Literature was murdered for me in high school. The dissection of texts, the endless analysis of meaning and themes, seemed to destroy the joy of the act of reading and becoming immersed in the world of other people and other places. I loved reading as a child but the beauty of the classics and the transformative power of poetry was lost to me.

Until a few months ago when I came across shared reading. Through the simple act of reading stories and poems with a group of people and hearing the words spoken aloud, a door has been re-opened. A door that had been slammed shut when I was 16. Now, over 40 years later, shared reading has taken hold of my heart and my mind and given me back something that was lost.

I have always been an avid reader and I’ve read a vast array of books over my lifetime: best sellers, page turners, sci-fi, fantasy, thrillers, biographies and prize winners. But I read them all without discernment. Now, I have started to go back to some of the classics, works by Jane Austen and Charlotte Bronte which were the objects of my scorn as a teenager! I am finding them entertaining and insightful and I am more aware of what they offer to the reader.

In the last few months I have found myself searching out poetry and reading it aloud to myself, taking up time I should probably have been doing something else. The joy it has given me is incredible. I occasionally feel saddened that I’ve spent so much of my life without the beauty and richness poetry offers.

Now that I have walked through the re-opened door, I’m beginning a new journey into literature. I am learning not to skim over the top of what I’m reading, but to bring some insight and empathy to the experiences of the characters. I am more aware that if I struggle with something it might be me, not the text, that is the problem, that I may need to bring aspects of myself to reading rather than expect the text to do all the work. Shared Reading has given me the motivation to explore aspects of literature on my own.

It is this very personal experience that has motivated me to bring my professional expertise in learning and development in the community sector, to assist in the growth of Shared Reading NSW. I am excited to be part of the team creating training and professional development opportunities for reading facilitators to bring the beauty, simplicity and benefits of shared reading to a wide audience.

Alex Carbonetti acts as the Learning and Development Manager at Shared Reading NSW.