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AUTHOR
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Penni started her writing life as a poet and her academic life as a Classics scholar (after reading Donna Tartt’s "The Secret History"), though she was always passionate about children’s and young adult literature. She studied writing and editing at RMIT and worked as a freelance structural editor, which was an excellent apprenticeship in how novels work.
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Penni’s first novel Undine was published in 2004 to critical acclaim. Since then she has published three more YA novels, including the immensely popular The Indigo Girls (Allen & Unwin, 2008), plus an Aussie Chomp for younger readers. She also completed a Masters in Creative Writing. She has three more books contracted; the next, Little Bird (Penguin) , is due out in July ‘09.
As a writer Penni is inspired by her own experiences growing up in Hobart and as a young adult in Melbourne’s inner suburbs. She is interested in philosophy, history and cultural theory. She is also greatly inspired by the world she observes around her – the poetry in the ordinary and the everyday.
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On this theme, Penni maintains a regular blog called Eglantine’s Cake which has received attention in the mainstream press and has a loyal international following.
Speaking
Penni is an engaging and energetic public speaker, willing to share her own personal experiences of growing up (such as the time she almost got suspended for reading and how in a strange twist of fate fifteen years later she got her revenge; or her experience of transforming from a total nobody to the popularly elected student president in Year Twelve and the repercussions of this newfound power).
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Penni’s lively talks often cross over into issues of student welfare. For example a theme in The Indigo Girls is SMS bullying, the sort of covert bullying many teachers have told her they find hard to tackle, and she incorporates her research and experience of bullying into her talks, with an emphasis on resilience and empathy. Her motto is a Carlos Fuentes quote: ‘Writing is a struggle against silence.’
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Workshopping
Penni has experience conducting poetry and fiction workshops with a wide range of students, from upper primary to university undergrads. Her main aim is to get thinking before they write – about the world and their place in it, about the objects that surround them and what meaning they invest in them – and to see value in the stories they are already creating through digital media like Twitter, MySpace, blogging and SMS. Her unique exercises produce some astonishing results from writers of all abilities.
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My Year 10 Literature class attended Myths with a Twist at the Melbourne Writers' Festival Schools Program. The highlight of the session was the talk given by Penni Russon. She has the ability to engage, provoke and excite the imagination of her listeners.
- Dr Shelley O'Reilly, English/Literature Teacher, Pascoe Vale Girls' College, 2008
The young people who attended the Booktalkers events in October 2008 responded warmly to Penni's discussion of her life and writing because she spoke to them as equals and with real honesty. I could see how engaged they were when she was talking about her experiences as a young woman in Tasmania. At the end of the youth auditorium session most of the questions were for Penni - they wanted her to continue with the stories about her life and her characters.
For me, it was great to meet and work with Penni. I was as engrossed in her stories as the students and adults who attended the Professional Development session. She seemingly effortlessly moved from one event to another - changing her material based on the age of the audience and the questions they asked. She also gave a fantastic radio interview on ABC radio in northern Tasmania.
- Rachele Carnevale, Senior Librarian - Young People's Services,
State Library of Tasmania, 2008
Links
http://www.pennirusson.com/ |
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