Books, Ideas and Connection: The First Amba Press Community Day

On Saturday 17 October, I had the pleasure of attending the very first Amba Press Community Day, hosted at the Centre for Strategic Education in Melbourne. This free event brought together authors, readers, teachers and people who simply love a good book for a day of connection, conversation and celebration.

Writing can involve many hours working alone, so opportunities to meet readers and spend time with fellow authors are particularly valuable. The day was a reminder of the community behind every publication, and the conversations that continue long after a book reaches its readers.

A highlight was the launch of Dr Leon Furze’s new book, Practical AI Strategies 2: The Critical Guide to GenAI in Education, presented by Anam Javed from the Victorian Academy of Teaching and Leadership.

Leon’s latest book explores some of the important questions facing educators as generative AI develops, including critical AI literacy, ethical considerations, and approaches to curriculum and assessment. It encourages educators to look beyond individual tools and consider what these technologies mean for teaching and learning. These are questions closely connected to my own work with schools, and it was a pleasure to celebrate this contribution to the discussion.

Another personal highlight was meeting Hazel Edwards OAM, whose writing has reached generations of children, teachers and adult readers. Her much-loved picture book, There’s a Hippopotamus on Our Roof Eating Cake, was first published in 1980 and has since grown into a series, with adaptations including classroom play scripts, a musical stage production and a short film. Hazel has written over 220 books.

It was also lovely to catch up with Andrew Fuller, a clinical psychologist and family therapist whose work spans neuroscience and learning, resilience and wellbeing. Andrew works with schools, communities and organisations across Australia, New Zealand, Asia and the United Kingdom, and is an Honorary Fellow at the University of Melbourne.

On a personal note, it was exciting to see my new book, The Human Advantage – Teaching, Learning and Leading in a Gen AI World, on display and available for sale alongside my first book about AI in education, The Best Way to Learn is to Make: Creativity in a Gen AI World. Seeing them among the work of so many other authors was a rewarding moment.