COLLABORATION

I met Boori Monty Pryor when I was working with Joy Murphy Wandin on a Welcoming Ceremony for Melbourne's Moomba Festival.

Joy is a Wurundjeri elder, the traditional custodians of the Melbourne area. She had invited Boori to be the narrator for the ceremony. Afterwards Boori asked me to come to one of his performances at a nearby school. I went along and sat up the back of 200 teenagers who were totally absorbed by Boori's storytelling, his dances and didjeridoo playing.

I searched the bottom of my bag for a pen and paper and started noting down Boori's phrases and ways of explaining complex issues. Much of what Boori had to tell had me laughing and crying at the same time. His voice was generous and well able to bridge the gulf of misconceptions between our cultures.

Afterwards, with a mob of others, I rushed up to Boori. Finally, when I could get a word in, I asked him if he would write a book, please. I wanted my son and daughter and friends to be able to share in his understanding of this land and its people. Boori's first response was, "I'm too busy for writing books." He was travelling all over Australia performing for schools. I persisted. "What if I help? He looked wary. "Well, we could give it a go."

I'm sure neither Boori nor I imagined that we would spend the next three years writing our first book together, MAYBE TOMORROW. Or that what we created - from hours of taped interviews, phone conversations, notes jotted on cafe napkins, and with the help and guidance of Boori's family - would be read by so many people. Or that another four books - MY GIRRAGUNDJI, THE BINNA BINNA MAN, NJUNJUL THE SUN and FLYTRAP - would quickly follow.

Follow the links below to find out more about the books.
You can read an excerpt or listen to them being read!



meme mcdonald
Home	Collaborating with Boori Monty Pryor I met Boori Monty Pryor when I was working with Joy Murphy Wandin on a Welcoming Ceremony for Melbourne's Moomba Festival. Joy is a Wurundjeri elder, the traditional custodians of the Melbourne area. She had invited Boori to be the narrator for the ceremony. Afterwards Boori asked me to come to one of his performances at a nearby school. I went along and sat up the back of 200 teenagers who were totally absorbed by Boori's storytelling, his dances and didjeridoo playing. I searched the bottom of my bag for a pen and paper and started noting down Boori's phrases and ways of explaining complex issues. Much of what Boori had to tell had me laughing and crying at the same time. His voice was generous and well able to bridge the gulf of misconceptions between our cultures. Afterwards, with a mob of others, I rushed up to Boori. Finally, when I could get a word in, I asked him if he would write a book, please. I wanted my son and daughter and friends to be able to share in his understanding of this land and its people. Boori's first response was, "I'm too busy for writing books." He was travelling all over Australia performing for schools. I persisted. "What if I help? He looked wary. "Well, we could give it a go." I'm sure neither Boori nor I imagined that we would spend the next three years writing our first book together, MAYBE TOMORROW. Or that what we created - from hours of taped interviews, phone conversations, notes jotted on cafe napkins, and with the help and guidance of Boori's family - would be read by so many people. Or that another four books - MY GIRRAGUNDJI, THE BINNA BINNA MAN, NJUNJUL THE SUN and FLYTRAP - would quickly follow. Follow the links below to find out more about the books. You can read an excerpt or listen to them being read! Books and Awards MAYBE TOMORROW with Boori Monty Pryor (Penguin Books) - Special commendation Human Rights Awards 1998; Short-listed Information Book, Children's Book Council Book of the Year Awards 1999. MY GIRRAGUNDJI with Boori Monty Pryor (Allen & Unwin) -Winner, Book of the Year for Younger Readers, Children's Book Council Book of the Year Awards 1999; Short-listed, Best Children's Book, Queensland Premier's Literary Awards 1999; Commended, Best Designed Young Adult Book, Australian Publishers Association 1998. THE BINNA BINNA MAN with Boori Monty Pryor (Allen & Unwin) - Winner, Book of the Year, New South Wales Premier's Literary Awards 2000; Winner, Ethol Turner Prize for young people's literature, New South Wales Premier's Literary Awards 2000; Winner, Ethnic Affairs Commission Award, New South Wales Premier's Literary Awards 2000; Winner, Book of the Year and author/narrator book, TDK Audio Book Awards 2000 NJUNJUL THE SUN with Boori Monty Pryor (Allen & Unwin) Winner, The Kraft Foods Prize for Young Adult Fiction, Victorian Premiers Literary Awards 2002. Shortlisted for the Childrens Book Council of Australia awards 2003 FLYTRAP with Boori Monty Pryor (Allen & Unwin) copyright meme mcdonald 2002

About Meme

Connecting Identities

Collaboration

Books

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