Archives 2008

April 6	POETRY WORKSHOP & SLAM POETRY COMPETITION
	David Hallett
	Slam Poetry contest, judged by David. NEWC is co-sponsoring the workshop with Poetzinc, and we’re putting up $100 prize money for the open poetry slam. Sponsored by Arts NSW. Workshop: Saturday, April 5, 2-3pm, in the Funk Lush room at the back of the Top Pub in Uralla, to be followed by a reading in the Beer Garden. Cost of workshop $10. Poetry Slam Contest: April 6, 10am, Top Pub, Uralla.

April 19	GETTING STARTED - A ONE-DAY CREATIVE WRITING WORKSHOP
	Wendy James
	Knowing where to begin is often the hardest part of writing, but at the end of this class you’ll have characters, a plot, and plenty of inspiration. You’ll be ready to start making stories. Award-winning novelist, Wendy, is now working on her third novel. If you’re having trouble starting your first (novel, short story or any creative writing) this is the place to get going.

May 10	FREELANCE WORKSHOP - WRITING FOR PROFIT
	Lesley Sly
	Learn how to turn your interests/knowledge into profitable writing for newspapers and general and specialist magazines. Learn: interview/research/writing skills, how to analyse publications/readership, to write in style suitable for general and specialist publications, to pitch stories, to syndicate your work, and to run a profitable freelance writing business. See also: Biographical Note.

May 24	WRITING GYM
	Wendy James
	A one-day workshop for writers at all stages. Exercises to limber up the imagination. Bring plenty of paper – and a towel!

July 18-19	MANUSCRIPT ASSESSMENT CONSULTATIONS
	Peter Bishop, director of Varuna, The Writers House
	For members only. You can become a member and book a place.

August 16	LOVING WRITING - AN INTRODUCTION TO WRITING ROMANTIC FICTION
	Bronwyn Parry
	Contrary to the myths, writing romance isn't easy. There's no formula, and no easy path to success in what is now a large, diverse, and highly competitive industry. This one-day workshop will provide an overview of the genre, its markets and readership, and will explore, through practical exercises, examples, and discussion, some of the key skills for aspiring writers in the genre: developing a strong premise for a romance novel creating complex, empathetic characters crafting emotional journeys and character arcs using text and texture effectively pacing, structure, and plot development finding good resources for romance writers. Participants will find the exercises most beneficial if they have at least some ideas about a novel they'd like to write. See also: Biographical Note.

August 21	'BRICK LANE'
	Film Fundraiser
	'Brick Lane' has won numerous awards and NEWC is looking forward to presenting it as our annual fundraiser on Thursday, 21 August at 7.00pm at the Belgrave Cinema.

August 23	CREATIVE JOURNAL WORKSHOP
	Karla Meyer
	This is a writers' workshop with a difference. Karla explains: "usually, the main purpose of writing is the product – here, it is the process which is at the centre of our attention. You can certainly use the techniques specifically to further your writing career, but the applications are potentially much broader than that: you can employ them for problem solving, to get in touch with your intuition, to strengthen your creativity, to get a healthier perspective on old issues, and in general, to get a more positive outlook on life. They can also help to uncover layers of your subconscious mind. I have chosen 6 processes that were particularly helpful to participants of previous workshops. In nearly 40 years of journalling, I have learnt, adapted and developed the techniques I'm going to share with you. Self-help books, my studies of linguistics and psychology and my NLP training have provided many ideas and inspirations. Journalling is a great tool, and anyone can do it – you don't need any literary talents for it." See also: Biographical Note.

October 4	PUNCTUATING POETRY
	Michael Sharkey
	This workshop, for both readers and writers of poetry, will focus on how poetry employs the resources of conventional punctuation and concepts of the poetic ‘line’. Many examples will be provided of wide variation in the ways poets control and add meaning to what they have to say. Bring along copies of three or four brief examples of your own poetry or that of writers who interest you, to discuss with other people.

October 11	HOOKS & ANCHORS
	Marele Day
	How to keep readers turning pages. Top crime writer, Marele Day has also written other sorts of novels. The techniques she'll teach in this workshop are relevant to all sorts of fiction.

October 18	POLISHING FOR PUBLICATION
	Wendy James
	A one-day workshop. Ready to polish the final draft, or start the final draft, or just want to know what’s involved in polishing your work for publication? Not just major publication, such as a novel, but for smaller works too. It’s becoming more and more crucial that writers can polish their work, as publishers offer less and less in the way of editing.

November 1	HEADS FOR TALES
	John Heffernan
	A one-day workshop with award-winning author of many books for children and young adults, John Heffernan. The workshop will deal with various aspects of writing for young readers, particularly in relation to John's own works, with hands-on exercises. See also: Biographical Note.

Biographical Notes

BRONWYN PARRY: Prior to signing with Hachette, Bronwyn's unpublished manuscripts won a number of awards and contests, including a prestigious Golden Heart Award from the Romance Writers of America, and the Valerie Parv Award and Single (Title) and Loving It contest from the Romance Writers of Australia. Bronwyn's interests in the romance genre go beyond writing it; she is also doing a PhD project exploring romance readers' and writers' internet communities and their perspectives on the genre.

KARLA MEYER: Karla was born in Germany, migrated to Australia in 1980 at age 28. Spent two years travelling with camels and wagon in north -west NSW; had two children, studied philosophy, linguistics and psychology, achieved BA in 2002, and learnt a number of specific psychological techniques through additional courses. Currently she is employed as an aged carer for people with dementia, and as a computer trainer for CRS.

JOHN HEFFERNAN: Since he began writing in 1997, John has published 20 books on a range of subjects and genre, for a variety of ages. His main age group is 10-14 years, but he writes for older and younger readers, producing both Young Adult novels and picture books.
One series that has been very popular is the award-winning SPUD novels. There are three books (SPUD, CHIPS and PUP) that deal with life on the land in Australia seen through the eyes of the work dogs. The books are fiercely realistic and pull no punches, showing a way of life that can be hard and cruel at times, but also beautiful. In these books John deals with issues such as dysfunctional families, alcoholism, cruelty to animals, as well as environmental matters. His books leave readers in no doubt about the importance of trust, friendship and love especially between human and animals.
A more recent novel – A HORSE CALLED ELVIS – is also in this vein, but goes further. This is a book written on several levels. It can be enjoyed by readers in the 10-14 year range, but John has intentionally given the novel more layers so that older readers can gain something from it.
John has also written on war and refugees. MY DOG is a picture book for all ages about the war in Bosnia. The sequel to this book (MORE THAN GOLD) deals with a young Bosnian refugee who settles in Australia with his mother. This novel has been popular with a wide range of readers. Although exploring several serious issues, it is essentially a story of friendship between two very different boys.
John has made forays into the science fiction/fantasy genre as well. He has two books out in the Mythos Trilogy, which focus on a post-apocalyptic Sydney in the 23rd Century. Wild, tattooed tribes called the Oztrakii battle with the rulers of the Sydney basin called the CroNullas. The two titles published so far are CBD and GBH. A third book is being written at present, called FAQ, and even though this is a trilogy, John thinks it may extend to five books.
He has received several national and international awards. SPUD and PUP were both classified as Notable Books by the Children’s Book Council of Australia. RACHAEL’S FOREST was short listed for the Wilderness Society’s Environmental Award for Literature. MY DOG was awarded Book of the Year and Honour book by the CBCA, as well as being short-listed for the NSW Premier’s Literary Award. MY DOG has been being translated into French and Japanese. John’s next picture book, TWO SUMMERS was short-listed for the CBCA Picture Book of the Year in 2004, and won the Crichton award for Freya Blackwood’s wonderful illustrations.
"I never have enough time to write, even though I’m doing it full-time now. I don’t think I’ll ever get all those tales out that are floating around inside my head. It’s great fun trying, though. Story writing is one of the most wonderful and fulfilling of crafts", he says.
For further information go to: John Heffernan - Australian Author of Children's Books

LESLEY SLY: Lesley has worked as an editor (newspapers/magazines), reporter for print and radio, senior sub editor for the Sydney Morning Herald, Financial Review, columnist for Rolling Stone, travel writer for BBC Radio and various UK newspapers. As a freelance her work has appeared in The Bulletin, Good Weekend, HQ, Limelight, and many other national and overseas magazines. She also wrote a 400-page book, The Power & The Passion, a guide to the Australian music industry, based on 150 interviews.

The New England Writers' Centre is assisted by the NSW Government through Arts NSW.