Now to the Read Aloud Summit, which was my special pride and joy. It was held at the end of August, beginning of September in Sydney and was the first national read aloud summit in the world. How’s that! 280 people attended from across the professions: paediatricians, paediatric nurses, speech pathologists, politicians, bookstore owners, publishers, teachers, and other educators. Great speakers from home and abroad, including Dr. Robert Needlman from the Reach Out And Read program in the USA, and Rosemary Clarke from the BookStart program in England.

Looking back I can’t quite believe the summit happened. I had had a meeting with the Hon. Brendan Nelson, our Federal Minister for Education, in January this year and had spoken passionately about the benefits of reading aloud to children: the economic benefits, as well as the educational, psychological, health and welfare benefits. The summit was the result.

Brendan Nelson opened the conference beautifully but said I was ‘a scary lady’. I guess that’s because I got my own way, even though I’m a known Labor voter and the Minister is a Liberal. It’s GREAT to be able to ignore political affiliations over a universal issue such as this one. It’s also GREAT that the fantastic read-aloud work begun by Mark Latham as leader of the Labor Party last year, can be and is being built upon by the other side of the politics.

I hope the momentum isn’t lost and that some of my other wishes come true on the matter of reading aloud, such as a national read aloud campaign. In ten years’ time I want the world banging on our door asking how and why we have such a high rate of literacy. We have already, actually, but there’s still huge room for improvement.

A colleague of mine, Pam Witton, has made a DVD version of Reading Magic (about reading aloud to young children) in which I speak directly to the camera, chatting away as if to my closest friend. I BADLY didn’t want to do it. I thought I was too old and would look too weary about the eyes, but somehow the lighting has hidden most of the wrinkles and I look fine. How vain, I know, but really, who would want to watch it if it was ugly?

Anyway, I love this 40 minute DVD aimed at parents of children aged 0-6, and I endorse it wholeheartedly. But I’ve refused to make any money from it since it was Pam’s idea, and she did all the work and hired the camera crew and the editors, etc. If you’d like a copy of it e-mail her at pamwitton @westnet.com.au It costs $29.95 plus $5.05 postage and packaging. Eventually I’ll organise a proper form on the website, so look out for it but contact Pam in the meantime if you can’t wait.

In between all this DVD stuff and gallivanting around the country, I’ve been so busy that dead flowers have stayed in vases for days (Malcolm notices after about a week and then removes them) and living flowers in the garden have died for lack of attention. Dear, oh dear. I’m 60 next year but can’t see life slowing down unless I stop writing, stop thinking and stop preaching about literacy, and become a recluse behind the walls of my house, asleep for most of the day. Sounds fabulous!

I leave for the States and Canada a week today, for 18 days: Toronto, Omaha, Idaho and Arkansas. Then I come home for six days and go back again for another two weeks: Wyoming, Calgary, Indiana, and Rhode Island. Why come home for six days, people ask? Because it’s home, that’s why! I miss my family, my friends, my food, my bed and my country. Most travellers do, no matter how good a time they’re having while they’re away. (Forgive me but it will be mid-November before I update the Hot News again.)

Even Malcolm, my travellin’ man, who is travelling again (is there a fequent flyer point left in this house?!) likes to be away less than three weeks these days. Chloe alone loves years and years in a foreign country, especially if it’s France, especially if it’s Paris, but she’s loving Adelaide at the moment and school and politics are keeping her incredibly busy and fulfilled.

I can’t sign off without sending love, gasps of horror, deep sympathy, and my best wishes to every single person affected in any way whatsoever by Hurricane Katrina. As the rest of the world watched everything unfold, minute by minute, none of us could quite get hold of the fact that news crews could get into New Orleans but food and water couldn’t. Good-hearted friends of mine in California and Texas are now caring for families made destitute, and rescuing animals that had to be left behind, and I’m sure thousands of others are doing the same. I guess what upset me most was that some people seemed to forget that we are all human beings of the same importance and value as everyone else, with the sames fears and hopes, the same needs and feelings, no matter who we are or where we live in this big wide world, in this big wide disaster. It’s the theme of my book Whoever You Are.

I’ll stop there in case I start preaching. I come from a long line of preachers.

And notice I haven’t mentioned writing. That’s because I haven’t done any. Bliss!!!

Much love, everyone,

Mem Fox xxx