Page 26 - Luce 2023

S enior C o mmon Ro om

Literary Happenings

Around the College

College Librarian & Records
Officer, Cindy Derrenbacker,
recalls some of the literary
events and highlights of 2022.

Small Habits Compound Over Time
For some time, I have wanted to
introduce the JCH community to
James Clear’s international bestseller,
Atomic Habits: An Easy & Proven
Way to Build Good Habits & Break Bad Ones. I am often
sceptical of self-help books, but I know people in varied
places and contexts who have read this book and found that
its central argument rings true – that ‘real change comes from
the compound effect of hundreds of small decisions’– what ‘Primed for Poetry’ Forum
Clear calls ‘atomic habits’, (atoms, of course, being very small Tutor and doctoral candidate Jack Tan and I organised a
but powerful). Thursday night forum in September, in advance of the annual
Literature Dinner featuring Evelyn Araluen and her acclaimed
During Discovery Week, early in semester 1, we had the book of poetry and prose, Dropbear.
opportunity to discuss this book. Unfortunately for the tutors
and students who gathered, COVID precautions demanded The purpose of the forum was multi-faceted: to discuss the
that we revert to Zoom. Nevertheless, our discussion was genre of poetry in general terms and to highlight one or
lively, enhanced by some who had read Clear’s book and two published JCH poets; to draw on Dr Spencer-Regan’s
had applied the principle that ‘tiny changes can produce knowledge as a poetry scholar; to read, hear, and tease out
remarkable results’. One student gave the example that the the meaning of some of Araluen’s poetry; and for students to
simple shift in behaviour of making his bed each morning had informally share their own poetry with the community – all
a ripple effect on his overall organisation, productivity, and in anticipation of the Literature Dinner. We were delighted by
confidence in other areas. The general idea is that by making the students’ enthusiasm for and engagement with all things
daily a small (1%) change in attitude and decision-making poetic that were clearly evident that evening!
with regard to your dreams and goals, your identity changes
and the effects of small habits compound over time.
Literature Dinner
As I reflect on the books I have read this year, I suspect this is The Literature Dinner was warmly received by the College
one to which I will return. community. Because another article in this issue of Luce
features this event, I will reflect on the final charge of the
evening that Ms Araluen gave to the student audience: the
Japanese Bookbinding: Creating a Hand-Bound Book importance of reading, especially to the development of one’s
Even if you prefer the ease of a Kindle while travelling or writing skills.
listening to an audiobook while walking, there is something
wonderful about the material book that most readers And how does one read to write better, one may ask? In
appreciate. As College Librarian, I am keen to find ways to light of Araluen’s charge, I want to recommend a book from
connect university students with words and books (beyond our collection entitled Reading Like a Writer: A Guide for
academic textbooks) through varied means. To that end, on People Who Love Books and for Those Who Want to Write
the evening of 5 May, the Library hosted and subsidised a Them (Francine Prose). Written in 2006, this New York Times
Japanese hardback bookbinding course in which nine students bestseller provides a lucid response. In sum, the author
and Briana Ellis, the Dean of Studies, each made a beautiful, recommends a close reading of a wide range of respected
handsewn book over the course of three hours. authors, as quality reading informs and helps to shape
good writing. She advises reading slowly, savouring words,
Should you like to try your hand at this craft, we have a sentences, and paragraphs. She also suggests reading carefully
recommended reference book in the Library collection for delight, rather than for criticism.
on general bookbinding, purchased during the Melbourne
lockdowns, Bookbinding: the complete guide to folding, One other aspect of the Literature Dinner that I want to
sewing & bending (Morlok, Waszelewski). highlight was that student recipients, Kyla Fritz and Emily
Mannix, were awarded the Katherine Firth and Andreas
Loewe Book Grants for 2022. These grants are for the
development of each recipient’s personal book collection.
Interestingly, both students selected a copy of Shelley’s
Frankenstein, and one or more of Jane Austen’s novels,
among other titles.

26 LUCE Number 21 2022