Semester 1 2017: Tolkiens – Years 4, 5 and 6
Venue: North Sydney
All We Need Is Radio Ga Ga
Have you ever dreamed of writing wonderful stories and sharing them with an audience? Maybe even received
some feedback from your listeners? Now is your time to shine! Come and ride our audio wave as we explore the
wonderful and exciting new continent of web radios and podcasts. Each session will see us write on various topics,
record our texts and share them online on our web radio: Radio Ga Ga. From Science-Fiction to Arts to Historical
Novels to Theatre and Philosophy; there is plenty to choose from. And because our web radio is called Radio Ga
Ga, everything will be a bit... Ga Ga, of course!
11 February
Meeting 1 – We are Radio Ga Ga!
Scope: Writing and new technologies
Writing for the radio requires a lot of creativity, patience, and of course harmony. The editor-in-chief and the writers
need to follow a common editorial line. In this first session, we will learn everything about what an editorial board
is, and decide on a common vision to follow. We will also write and record our very first podcast, where we will
introduce ourselves and our radio in a Ga Ga-funky way!
To get an idea on how a web radio works, explore Radio National’s podcasts:
http://www.abc.net.au/radionational/guide/
25 February
Meeting 2 – Monsters Inc: Fact or Fiction?
Scope: Books and folklore - Adventure fiction
Remember the Whale in Herman Melville’s Moby Dick? Or the mysterious sea monster in Jules Verne’s 20 Thousand
Leagues Under the Sea? What about the Yeti whom Tintin meets in his adventure Tintin in Tibet? Well, what if I told
you these literary beasts may well exist in real life? Come and join us as we explore the wonderful world of real
monsters and the books they inspired. Loch Ness Monster and the Beast of the Gevaudan, heeere we come!
Please read either: Tintin in Tibet by Hergé, or 20 Thousand Leagues Under the Sea by Jules Verne
11 March
Meeting 3 – Crazy about Crazy Sports
Scope: Books and sports – fantasy novels
Ah! If only we could play Quidditch like Harry Potter; or Croquet with Flamingoes and hedgehogs like the Queen of
Hearts; or even Calvinball like Calvin and Hobbes… From J.K. Rowling to Lewis Carroll to Bill Watterson, many writers
have invented imaginary sports and games to match the imaginary world they created for their readers. But creating
an imaginary sport or game is not that easy. One must create the rules, decide on the number of players, and
sometimes even write the slogan of each team. Most importantly, the sport or game must fit with the style and
genre of the story that is being written. Let’s see what we can learn from our predecessors to create our own sports
or games and, why not, ask our listeners to test them for us?!
Please read: Quidditch through the Ages by J.K Rowling
25 March
Meeting 4 – Radio Ga Ga goes a bit Dada
Scope: Books and arts – surrealism
Do you know what an exquisite cadaver is? Or how to write a novel using the automatic writing technique? These
are only a few of the literary games invented by André Breton and his surrealist friends in the 1920’s, to unlock the
imagination and creativity of the unconscious mind. Whether in visual arts or literature, surrealism aimed at
bypassing the rational mind and releasing the creative potential of the subconscious. Why don’t we test some of
those surrealist techniques of writing and see what works for us? We can also get some inspiration to create our
own techniques and let’s be a bit ambitious here, create our own Ga Ga literary movement!
Please read: The Nonsense Show by Eric Carle
29 April
Meeting 5 – The Lucky Country
Scope: Books and history – historical fiction
My Place by Nadia Wheatley and Donna Rawlins is a classical Australian picture book that tells the stories of various
children who lived in Sydney from 1788 to 1988. As Nadia Wheatley puts it: “My Place firmly positioned the First
Australians as the beginning and end of the tale, and also showcased the way in which immigrants from many lands
had contributed to our national story.” The book was then updated to include stories from children up to 2008. But
what about children post 2008? What is it to be a child living in Australia today? What are the differences between
a child living in Sydney and in Northern territory for example? What about children coming from another country?
What stories can they share with us? We must update the book again! In our podcast today, we will share our own
personal stories as well as others’ as we walk a mile in their shoes…
Please read My Place by Nadia Wheatley and Donna Rawlins
13 May
Meeting 6 – Hablas Espanol?
Scope: Foreign literature
2017 has been declared “Year of Colombia” in France, which means thousands of cultural events inspired by
Colombia will be organised in France throughout the year. Why not participate in our own Radio Ga Ga way, in that
wonderful event? After exploring various aspects of Colombian culture – such as Cumbia music, Pasillo dancing,
and the Magical Realism literary movement, we shall write our own Colombian stories and share them online with
the rest of the world! Our imagination knows no boundaries...
Please read the first chapter of One Hundred Years of Solitude by Gabriel Garcia Marquez
27 May
Meeting 7 – “I said bizarre, did I? How bizarre!”
Scope: Books and drama - Theatre of the Absurd
For a radio as gaga as ours, The Theatre of the Absurd had to be our favourite genre of theatre. Imagine a rhinoceros
rampaging across a small village in France, or a giant pen stuck in the middle of a living room, or even strangers
realizing they are husband and wife. Bizarre, isn’t it? From Ionesco to Beckett, we will explore the absurdist world
of the Absurd then write and record our own absurdist plays. Our mission? Spread the gaga wor(l)d!
Please read Rhinoceros by Eugène Ionesco
17 June
Meeting 8 – DNA of the Folie Douce
Scope: Books and Philosophy
Our web radio wouldn't be complete without a podcast inspired by our very name! In our session today, we will
explore the notion of madness in general and sweet madness (or folie douce) in particular. As Aristotle puts it:
“No great mind has ever existed without a touch of madness.” But what exactly is this touch of madness or sweet
madness all about? From Aristotle to Plato, to Kant to Nietzsche, we will draw inspiration from the greatest
philosophers throughout time to give our very own definition of Sweet Gaga or Gaga Douce...
Please read Cool Philosophy: Filled with Facts for Kids of All Ages by Daniel Tatarsky, or the First Chapter of Sophie’s
World by Jostein Gaarder
What to bring:
Please bring a notebook and a well-stocked pencil case to each meeting as well as a hat, drink and snack for the
break (no nuts please).
About the Presenter: Anna Jahjah
Anna has a Master’s Degree in British and American Literature and Civilisation and a Bachelor in Arabic Literature
and Civilisation from Aix-en- Provence University, in France. She has taught storytelling and creative writing
techniques to French children for over 8 years but one day realised that her heart belonged to Sydney! 20 thousand
kilometres and 24 hours later she found herself giving writing and drama workshops to Australian children and has
never looked back.