2019 Judges’ Comments – Dennis Flannery

The 2019 LitLinks Judging Team

I was in Japan recently and I bumped into a European man near Shinjuku Station and he was wearing a T –Shirt that said:

‘I READ BOOKS – THAT’S WHAT I DO – AND I KNOW THINGS’

This quote came to mind when Rita asked me to say a few words on behalf of the Judges.

As a Judge I am a reader (and in an earlier career I was an English Teacher)

As a Judge I am a reader who has been to 3 Writers Festivals this year – Sydney, Byron Bay and Canberra. Wonderful opportunities to gather and focus on writing and to hear from writers.  Perhaps what we need is a Young Writers Festival where young writers can talk to each other and listen to each other.  Perhaps organisers of Writers’ Festivals could include opportunities for young writers to meet and share their experiences and their writing
(At the NFF for example – I know young musicians attend to play their music and to listen to each other)

As a Judge and a Reader I listen to the Radio National Book Show; read Book Reviews in the Weekend Papers; and of course I read books (fiction & no fiction) and discuss these with friends and family.

As a reader and a researcher I went looking through Google for quotations about reading & writing, to encourage you all to continue writing.

A writer is nothing without a reader; a reader is nothing without a writer.
Anonymous

All the words I use in my stories can be found in the dictionary—it’s just a matter of arranging them into the right sentences.
Somerset Maugham

I can shake off everything as I write; my sorrows disappear, my courage is reborn.
Anne Frank

I believe myself that a good writer doesn’t really need to be told anything except to keep at it.
Anonymous

Start writing, no matter what. The water does not flow until the faucet is turned on.
Louis L’Amour

Judges & Process

As a Litlinks judge I am a fortunate reader being able to read a number of this year’s entries.

There were 3 sections: Years 7 & 8; Years 9 & 10; Years 11 & 12 and 3 groups of judges (2 for each section). It was not easy and at times I know that some of us stopped reading and reread particular combinations of words, particular passages that affected us and reflected on the writing process and the writing ability of these young writers.

Here are a selection of words and phrases from the Judges:

• Writers addressed some serious subject matter;
• an evocative and startling piece of writing;
• thought provoking and unsettling;
• the author shines a light on a need for a more inclusive society;
• clever imagery;
• Sophisticated, enticing, engaging, fluent,
• original and inventive use of language;
• engages the readers’ attention;
• well sustained and interesting narrative exploring topical issues;
• the text is carefully crafted.

EXAMPLES OF STUDENT WRITING

Just to give you an idea of the quality of writing submitted this year for Litlinks  I would like to read you 3 paragraphs from 3 different pieces of writing – one from each section – but I am not going to tell you from which section!

1. On a summer afternoon, the air fragrant with jasmine, a young girl kneeled at the base of my trunk.  As always when a child came too close, I felt a chill of fear. I wished her far away.  She picked at a wildflower growing in the grass about my roots, giggling as a petal floated in the breeze.  She took me back to the time before the killing, when joyous children played games in my shade. She was pure hope, and as she somehow sensed my delight in her, she reached towards my trunk. I tried to scream at her to stop, not to touch me. But her small fingers pressed into my bark, moulding her skin with my bark. Then her soft cheek against my rough bark; and neither of us tore, neither of us broke.  A warmth flooded through me, a stirring of new sap, of forgiveness, the return of life to the killing fields.

from ‘The Chankiri Tree (Killing Tree)’ by Poppy Volk-Loone

2. My eyes fall on my wife, Mary. Familiar black hair covers her wrinkles, wrinkles magnified by her tears. She stands as straight and as strong as the majestic gum trees that dot this hill. Her black bonnet and dress, dark as ebony, seem to repel the dust. I know that she, alone, sees me. Her melancholy eyes meet mine and I know I will stay with her. I now realise that she will be courageous, and she is wise to the mistaken belief that only a man can lead a family in this difficult place.

from ‘Finding Peace’ by Georgia Dixon

3. One day in early summer, the heat fell over the beach like a blanket, and the breeze from the sea was stifled. The blue of the sky was intense, making the afternoon feel like it was off-date, left on the shelf for too long. Meredith was sitting on her verandah, sipping from a tall glass. The effervescent water sparkled; a sliver of lime, encrusted in thousands of tiny bubbles, floated near the surface. The gleaming liquid swirled, as if stirred by an angel’s finger.

from  The Whales’ by Penelope Robson

CONCLUDING COMMENTS

We are here to celebrate these young writers. However special mention must go out to the young writers’ families and teachers – these writers have been encouraged to write, have been given opportunities to write, have been supported through the writing process and through Litlinks they have been given an opportunity for their works to be read more widely. I am told that they will be available on the Litlinks website.

Finally a special thank you to Roger and Maxeme from Paperchain Books Manuka – one of those bookshops where you can quite easily lose a couple of hours looking for a book. Their ongoing support in highlighting, promoting and encouraging young writers is much appreciated I am sure by families and teachers and especially by the young writers themselves.

Thank you.