I was fortunate to attend two book launches this weekend, both featuring colleagues and friends who are incredibly inspirational. The first was Dr. Jenine Beekhuyzen’s book, “F*ck the Patriarchy’, She wrote it in anger and as a response to the cancellation of her TV show, which aimed to bring her 25 years of advocacy and programs for women and girls in STEM to a wider audience. The show was pulled on the eve of its broadcast due to the inappropriate behaviour of one man. I have written about this project.
Jenine explained that the title of the book is not meant to offend; it was designed to get attention and spark discussions about important issues. At the book launch, Jenine read excerpts from the book and drew on the work of Brené Brown to explore cultural safety. I could certainly relate to many of the situations Jenine highlighted in the book. I sincerely hope that the show Future Fixers eventually gets the air-time it deserves!
The second book launch was for Steph Piper’s book. This event was held at The Edge, State Library of Queensland, which was fitting given the content of the book. I have also written about this book in a previous post. The book is an exceptional tool for aspiring makers and hobbyists, designed to enhance skills, foster creativity, and drive innovation.
The event allowed Steph to share her concept and development of the book and to excite us with the Skill Seeker for young people ages 8-12, which includes STEM projects. Steph also had many of her ‘technology crafts’ on display and for sale, many of which I have used with my own students over the years. Steph freely shares her skill trees on her website, Maker Queen, which is worth exploring for her many resources.
At this event, I met Karla Clarry, an author and teacher who is studying to be a teacher librarian. She told me she has used many of the articles and posts I have written, particularly about Makerspaces within a library environment. I was delighted to hear this, and we continued chatting for quite a while. Karla demonstrated the robot she had made in one of Steph’s workshops.
