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Hanging out in the fog

Brandenburg Gate, January 2011 With few customers a hot coffee is  always a consolation.  This is my favourite holiday snap. I am drawn to the incongruity of the seemingly NQR (not quite right) character (it's a German historical precinct not the North Pole) with a coffee. At the Brandenburg Gate, performers, dressed as WW2 soliders, stand in prime positions and expect payment from tourists who feel the need for a photo opportunity.  This has been feedback week:   1. Monday feedback on Thesis 2. Tuesday feedback on Staff Attitudes to School Survey 3. Wednesday feedback at gym. I feel empathy with the reindeer - will he learn the hard way that he's got it wrong?  But, like the coffe-break reindeer, I also see the sense in reflecting over coffee and ... coffee at Seven Seeds, Carlton is very good.  Feedback question: So, how do you think I’m progressing? In response to feedback here are my SMART goals: 1. writing to a timeline/structure before next meeting with supp

Capturing the essence of 'Fairytales' for German translation

This week I revamped my poster, attempting to simplify it to send to Prof. Dr. Achim Barsch who has a student who is willing to translate it for me. It's difficult to know what to put in or leave out. An exercise in succinctly capturing the essence for another market.

Australian Society of Authors

The Experimedia room in the State Library of Victoria was a surprise. Most of my time at the SLV has been spent hunched over microfiche readers in dark corrals persistently trying to unearth tiny deposits of information on Ernst.  The light-filled bluestone lined courtyard  (once a carpark between buildings) with its modern atrium ceiling and digital tools is an intriguing blend of past and future.  Last night I was delighted that Hazel Edwards invited me to be part of the celebration of the ASA 's 'rebirth' in Victoria, with the opportunity to meet other writers and gain a compelling insight into the future of books and authorship in the digital age. 

Letter to the Editor (but not in German)

  I was fortunate to be in Kassel researching the influence of the Brothers Grimm on the writing of one of Australia's first fairytale writers, Olga Ernst. When I attended the Opening Ceremony of the temporary Bruder-Grimm-Museum, I  was impressed with the quality of the exhibits. The visual imagery of the clothes line, hung with strips of text from the most loved fairytales in the world, drew me into the world of Grimm -  the installation seemed to have been plucked from a peasant's backyard. Being able to see the editorial changes in some of the text will be particularly interesting to those visitors who have only read the later edition of their works. With my very limited German I appreciated that the text is also being provided in English. My friends Thomas and Gerlinde sent me the text of the article 'Im schlauraffenland' 22 jan 2011 and I was pleased to discover that there is an English version as I am only able to read a little of the German edition I was able

Bruder Grimm Centre -visually appealing

A temporary, but visually appealing, home for the Brothers Grimm. I was fortunate to be in Kassel researching the influence of the Brothers Grimm on the writing of one of Australia's first fairytale writers, Olga Ernst, arriving the day before the Opening of the  interm Bruder Grimm Centre (the original is being renovated and will be completed in 2014) . strips of shredded text Although my German is very limited, the passion of the speakers for 'their fairytales' was obvious and the audience was as devoted. Two large rooms are lined with exhibits that carefully and sequentially will take the visitor through the lives and work of the Grimms.   I  was impressed with the quality of the exhibits. The visual imagery of the clothes line, hung with strips of text from the most loved fairytales in the world, drew me into the world of Grimm -  the installation seemed to have been plucked from a peasant's backyard.  Being able to see the editorial changes in s

Exploring the influence of the Grimm Brothers

Rothenburg ob Tauber used in Grimm film. I was intrigued to learn there is high interest around the world about the influence of the Grimms on writing.  Olga Ernst's admittance that she was influenced in her fairytale writing by the Grimms makes her one of this select group. I intend to contact the  group in Canada doing similar work to me.  Since my return I have been in contact with  Dr. Vanessa Joosen (Antwerp University) on who is editing a book on the   translation and reception of Grimm's fairy tales around the world believing that    'A systematic history of the translation of these tales and their reception outside of Germany still needs to be written, and parallels between the reception in different countries or parts of the world are yet largely unexplored. With this volume, the editors hope to gain insight into the afterlife of the Grimm tales in translation, and how they merged with the fairy-tale traditions of other countries and inspired new writin

Das Hildebrandslied - January 18th

Professor Dr.  Barsch arrange for a student guide Annika to accompany us to view some of the oldest manuscripts in Kassel at the Library. The jewel for us was the first scholarly edition produced by the Brothers Grimm (1812) in pride of place next to the two pieces of famous manuscript, The Lay of Hildebrand (800).  A heroic lay that is one of the earliest   literacy work in German written in Old High German alliterative verse. It tells of the tragic encounter in battle between a son and the father he does not recognise. It is written on the first and last pages of a theological manuscript.    There was also an early Gutenburg Bible which was amazing. I think what we have that is comparable in Australia.  Annika Berressem, a student at Kassel University offered to be our guide  and with our friend  Thomas translated much of the notes beside the rare books.

An Australian Fairytale Pioneer at a German University - January 17th

Twelve years ago my daughter participated in the Heathmont College German Exchange Program which has been in operation for fifteen years. Her host family lives in the medieval village of Kaufungen, just seven kilometres from Kassel, which was the home of the Brothers Grimm. Coincidently, an aspect of my PhD research focuses on the relationship between the author I am investigating, Olga Ernst, and the influence of the Grimm fairytales she read in the original German version as a child. Finally I have an excuse to visit my daughter's host family! After half a year of emails Professor Dr. Achim Barsch of University Kassel is interested in my research and offers, although he has a full timetable of lectures, to meet with me to discuss aspects of my research such as:  the importance of Ernst reading the Grimm fairytales in their original German. blending of disciplines in my appropriation of new historicism I am also invited to present some aspects of my research of Ernst to h

Presenting my paper in 'Old Geology'

The Old Geology Theatre at University of Melbourne was an apt place for my presentation on Olga Ernst: Creating an Australian bush identity in children's literature.   Of course graduating with a B.Arts and M.Arts from this university Ernst would have been familiar with the original buildings and pathways. Perhaps she could have stood or walked or held a deep conversation somewhere close by.   Always useful to be challenged to look in new directions,  discussion initiated during question time and poster presentations included German culture, second language writing, use of technology for research and visual text.  How well has digitisation of Ernst's books, use of digitised resources such as TROVE and NLA's newspaper archive contributed to your research? How do the pictures contribute to a sense of Australian place meshed with old-world folk figures in the illustrations. (i.e. The cartwheel in the Father Time illustration)?   What sou

My AO Poster AARE 2010

For the past two days I have stood in front of my poster at the Australian Association for Research in Education (AARE 2010) Conference in Melbourne.     Comments and high interest about her University Melbourne education and the essence of 'Germaness' in her stories. Cornelia Funke, German children's writer said, ' I always thought it hadn't influenced me very much, but I heard from many people from  England that many motives from  German fairytales are to be found in my book s'.

Girlfriends! connections camaraderie community

We decided to trial a primary version of the Girlfriends! program at GIPS due to the small number of female year 6 students in this particular year. With only a small group of 8 girls, we found their connectiveness to the school, its teachers and the other students was suffering. The girls were tired of spending time confined to such a small social group but were not making any effort to connect with the girls in year 5. As such the younger students were also missing out on the valuable friendships of the year 6 girls. Our first Girlfriends! group consisted of 4 year sixes and 8 year fives. The combination of the group was formed on what the upper school teachers considered to be a ‘needs’ basis. The group allowed some of the more introvert students to have a voice in an environment where they felt safe and supported. The ‘rules’ of the group were decided by the girls and adhered to during all sessions. All the girls had the right to say anything they felt and the responsibility t

Producing a poster for AARE Conference Melbourne

The house is in wedding mode with preparations for the 'little' cousins Pantry Tea (give Kel something you'd like to see in her pantry - possibly Timtams and sprinkles!) so I am attempting to finish all that I can in advance. A poster seemed to be an easier option than a presentation but not so - juggling font sizes, colours and quick bites of info to grab the attention is challenging. Now I know that Courier and Arial are easy to read but so yesterday! Main title about 4 cm, subheadings about 2cm and body about 1 cm.  The audience might be attracted  to the design but if they can't read it, what's the point. This was my first attempt -  readable at A4 but will the writing be too big when it is blown up to A0?  I have 3 more attempts and will upload the final design on 3rd December. I submitted poster and paper in the hope one would be accepted and both were - so now I need to start writing.

Rosalie's Reward, a fairytale in a gold rush town setting

This is  a gem,' said the librarian at the State Library as she hands it to me ... and I am inclined to agree. ‘ Rosalie’s Reward’ begins with a poetic description of Ballaarat that evokes both mood and time. The house that the impoverished mother and child come to live in stands in ‘ gloomy silence’ while the sounds of mining are clear and eerily evocative.   ‘Shrill whistle heard so clearly in the silence that called the miners to midnight toil.’ The resurrected English style cottage garden is the perfect place for a group of fairies that the reader doesn't meet until page six of the story.  There is an energetic discussion by the fairy folk about what is prized more as a reward: beauty or gold. Not surprisingly, in a gold mining town, it is gold. Rosalie’s reward for her kindness to the fairies is being left a fortune by the dying gold miner who owns the cottage. He fortunately arrives at the cottage hours before his death to bestow on Rosalie a golden future in Melbo