A Visit from Author Joanna Lei

Last week, our Year 12 and 13 Chinese students welcomed local author 雷琼(Joanna Lei), writer of The Voyage of Molly, for a conversation about her book.

Students had read the novel beforehand, and the discussion was warm and wide-ranging. They talked with Joanna about home, culture, and the Chinese characters and stories that have shaped them.

They also explored their own “voyaging selves”, the force that pushes each of them forward. For some it’s curiosity that leads the way; for others, the resilience to keep going, or the thrill of setting out into the unknown.

It was a lovely reminder that language learning is never just about vocabulary. It’s about discovering what carries you forward, and finding your own story in someone else’s.