When I was small, I really loved Sylvester, despite him always been bested by a grinning yellow canary. I particularly loved his ‘Suffering Succotash!’ cry.
I thought it was a made up word, but I liked how it tasted. On this weekend just gone, I discovered that it’s real! It’s a combo of corn and beans widespread in part of the US. There are recipes for making it at home, or you can buy it in tins. Who knew?
This discovery was just one of very many made during the biannual Reading Matters conference, held at the Arts Centre in Melbourne. The conference mixes panel discussions with keynotes from local and international writers and image makers. This year also featured Dougal, illustrator of Introducing Teddy. His work, interpretations of presenters, were posted on Instagram. Take a look. His handle is 15mindrawings.
I could list the speakers, but I’d leave some out and feel bad. Besides I’m sure you can find the information on the CYL (Centre for Youth Literature) website. Suffice to say, by close on Saturday I was stuffed full of inspiration and admiration. So much to think about, so many authors to explore, so many new books to read. Well done RM team.
And then this arrived: Danish editions of Koala. Oh my!
