Blog Hopping After Yasi

 
After Yasi: Finding the Smile Within is going on a virtual book tour, commonly known as blog tour, blog hop or virtual book tour.  A big thank you to all those listed.

Best comments for each blog will be given a PRIZE, either a free copy of the ebook or a choice of a signed print of one of the photographs from the book. Would absolutely love it if you retweet, reblog and share this post – and the blog hop posts, to all your friends.

The After Yasi Blog Tour includes visits to:

Jan 27   (Tuesday) http://open.abc.net.au  ABC Open  (guest blog, June Perkins, storytelling tips for covering the recovery from a natural disaster)
Jan 27   Karen Tyrrell http://www.karentyrrell.com/
Jan 28 (Wednesday)  Dimity Powell (interview) http://www.dimswritestuff.blogspot.com.au/
Jan 29 (Thursday) Charmaine Clancy (tips for writing about a natural disaster) http://charmaineclancy.com/
Jan 30 (Friday) Michele D’Acosta https://micheledacosta.wordpress.com
Jan 30 Jedda Bradley  – (interview)https://www.facebook.com/jeddabradleyartist
Jan 31 (Saturday) Carol Campbell  (review) http://writersdream9.wordpress.com
Jan 31 (Saturday) Gail Kavanagh  (review) http://gailkavanagh.com/blog/
Feb 1 (Sunday) Owen Allen (focus Dance) http://owen59.wordpress.com/ http://placestories.com/folks/Oen
Feb 2 (Monday)  Ali Stegert (focus children and youth after a cyclone) http://ali-stegert.com/
Feb 3  (Tuesday) Melinda Irvine http://businessonblue.com.au/
Feb 3   Wrap up and thankyou blog from June https://pearlz.wordpress.com

You can find sample pages and more details of the ebook here: http://gumbootspearlz.pressbooks.com/


You are welcome to attend from wherever you are in the world -the online launch -February 3^rd.
See the facebook page: The Launch Link: https://www.facebook.com/events/866286073402069/?pnref=story

*This schedule is still subject to  minor changes but I will post any changes closer to lift off.

500 Words Contributions - June Perkins

Listening Divas

Published on ABC Open, November 22nd, 2012  Listening Divas

When we were young, Dad told us bed time stories. They were always silly with us in starring roles.

Dad liked Spike Milligan and AA Milne. Sometimes he’d recite his favourite poems and direct them to one of us. Snatches of AA Milne come back to me at the oddest times, with his poetry of children whose parents run away and cautionary tales to not step on the cracks in the footpath.

Dad’s stories were funny and satirical but sometimes we protested about the way he portrayed us. We were unruly characters, tiny divas, jostling for bigger and more complimentary roles. We directed our storytelling Dad just so. 

Our favourite thing was Dad giving us magical powers. We told him the names we wanted and what we should be doing. 
‘No I wouldn’t do that.’
‘I should be taller’
‘I need to run faster’
‘I’d jump to … the moon'

We loved to take over his stories. Sometimes our diva listening ways were so out of control they would make our storyteller abandon his tale and he’d grab out the Muddle Headed Wombat book to read to us and do all the characters voices for us. Tabby Cat, Mouse and Wombat became our friends. I read all the books when I had mastered the art of reading.

These stories were important because when we were very small our Dad was often away for long periods working as a labourer. Partly because of not having qualifications from his years in Papua New Guinea and partly due to prejudice over our Mum’s race he found it difficult to get and keep other work.

Our Mum told us when Dad came home after long labouring jobs my little brothers had forgotten who he was, and would hide behind her crying as the strange man with the overgrown beard came to hug us.

When Dad was finally home again for most of the time, we were able to know him again through the storytelling ritual.

Just as we were getting used to on tap Dad, he was away again to study and become a teacher and then later a librarian. Luckily I could read some of the books he had read to us so I didn’t miss him too much. Dad lived in another town with a landlady and sometimes we would visit him. 

Dad hitch-hiked home to see us when he had a chance. This time when he came home we would come running out to meet him and my younger brothers would pipe up with ‘a story, a story.’ I listened for old time’s sake. 

I was less of a listening diva because by this stage I was writing my own stories – partly thanks to my Dad’s early storytelling efforts to reconnect with his children.

(c) June Perkins

From Wheelchair to Walking: The Story of Paul

This Story was first published at ABC Open 7th January 2013 - From Wheelchair to Walking: The Story of Paul

At first the medical fraternity thought my brother, Paul’s, accident meant he was going to be a vegetable and if he was lucky to leave his bed would be stuck in a wheelchair for life, but my Mum had other plans.  

She played his favourite music, Michael Jackson’s ‘Thriller,’ to him when he was in coma and spoke to him continuously. 

She brought him home and embarked on all sorts of therapies, including Reflexology  - a foot massage based therapy. After many months, against the odds, he was mobile in a wheel chair, and then after many more months he was able to walk, but with a slight loping rhythm.

Does he remember what he was once like? I think the question is avoided so he doesn’t grieve for it.

Before his accident Paul Junior (named after my Dad and often called Peejay) was doing brilliantly at school, a good soccer player, a tap dancer, and planned to win a scholarship to go to a private school.  He was a young man with the only obstacle being when rather than if.

He was by far my favourite brother (sorry other brothers), because he was gentle, chatty and enjoyed being the perfect little brother. But as I think back he was accident prone even from a young age and had a few scrapes before ending up in hospital big time. 

Everything changed when my brother chose not to wear a helmet and cycle out of a steep driveway to come home.  

He was knocked off his bike by a car and hit the pavement at full pelt head first. Sounds like one of those terrible cautionary ads you see in television now, but this was a long time before helmets were heavily promoted. Every second kid chose not to wear them. 

I have vivid memories of my other two younger brothers wheeling Paul around in his wheel chair at full pelt for fun in the city mall, much to the dismay of my mother. I thought at the time it was cool that they were treating him like they always did, head injury or not. He must've missed going off to play cricket with them. 

It was not easy to ask Paul how he felt about things as it took a while for his speech to return, besides everyone was focusing on physical recovery as he was paralysed down one side. We were all employed by Mum to support his therapy, but she did most of it and he did the hardest yakka of all.

When Paul did recover his speech his sentences were formed so slowly it seemed like if you just taped them, then sped them up it would be easier to understand what he was on about. 

‘Do you speak PeeJay?’ My irreverent boyfriend, now husband, asked when he first met him. He jokes with everyone and wasn’t going to let an obviously brain injured individual cramp his normal personality. Paul laughed. He has loved David ever since.

Paul has come a long way in his recovery, but like it or not, we' ve all had to accept he will never have the same fluent personality or movement.

The thing I love most about Paul is the way he laughs at life. His mind is quicker than people think, so he recognises when someone is patronising him; his slow motion mimicry of them annoying him is hilarious.

I think he has more he could say but it can take so long for us to understand so he just gives up and chuckles. We try to overcome our limitations to reach out to him the best we can.

My Mum said when she read the first draft of this:

I remind him everyday how far he has come. And prepare him for a future I won't be there, so he can be as independent as possible.

She has done so much for my brother to assist him to overcome the challenges life has presented. She always seems to wish she could do more.

Paul makes a lot of people happy through the joyful way he lives his life, and is part of a large caring and extended family.

He and my mum are more inspirational than they will ever really know.  Mum said these days Paul listens to a lot of music and loves making costumes and threading beads for the culture performance group she facilitates. 

The last word of this family journey belongs to Paul:

I am happy with my life. I'd like to move forwards and get better and better. Ever forwards, forwards. 
I like playing drums and dancing in the dance group practices with my Mum's culture group.

Further links of interest are: 

Headway Tasmania

Music Therapy for Brain Injury

(c) June Perkins 

Cut Off - No Way Out

Cut Off - No Way Out - This article and image appeared on ABC Open 23rd January 2013

Flooded in - four directions. No way out! Unless you have a canoe, paddle and waiting relatives lined up.

As seasoned North Queenslanders we've been watching the weather forecasts very carefully. We take flooding at this time of year for granted.

This morning we drove our which-roads-are-blocked-pilgrimage and were lucky to meet up with some locals. Lucky, because most of our neighbours are now being cut off and soon we'll only be touch via phone and facebook.

The locals we met were waiting with their vehicles, blocked at a river crossing on the road to Jumbun. We watched a canoe on the other side of the road paddle towards us - it was one of those classic moments you just have to photograph.

We had a yarn about the bridges being planned for Cassowary Coast and agreed this regularly flooded spot in Murray Upper would surely be a contender.

At this time of year rainfall is on our minds, and our facebook status statements are full of comments from locals keeping a watchful eye on how heavy the rain will be, and sharing up-to-date information and links.

We have reason to be concerned because even though a cyclone is not heading directly for us we know the outcome is torrential rain everywhere. We know rain is on the way and we like to know how much, when and where.

We know by tracking it on our favourite sites; ABC Local Radio,Oz Cyclone Chasers, NQ Flooding update and of course BOM (Bureau of Meteorology).

Before it begins to flood we do the following:

Stock up on food and supplies (that was a couple of days ago and any local down at the supermarket lines knew it, non locals were bemused, obviously not realising what was on the way)

Realise the best laid plans are about to go up the river

Make sure our cameras are poised to share our version of the flood with our friends similarly marooned on line

Dissect the weather with our mates

Keep checking the weather sites

A major aftermath of flooding can be the shortages of essential items in the supermarket and until the trucks can make it through; it can take a couple of weeks before the shelves are restocked.

The rain is hammering down and I wonder: what are my friends and neighbours up to right now?

I've heard through the facebook vine: they have been beanbag floating in their flooded duck ponds, getting their boats ready (but to go where?) and taking and then uploading their images and thoughts on the flood.

Once you are in the midst of flooding the general idea is to have fun, keep safe, and via the internet work out and observe when those water levels will go down to safely let you out!

Today we've been amazed. This is the biggest flooding at Murray Upper since we've lived here. The creeks and river are overflowing everywhere in a way we've not witnessed before. The Murray Falls would be brilliant if you could safely make it there.

A few of the children, including my own, are really disappointed that a planned cartooning workshop at the library has had to be cancelled, because the weather has made sure no one can make it.

Perhaps it's time to cartoon rain, boats, happy people arriving home and a runaway parking sign like the one I saw going up river just a couple of hours ago.

(c) June Perkins

Inspirations

                                     Reading the Sunset - By June Perkins

It’s an inspiring time.

I’ve finally managed to make headway on my writing projects. A memoirs is well underway. I am enjoying the process of bringing memories of past friendships back to life. The process of the memoir was given momentum during November.  I was writing stories for the ABC Open project Who Shaped Me.  I decided to do a blog challenge – 19 stories in the month. I was delighted to complete the challenge I had set for myself during the month of Nanowrimo.  At the end of the challenge I had 12,000 words towards my memoir.  It is now up around 25,000 words and continuing.

I love the process of memory unpacking.

On top of this I've managed to finally finish a poetry book which a  dear friend is going to illustrate.

It's designed for families to read together;  it isn't for children or adults alone and is based on my time living in North Queensland.

Some of the works are quite lyrical and have been sung at various places for friends and family.

I have been loving working for ABC Open as a moderator/Editor.  It's just awesome - and I had my time extended there so will be doing this for a bit longer. Working there just doesn't feel like 'work' but more of a blessing.

Reading, writing, editing!  Ha yes, even editing.  It's something to enjoy, not detest, because when you are reading, editing and moderating other people's work, it gives you even greater ability to be detached when it comes to editing your own stuff.

I'm reading so much now, that I really know which things jump off the page at me.  This  makes me strive even more to write in a way that makes the reader want to read my work!

I am so grateful to many people I've never met, except through reading their blogs, or joining them in online writing projects.  They are brilliant because they inspire me with their comments, feedback and their own enthusiasm for writing.  I especially love the Monday Writing Sprint Group - !!!  But the ABC Open contributors and producers are pretty amazing too.  I also adore the Soul Food group of Heather Blakey and am enjoying getting to know the Write Practice Crew..

To unwind I head out and take photographs, like the one above.  I am so blessed to have such great settings to easily access.  There is magic in the cane.  I've even written a poem about 'Ghosts from the Cane' that follow you to the city.  All will be revealed in my poetry book.

That's all from me for now - you can checkout my work and if you feel inspired please leave a comment on my Pearlz Dreaming Blog or at ABC Open.

Memory Land and becoming a Digital Storyteller

I am re-establishing this blog so I can place video embeds and other work samples here from my other blogs.

Some blogs make you pay a fee for this privilege but blogger doesn't. So this is a good space to show case my digital storytelling efforts and upcoming poetry films.

Here is a poster - which is a digitally altered photograph and some of my poetry. I am doing a lot more creations like this and making postcards and poetry cards. I'm yet to market them but first of all I am enjoying making them and thinking about what I want to say with them.

Memory Land
You are the Wind of my Soul
The wisdom feathers
placed on me
One by one


I have tumblr, wordpress, facebook, flickr, vimeo, youtube tweeting and this blog.
My next stop is to set up an online shop and create some ebooks.

All these different cyberspaces have different offerings of what you can do.

This last year I have done more guest blogging. ABCopen have given me a space in the Aftermath Project.

It's been an amazing experience to be part of their new experiment to engage with the wider community. If you take the time to read these posts you will see that the community I live in has been in cyclone recovery mode. Some people are well on the way, others have left the area, and some have a long way to go to say goodbye to Cyclone Yasi effects.

My blog land is like a memory land - a place where now I bring all the creative forms I have been dabbling in together. Journalling, song composition, videography, poetry and photography - all have a place in my creative heart and journey.

Welcome along for the journey - as I put on my gumbootspearlz.

(c) June Perkins, all rights reserved.