Footballs, fishbowls and a unicycle were just some of the special 'talismanic' objects that inspired Kurnell Public School student poems. 

The Poetry Object workshops were lead by celebrated Australian poet, Liz Allen, who shared her own 'talismanic' poem before guiding students in Years 2-6 through pre-writing and poem composition activities.

Classrooms were filled with precious and talismanic objects, including a magic 'Disappearing Box', a grandfather's painting of Greece,  photos of rabbits and puppies, old picture books, a small fish in a Cling-Wrap-topped bowl and a large community of stuffed animals (a fair few with 'most of their hair loved off', like their very own Velveteen Rabbits.)

Photographer Tawfik Elgazzar visited students in Years 3 – 4 to capture some of the incredible moments of students with their 'poetry objects', which we hope to include in the Customs House exhibition.

The students' poems were submitted as part of The Poetry Object 2013 writing project and published in an online gallery on The Red Room Company's website.