Henry writes himself into history as author of excellence
NESA held the launch of the Young Writers Showcase Thursday night at NSW Parliament House where Old Newingtonian Henry Rigg-Smith was celebrated for his outstanding HSC English Extension 2 major work, says Newington English teacher and Henry’s mentor, Mr Kirk Ng, who was there to celebrate.
Henry was among 19 of the best young writers in the state to be celebrated, all of whom became published authors! They all received a copy of the Young Writers 2024 Showcase publication, and a certificate of acknowledgement for their excellence.
There were three guest speakers. Professor Peter Shergold spoke eloquently about language, literature, and feeling, and offered glowing endorsement of the celebrated young writers. He noted the works were ‘powerful, bold, beautiful, and provocative’ in their ‘reflections on family, culture, and language. He urged them all to keep writing — that their work will always be a gift for future generations.
Of further note, he also urged the room to consider what he insisted was ‘world class teaching’ at play in the formation of these works, and he took very deliberate measure to emphasise this point. Parliamentary Secretary to the Deputy Premier, Greg Warren MP also addressed the room, emphasising the joy he experienced in reading the works, the pride he has in the young writers, and the hope he derives from such wonderful occasions — where youthful curiosity, intellect, creativity, and incisiveness is championed.
Finally, Jenna Owen, who’s an award-winning writer, comedian and actor (and kickstarted her career in the arts via her Young Writers Showcase selection in 2013) spoke wonderfully. She was raw, she was genuine, and she was provocative. She stole the room, and I couldn’t be happier for the young writers in the room to have such an authentic speaker address them on such a special day. She spoke about a variety of her experiences and thoughts, but perhaps most notable was her emphasis on the importance of audience in telling stories. From her experience, it’s not hard work or talent that finds its way in the industry, but those who care about their audience — those who always try to connect to their audience in authentic ways.
If you want to explore more of how Newington is encouraging young writers such as Henry and two of his 2024 compatriots, Harry Board and Stylianos Vasili, who were nominated for the Young Writers Showcase alongside Henry, you can read more here.
