Papua New Guinea.
I wanted to do something to assist literacy to assist the children in my Mekeo mother’s homeland.
I had a feeling that if I asked my friends, they would want to support me in these efforts, and enable me to send more than a few.
To my amazement, so far enough for 76 books has been raised, and I am so excited to be delivering them to the charities who will then ensure these make it into schools that need them.
I will soon be sharing the names of all those assisted me to make this contribution on my social media and with the charities (as long as you give me your name) that find schools in need of these books in Papua New Guinea.
I will be making my first delivery to my first charity of choice, Books4PNGKIDS soon, but have found some other worthy people who take books into PNG schools and communities to support as well and I may look to send it to other places in the Pacific.
$8.00 AUD per book allows me to send one Magic Fish Dreaming book to PNG by covering the costs of my printing.
People can sponsor as many books as they would like, whether it be one or ten or more, it is the love with which this donation is made that matters the most.
I am now inviting overseas friends and fans to join this project to sponsor some Magic Fish Dreaming Books to go to PNG.
Please leave a note with a name and message and join us in this quest to send this beautiful book to PNG. You are welcome to email me at gumbootspearlz@gmail.com
I hope to share updates of where the books end up!
Donations to this project are closed for now.
Another charity sponsorship project coming soon.
