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Storm in aTeacup- In the Mailbag - |
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A poem written by Chris Townsend is set to paintings in oil by Chris Sage-Marsh to create the dramatically intense world of this hardcover picture book from St Luke's Innovative Resources. Called Storm in a Teacup, this book follows the journey of a teardrop as it falls into a teacup, is washed down the drain and finds its way into a river-and eventually, to the open sea. Finally, it falls as rain and drives a frightened boy into the arms of his beloved grandfather. |
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In the Mailbag
Dear John, Towards the end of last year I was looking for a class activity for my Year 8 art students. A friend had recently sent me copy of Storm in a Teacup (out of the blue) so I read it and discovered the fabulous notes in the back of the book. I ended up reading the book to the kids in class. We had a conversation about place as suggested in the notes: Did you have a special place as a child? Do you have a place like that now? Is it real or imaginary? The students were surprisingly forthcoming with their responses. Each student then produced a mixed media collage representing their special place. All the kids were really into what they were doing. It seemed to hit a creative nerve. What began as a end of year 'fill-in' kind of exercise became a really memorable experience. The artwork by Chris Sage-Marsh is simply beautiful.
Alison Woods Secondary Teacher Paramatta, NSW
Creating the Storm Storm in a Teacup-A teardrop reveals a universe of meaning
A teardrop fell into a teacup Half of which was never drunk The half that ended up in the sink Down the drain Never to be seen again Or at least-that's what I thought
So begins this stunning picture book and Innovative Resources' foray into the illuminating world of illustrated poetry. Written by Chris Townsend with original paintings by Chris Sage-Marsh, Storm in a Teacup is but one small story in the oceans of stories and books created over the course of human history. One small, seemingly insignificant story. Just like a single star or a planet-so easily lost, overwhelmed in the immensity of the universe. Or a teardrop unnoticed-almost unnoticeable-in the enormous, swirling water cycle of our own insignificant little planet.
But Storm in a Teacup might also be many stories; about a drop of water, about the environment, about death and decay, about journeys and regeneration. Or it might be a story about nature or dreams or nightmares-or about one little boy and his grandfather. And maybe, just maybe, Storm in a Teacup might be the story of meanings, connectedness and relationships, of purpose and renewal, of resurrection and hope.
For teachers, counsellors and human service workers in general, this is a book that can be used to build countless 'learning' and 'therapeutic' conversations. Because Storm in a Teacup invites readers to inject their own individual meaning into the story, it opens up profound possibilities for discussion, debate and connection with the journeys of others.
The extensive reflective notes in the back of the book are written primarily for teachers, social workers, health care workers, psychologists, pastoral care workers and other human service professionals who share a love of creative arts and who are open to using picture books in their professional practice. Equally, we hope these notes will be of interest to parents, grandparents and all readers.
Take an Artist, an Author and one Designer. An interview with the Artist, Chris Sage-Marsh
Why did you paint these pictures? I painted the pictures because I 'saw' (and heard) them when Chris Townsend recited the poem. I knew the words wanted paintings to float on. And because I understand the special bond a child has with his or her grandparents. In my case: Nana Shanahan.
What is your wish for this book and for the people who read it? My wish for this book is that it touches its audience on many levels; that it gives comfort but also that it stimulates conversation, communication, thinking and therefore connectedness.
What makes you cry? Funnily enough, I cry when people overcome or endure a great difficulty. I cry with joy and I really cry with grief...but mostly I cry if my children suffer.
Getting older Getting older? What does that mean? Knowing more, having more to share, more to laugh at, more to add to my story.
Cycles Cycles are the second chances, they always come around. They are renewable energy, they are hope. Cycles help centre and balance life. They are Nature's Framework.
Dreams and Memories-Talking with Chris Townsend, Author of Storm in a Teacup
Chris Townsend is a father, husband, outdoor educator, traveller, musician and owner-builder with a deep passion for the natural world. Although those around him know him as a storyteller, he surprised even himself when this poem about life, death and all the bits in between emerged. If he ever goes missing, you may find him floating in an open canoe, plucking his bass at a music festival, rendering mud bricks or offering unrestrained encouragement from the sidelines at the soccer games of his son and daughter. If you can't find him, fear not-when he returns, he's sure to tell you all about it.
Storm in a Teacup , published by Innovative Resources, was welcomed into the world with three very different events. The first was at Siena College in Melbourne where the illustrator, Chris Sage-Marsh, teaches art. The thirty original oil paintings then travelled to Bendigo's historic Dudley House for a unique exhibition and book launch. More than one hundred people gathered to hear Chris Townsend give an emotional reading of his poem surrounded by the paintings that were inspired by it. The following week the paintings, along with their creator and the author, journeyed to The Sun Bookshop in Yarraville, Melbourne where it was launched by Olga Buttigieg, Head of Religious Studies at Siena College. Afterwards, one of our staff had the chance to catch up with the author and ask him about his impressions of the book; of life, love, and the cycles of nature.
How did this poem first take shape? 'I never really intended to write this poem. It started out as an assignment for an environmental studies project years ago. The task was to articulate aspects and relationships of a natural cycle in some form of dramatic style. In the two years leading up to that time, I had been travelling around the world and having increasingly intense dreams that some people might describe as 'out of body dreams'. These dreams were initially disturbing, but after finally embracing them I had an almighty one while travelling alone in Southern India that culminated in a familiar figure (my late Grandfather) walking forever towards me with his distinctive gait and smiling warmly in approval of my life direction. Coming to me when it did, this dream helped me see my physical journey as something of an initiation.
My Grandfather had died when I was four. I could never forget, as I was with him when he died and held him. For hours I watched relatives arrive and fall apart in grief and disbelief and put the experience somewhere deep inside. Then, so many years later as I sat down to embellish an idea I had carried for years about tears and water, I focused on that dream. The whole poem literally poured out of me in one flow. Many people I have shared this poem with have been moved in some way and urged me to share it with as many people as I can.'
What is your wish for the book? I have visualised the book for so long now and have seen it in many lights and images. The strongest of those images is of the book sitting on someone's coffee table. A visitor walks in and sits down, passing the time by flicking through the book only to be unexpectedly moved as emotions stir. I suppose that is an expression of wishing to share a personal emotional experience with others.
What makes you laugh? So many things-my wife, Annie, and I have our own ridiculous world of laughter going on that has evolved out of years of sharing a twisted perspective on situations and people we have come across in life. I love developing characters through which other worldly crazy stuff can be channelled.
What makes you cry? In no particular order-homesickness, the absence of compassion, the loss of loved ones, watching other people lose loved ones, making mistakes in raising my kids, Australia's treatment of refugees, unravelling myself when I realise I have depended too much on my expectations. Do you want me to keep going?
How do you feel about getting older? Somewhere along the way, as the invincibility of youth gives way to an acceptance of transience, you realise you have been walking a path and leaving footsteps. I like the idea that as you get older, if you look carefully, you can develop a type of 'tracker's' knowledge to interpret the meanings in your own path.
What about love? I had a conversation with a friend recently who argued that love is a construct. I disagree. I believe we socially construct arrangements around love, but the essence of love itself is as essential to a human life as DNA.
Difficulty I am a believer in the philosophy that true contentment in life arises out of the process of putting ones inherent skills and gifts into practice to overcome challenge and difficulty. I always return to some advice given by the father of a school friend of mine many years ago when we were about to embark on an adventure. He said, 'There is much to gain from taking the most difficult route in the easiest possible manner.' I keep thinking how wonderful it is that he entrusted us to difficulty.
Cycles of nature I seem to gravitate toward a life-style that allows me to feel and understand life through an appreciation of natural cycles. I'm not too competent in the mechanistic world of infinitesimal time management. I'm better at organising myself over the length of seasons and reflecting on changes that have and might be about to happen.
Children What can I say? I have two. They bring you everything, yet they are a life force that you have brought about. Handing over the responsibility of that force to them is one of the great challenges of life.
Political correctness When asked about political correctness in an interview a couple of years ago, my musical hero, Canadian singer/songwriter, Bruce Cockburn, responded: 'Political correctness is at best about good manners and at worst about censorship. Neither of these things are to do with our consciousness.
And Introducing the Designer, Tim Lane
Tim designs things. He adores book design, but can be interrupted by having to attend to the final details of football boots, a 4WD caravan needing curves, an ad deadline for Vogue, a funky bath design or by one of his three kiddies. In fact, if his work hasn't been interrupted by urgent t-shirt designs, a mate wanting a coffee, his lovely Kylie or by a donkey-whisperer selling marmalade, he has probably wandered out the front of the studio to shoot some baskets. And he calls this work.
A Tearful Journey Worth Taking By John Holton (More Weekend, The Bendigo Advertiser, Saturday 28 th May, 2005.)
When asked what makes a great picture book, American author and illustrator Lois Ehlert once said that 'the art and text must go hand in hand, like inseparable lovers'. When you pick up Storm in a Teacup, the latest offering from St Luke's Innovative Resources, you sense that Ehlert would see its words and pictures as a match made in heaven.
Written by Bendigo musician and author, Chris Townsend, this hardcover picture book follows the journey of a teardrop as it falls into a teacup, is washed down the drain, into a river and eventually to the open sea. Finally, via the cycles of nature, it falls as rain and drives a frightened boy into the arms of his beloved grandfather.
Given its powerful themes of life and death, decay and renewal, and the gifts of one generation to another, it was no surprise to learn that the book's evolution was equally 'organic'.
The idea began as an environmental studies project the author undertook many years ago, but after a powerful dream about his late grandfather, Townsend experienced an overflowing of emotion and creativity.
'I had one almighty dream while travelling alone in Southern India,' he says. 'It culminated in the familiar figure of my late Grandfather walking forever towards me with his distinctive gait and smiling warmly in approval of my life direction. Coming to me when it did, this dream helped me see my physical journey as something of an initiation.
'My Grandfather had died when I was four. I could never forget, as I was with him when he died and held him. For hours I watched relatives arrive and fall apart in grief and disbelief and put the experience somewhere deep inside. Then, so many years later as I sat down to embellish an idea I had carried for years about tears and water, I focused on that dream. The whole poem literally poured out of me in one flow.'
His friend and visual artist, Chris Sage-Marsh, read the poem and responded by producing thirty original paintings. It was a gut response, long before any thoughts of a book had been entertained, and is no doubt one reason why Storm in a Teacup resonates so deeply.
Chris is an arts educator with a strong interest in the use of art in the process of healing. In her classes and workshops she encourages people to explore their own stories using visual metaphors.
'When I hear a story, even an ordinary happening, I immediately see it as a picture,' Chris says. That's what happened when I heard Chris's poem. I immediately knew the words needed paintings to float on.'
The emergence of illustrated poetry as genre over recent years has taken the picture book into new territory. Highly metaphorical books such as John Marsden's The Rabbits and Shaun Tan's masterpiece The Red Tree not only caused a stir amongst parents and educators but also created important conversations about change and meaning in people's lives. Innovative Resources has taken this idea a step further by including extensive learning notes at the back of the book to deliberately kick-start meaningful conversations and present possibilities for group activities including creative writing and visual art.
The book covers vast territory and can be used just as effectively as a counselling resource for those experiencing grief and loss, as it can in the classroom of an environmental studies teacher. Other topics covered in the learning notes include relationships, feelings, dreams, family ties, the power of place, growing old, journeys, and the power of the senses to prompt our stories.
Storm in a Teacup spills from its covers. It is a book that demands to be read aloud-a book best shared with others-a book that continues to hum long after the covers are closed. |
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Ways of Working with Storm in a Teacup Reflective Notes from the Book by Russell Deal and Chris Sage-Marsh
Storm in a Teacup is but one small story in the oceans of stories and books created over the course of human history. One small, seemingly insignificant story. Just like a single star or a planet-so easily lost, overwhelmed in the immensity of the universe. Or a teardrop unnoticed-almost unnoticeable-in the enormous, swirling water cycle of our own insignificant little planet.
But Storm in a Teacup might also be many stories; about a drop of water, about the environment, about death and decay, about journeys and regeneration. Or it might be a story about nature or dreams or nightmares-or about one little boy and his grandfather. And maybe, just maybe, Storm in a Teacup might be the story of meanings, connectedness and relationships, of purpose and renewal, of resurrection and hope.
Storm in a Teacup is a fascinating and a challenging book because its interpretations and meanings are so diverse. No two readers will understand it in the same way. This book calls for active engagement. It will resonate most with those readers who do the work of making sense of it, who wonder about its messages and who actively try to peel away the layers of meaning to see what secrets might be revealed.
Storm in a Teacup is not a 'children's book'. Good picture books are not just for children but are designed to delight and enthrall adults as well. This book is a quality example of an emerging genre of illustrated poetry.
For teachers, counsellors and human service workers in general, this is a book that can be used to build countless 'learning' and 'therapeutic' conversations. Because Storm invites readers to inject their own individual meaning into the story, it opens up profound possibilities for discussion, debate and connection with the journeys of others. Above everything else Storm in a Teacup is a work of immense soulfulness that encourages readers to reflect on, and talk about, their own spirituality, philosophy or existential insights.
These reflective notes are written primarily for teachers, social workers, health care workers, psychologists, pastoral care workers and other human service professionals who share a love of creative arts and who are open to using picture books in their professional practice. Equally, we hope these notes will be of interest to parents, grandparents and all readers.
Messages and hidden meanings Read through the story in different ways; silently, out loud, focusing on the words alone, ignoring the words and looking only at the pictures, and reading the story to others.
The images Look just at the images.
Feelings Think about your own life journey.
Everyone knows times of intense fear. Some people experience these as acute panic attacks. For some others they can turn into longstanding anxieties.
Sometimes when we are hurt or sad it is important to explore our deepest feelings and to name what is happening for us with words like grief, anger and sadness. Naming our feelings can be an important part of healing or dealing with the hurt. Writers often do this in their journals, stories and poetry. Musicians do it in their music and songs and artists do it in their art.
Relationships Storm in a Teacup can also be about the love between a boy and his grandfather. Often people build and retain a special love for their grandparents or one grandparent in particular.
Being the grandfather Sometimes it might be we who are on the receiving end of others' fears. Sometimes others may choose to confide in us or seek solace and comfort with us.
Poetry Poetry can be a very powerful and evocative way of expressing deep feelings. It can help us find the words that we search for. Letting others know the impact they have had on our lives and how we value their honesty and bravery can be one of the greatest gifts we can ever give.
Dreams Another way Storm in a Teacup might be understood is as a dream. The images and connections between events can all resemble elements of dreams you might have had.
Journeys We can think of dreams as one type of journey we all go on. 'Journeys' is another theme we can find in Storm in a Teacup. Of course, some of these journeys are not physical journeys in the sense of travelling from one place to another. We can talk about a number of journeys in Storm in a Teacup as 'metaphors'. In metaphorical journeys physical travel may not occur but change probably will. So in thinking about the journeys in Storm in a Teacup it might be helpful to think about all the things that change.
Sounds Storm in a Teacup invites readers to look at their world differently-to see meaning and significance in something as simple as a spilt drop from a teacup. But seeing is not the only way we can gain insight and understanding. We use all our senses to 'make sense' of our world. This book is an invitation to connect with all our senses in our quest for meaning.
Smells Again each page of this book invites readers to breathe in the rich aromas of our natural and human-made worlds.
The author of the poem in this book once picked up a bone from a decomposing whale carcass on a beach in Tasmania, Australia. Despite repeated hand-washing he felt that he could still smell its stench two days later.or did he just imagine it?
People have their own smells too-the smell of perfume, soap, aftershave, hair lotion, incense, cigarettes.
Textures 'The best and most beautiful things in the world cannot be seen or even touched. They must be felt with the heart.' Helen Keller
Storm in a Teacup is a very sensuous book and perhaps the story could be told by touch alone.
Wind and rain have many different textures, with thunderstorms being especially intense-cold rain drops that sting when they hit you. And then, we get comfort and security from things we can touch-a favourite chair, a porch, our grandfather's clothes.
If you close your eyes, can you imagine touching the wrinkles, the eyelids, the fingernails of people you love? Would you be able to tell them apart by touch alone?
The power of place Not only did the boy run to an old familiar face (his grandfather) he also ran to '...an old familiar chair on an old familiar porch.' Place can have a huge significance for us especially when deep feelings are evoked.
And sometimes, too, it can be interesting to reflect on those places we associate with significant persons in our lives. List five people who have been very important in your life. Can you imagine and write down the places that come to mind when you think of them?
Place can also have a strong spiritual resonance. Indigenous peoples commonly have a practical affinity with the land-they need to live off it. But, as we know from Aboriginal and Islander cultures in Australia , land and place have a much more powerful significance than just sustenance. Perhaps each of us, in our own way, knows the significance of place as part of our spiritual journey. Can you draw those places that have been an important part of your life? Are these places natural or created by people? Are there particular objects (old familiar chairs) that have rich associations of thoughts and feelings for you?
Growing old The boy's grandfather is old. The story says, 'life has nearly passed him by'. Not everyone knows old people.
Dying
Nature As far as we know there is only one place that Storm in a Teacup could occur-and that is earth. The earth is a paradise full of beauty and regeneration, which is just as well because humans have had a very destructive impact on the environment.
But people are a part of nature. We do not stand outside of paradise rather we merge into it, we are part of it. While we might try to control and harness nature we are still caught up in nature's cycles-its turbulence, its beauty, its grandeur and its brutality.
A teardrop joins the dregs in a cup of tea and is poured down the drain. Waste flushed away; trivial, forgotten, lost to human memory but not lost to nature. Instead, it joins nature's cycles and processes.
Humans cry and their tears join the oceans. The water cycle provides renewal, yet we humans tamper with it-at our peril. Whales die as all living things must die but the cycles of life death and regeneration go on.
Humans die and turn to water and other elements.
Not only does Storm in a Teacup talk about connections between people, there is a profound message about our intimate connections with the non-human world around us.
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