On Thursday 15 August, our students were lucky enough to have a Q&A session with Kyle Perry, a bestselling ‘Tasmanian Noir’ author from the North-West Coast. 

In his career so far, Kyle has published two novels, The Bluffs (2020) and The Deep (2021). The former is currently in the process of being adapted for television. 

A number of students elected to attend a session with Kyle in the library at lunchtime. The students were highly engaged as they listened to Kyle’s stories about his journey in becoming a professional writer. 

The discussions covered a range of topics such as finding an audience, pitching a written piece, the discipline required to be a writer and, most importantly, that everyone has the ability to tell stories: “You are uniquely qualified to write about something you have been through.” 

Kyle also worked with the Senior College English Studio class in the afternoon. For these aspiring writers, Kyle gave this advice: 

“Just get out there and start writing. To improve, find someone who will give you honest feedback and learn how to take on that feedback…If you are writing just to sell, it always fails. Put your heart into it.” 

Kyle also spoke about the benefits of reading for pleasure: “You should be reading every day. Engage with deep reading. You need a novel that will make you forget about where you are – it’s great for your mental health.” 

On behalf of MRC, we would like to thank Kyle for sharing his passion for storytelling with our students. 

Miss Danica Scolyer 

Learning Area Leader 9-12 English