Conversation Cafe

In April I chanced upon a poster at the Smithfield library: Conversation Café on the fourth Thursday of every month. 

     Because when you put strangers, caffeine and ideas in the same room, brilliant things can happen!

     I was sold on the novel idea of coffee and conversation taking place in a forest of books.  I went along and the discussion point was ANZAC Day.  There was something humbling about listening to stories of people who have direct experience of the horrors of war for the guests at the Conversation Café were in their sixties and seventies.  They had fathers and uncles injured or killed while serving.  

     One woman read a poem that made me teary.  Some brought items to share, an uncle's medal, a piece of shrapnel. I didn’t talk much which was unusual.  I did a lot of listening.   I came away thinking my generation have had it fairly easy; free education, vaccinations, welfare and income support and no world wars.

     Conversation Café is the brainchild of Di Brown and developed with librarian Sivan Bolger.  I quizzed Sivan about the fate of libraries in these internet days of electronic books.  Pah!  A fellow book club member quoted me a few years back as saying, ‘reading an ebook is like drinking decaf coffee’ and I maintain that.  But ebooks are here to stay.

     Sivan said libraries as lenders of books will not survive unless there are other activities and programs to engage members.  That made sense.  I remember going to the library as a kid with Mum to borrow books.  That’s all traditional libraries offered before the internet era. Books to lend to members.  Well, that’s not entirely true. There were accidental kids’ activities.  I loved whizzing between the aisles of books on the stools which had wheels.  And the step ladders were on wheels as well.  What fun!

     So libraries have had to change with the times.  The Smithfield library offers free internet access to members, areas for young people and children and there’s a coffee machine!  Seffy loves the book club on Monday (which includes treats) and Bodie the Delta Dog likes being read to on Friday as part of a program to engage reluctant readers.  Each month there is a day for Children’s Craft and Storytelling plus Baby Rhyme Time.

     In fact, on the way home from school Tony often takes the kids to the library for a few hours.  He reads his book and drinks coffee.  Kibby reads, gets on the computer, plays handball with his mates and drinks hot chocolate. Seffy does her homework using the computers, reads, plays handball with her friends and drinks hot chocolate. 

     And what I think is great – boxed-up sets of 10 bookclub books.  And My Island Homicide is one set!

     There’s some great stuff on offer at Smithfield library, including the Conversation Café which I planned to attend on the fourth Thursday in May.  But work got in the way and I was not happy. 

     Then in early June Sivan rang me to ask if I’d like to present at the June event about writing Ina’s Story.

     ‘Yes, yes I’d love to, but … but I’ve got work, relief teaching so I won’t know for a week or two if I’ll be …. Oh, stuff it.  Talking about writing is more important than teaching.  I’ll be there.’

     As it was, I turned down a day’s work, but it was worth it many times over.

     Thinking there would be about 15 fellow Conversation Cafer-ers, I was surprised when 30 turned up including some women I’d met in April. Sivan and Di had to keep moving the chairs into a bigger circle and adding more.  And bringing out more nibblies.

Here's me talking.

Here I am still talking.

Oh, more talking.

     I talked about why I wrote Ina’s Story and why I think it is important to write your story whether it's your life story or a particular period in your life or even a funny story.  Sometimes writing about things is cathartic.  Writing can help you remember things you’d long forgotten.  And most importantly, writing is a great brain exercise.

     After outlining a few writing tips, I asked everyone to write about an event from their childhood.  What surprised me was how interesting and engaging stories were.  Older, saged people have so much to offer my generation, if only we’d take the time to listen.

     An hour and a half is not long enough for the Conversation Café and after all the guest had left Sivan made a coffee for me and Pat, a TI friend and Conversation Café regular.  We made more conversation.  Of course it was my duty to finish off the cheese, olives and apricots as I’d already cleaned up the carbonossi.      

     What a delightful few hours it was at Conversation Cafe; meeting lots of new people and chatting with them, hearing their stories and talking about writing all while being surrounded by one of life’s greatest treasures – books.