In Term III, the inaugural Sydney Grammar School Literary Festival “Writing Through Time” took place. The Festival was centred on writing that interrogates and reflects history, with the aim of celebrating literature and reinvigorating a love of reading and writing.
Writer-In-Residence Lachlan Philpott mentored the inaugural Creative Writing Collective. This intensive programne across the term involved a group of boys in Forms I-IV and culminated in “A Night at the Library” at the State Library of NSW, where boys read their completed works surrounded by the exhibits that had inspired their writing. The School hosted visiting speakers Will Kostakis, Paul Macdonald, and Matthew Lin, who spoke to Forms II, III and IV about their process and love of fiction, and also presented at “Literary Lunchtimes” in the Library. The English Extension 2 cohort showcased their major works in an evening event in the Library, and members of the Women’s and Fathers’ Associations put themselves in the boys’ shoes in an evening writing workshop hosted by Lachlan Philpott. The Festival was capped by a successful literary evening in which internationally acclaimed authors Thomas Keneally (Schindler’sArk, Dickens Boy) and Anna Funder (Stasiland, All That I Am) were joined by ABC Radio’s Cassie McCullagh for a detailed discussion of their writing processes, sources of inspiration, and philosophies.
Here is an inspiring collection showcasing the inaugural Sydney Grammar School Literary Festival “Writing Through Time”.
