MAY - JUNE 2013
neWSletter of
the
EDITOR: CLAIRE BAKER
Writer-in-residence:
Keri Glastonbury
Triggering Town: Writing Wagga
In a town better known for its disproportionate number of sporting
heroes, this workshop will instead focus on the writing of Wagga.
From the ecological and post-colonial consciousness of the poet and
writer Mary Gilmore (of Australian ten dollar note fame) who lived in
the Wagga Wagga district from the 1860s-1880s, through to Anthony
Lawrence’s ‘Pelicans at Wiradjuri Reserve’, Derek Motion’s ‘gumi’
and my sequence of poetry ‘Triggering Town’ (http://jacketmagazine.
com/27/glast.html) we will discuss the writing of place in regional
Austraila.
This will be followed by a series of writing exercises based on writing Wagga relevant to writers of poetry, prose, and creative non-fiction
through to blogging. If you have any existing work which relates to
writing Wagga please bring along copies to workshop, though this is
not necessary in order to attend.
Bio: Keri Glastonbury is a poet, essayist and Senior Lecturer in Creative Writing at The University of Newcastle. She completed a
Doctorate of Creative Arts at UTS called ‘Shut Up! Nobody Wants to Hear Your Poems’ and her latest poetry book grit salute (SOI
3) was published in 2012. Keri went to Wagga Wagga High School in the 1980s, and as a child lived next door to Booranga and
climbed over the granite boulders on the hills in her gumboots.
Writing Workshop: Saturday 11th May 2 to 4pm at Booranga Writers’ Centre. Cost: Free
Reading: Thursday 23rd May WWCC Library Community Learning Space 5 to 7 pm. Cost: Free
Booranga Writers’ Centre (McKeown Drive) 2013 Office Hours:
Staff will be in every Monday (9am - 3.30pm), Tuesday (9 - 11.30am), Thursday (9 - 11.30am).
For enquiries (with a quick response) email us: [email protected]
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BOORANGA nEWS
MAY - JUNE 2013
AGM
Our annual general meeting was held pm 17th April 2013 at the Community Learning Space at Wagga Wagga City Library. A small but enthusiastic group assembled
to hear the annual reports delivered with great aplomb by David Gilbey (President),
Derek Motion (ex-Artistic Director), and Sandra Treble (our esteemed office manager). On overall presentation, it was agreed that Derek’s report was most entertaining with his insight of his 5 years as Director here at Booranga, and, of course, the
recounting of the events of the past twelve months. Maybe he is a possibility for a
guest speaker at future AGMs. Derek is now the Regional District Officer for Western Riverina for Arts NSW and is based at Leeton, so he’s not that far away.
Election of the Executive Committee for 2013 was held, with the following lineup:
David Gilbey (President, elected unopposed)
Committee Members: Joan Cahill, Michel Dignand, Stephen Burns, Kelly Shaw and
Claire Baker (after completion of acting director role).
Our guest Speaker this year was Keri Glastonbury, who will also be our next writerin-residence for the month of May. By reading a selection of her poems, and providing background information and comments, Keri provided those present with both an
informative and interesting presentation.
2013 Calendar of Booranga Events
May
Writer-in-residence,
Keri Glastonbury
Saturday 11th: Writers Workshop
2 to 4 pm Booranga Writers’
Centre
Thursday 23rd: Reading at
WWCC Library 5 to 7 pm
June
* 21st: fourW twenty-four
submissions close, one week
earlier than usual
July
New Director
The interview panel for the position of Artistic Director of Booranga Writers’ Centre
were impressed with the high quality of applicants, and after some deliberation Debbie Angel from Wagga Wagga was appointed. Congratulations Debbie, and we look
forward to your contribution to the Writers’ Centre. On a personal note, I’d like to
thank David Gilbey, Sandra Treble and members of the committee for their support
during my time as acting Director. It has been an interesting and rewarding experience.
3rd - 5th: 2013 ASAL conference
to be held in Wagga Wagga
August
1st to 14th: Writer-in-residence,
John Connell
WWCC Library Space
October
Our events at Wagga Wagga City Council library have now been moved from the
children’s book section to the Community Learning Space. This room is located on
the main floor of the library near the lift. Enter the main doors of the library turn
right and head past the computers, printers and the book shelves, and you’ll find it
at the end of the floor. If in doubt, ask one of the friendly staff and they will happily
point you in the right direction.
1st to 15th: Writer-in-residence,
Margo Lanagan
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BOORANGA NEWS
JULY - AUGUST 2007
EDITOR: DEREK MOTION
MAY - JUNE 2013
Booranga Events Gallery:
(clockwise from top-left) Josephine Rowe at Wagga
Wagga City Library; Joan Cahill reading her poems;
Derek Motion, outgoing Director at his farewell
dinner
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BOORANGA nEWS
MAY - JUNE 2013
Writers’ Workshops:
At the AGM I had a lovely chat to Margaret, one of our members from Coolamon, who was interested in attending our monthly
workshops but was unsure of certain details, so I thought I’d include this information here.
The group usually meets at the Booranga Centre on McKeown Dr, CSU, from 2pm to 4pm on a Saturday afternoon. Reminders are
emailed during the week before the workshop. If there is a writer-in-residence then s/he will run the workshop sometimes including
writing exercises, or at the very least, will participate in our normal procedure. Cost is free, with coffee/tea and Tim Tams to help
sustain energy levels. Attendees bring along something that they are working on. It could be a poem, short story, chapter of a novel,
anything at all really. Copies (usually 7 are enough, but we have a photocopier here if we need more) are distributed to those around
the table and then the text is read by the writer, then by another person to get a different “voice”. Next we discuss what works and
what needs more attention. Some like to make notes on the copies which are then returned to the writer to make of them what s/he
will.
Writing is a lonely profession and by having this outlet we are able to see how our pieces are received by a reader other than ourselves or our familes. If you feel that you could do with a little encouragement, constructive criticism and a monthly Tim Tam,
please come along.
Writers-in-residence, 2013
John Connell
John Connell is an award winning filmmaker, new media producer, project manager, author, and two time walkley winning journalist. He is currently working on a short story collection titled Anatomy of a heartbreak and a non fiction work with World Press
photo award winner Andrew Quilty titled Men of Letters. While at Booranga Connell will be working on his debut novel The
ghost estate, to be published worldwide by Picador late in 2013.
Margo Lanagan
Margo Lanagan has been publishing short stories and novels for adults, young adults and junior readers for more than 20 years. Her
work, which is generally fantasy fiction of a darkish kind, has won and been shortlisted for many awards in Australia and overseas. Her
most recent short story collection, Cracklescape, is nominated in the Ditmar and Aurealis Awards, and her most recent novel, Sea Hearts,
was longlisted for the Carnegie Medal and has been shortlisted for the inaugural Stella Prize, the CBCA Book of the Year for Older
Readers, the Ditmars, the Norma K Hemming Award and the Aurealis Awards, and won the Children’s and Young Adult category of
the Australian Independent Bookseller Awards. Margo lives in Sydney.
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BOORANGA NEWS
JULY - AUGUST 2007
EDITOR: DEREK MOTION
MAY - JUNE 2013
Members’ Work:
The recent workshop given by Josephine Rowe in her time at Booranga Writers’ Centre focused on using personal memory
inspired by sensory stimulation (in the short story below, the unmistakeable smell of cloves), to inspire a short but imaginative
piece.
SCHADENFREUDE by Joan Cahill
She knew that it must be toothache but was sucked into denial. She hated consulting the dentist. First, there was the cost and no matter
how much she argued with herself, it was still way down the list of fun things to do. Then there was the embarrassment of admitting that
she probably had not focussed on that tooth when she cleaned which she did obsessively three times a day. And last, of course, the pain.
But go to the dentist she did and he poked, prodded, scraped and embarrassed her just as she knew he would. Then he drilled and
filled and drained and glued. There is a German word which means enjoying someone else’s pain and she decided that this described her
dentist perfectly. Not just for the pain from the injection but, in her case, not being able to question or challenge because her mouth was
clamped open for a considerable amount of time. All she could manage were incrementally frustrated grunts.
To everyone’s annoyance, long after the bill was paid, the pain persisted and the spasms increased in intensity. Months of doctors, dentists, doctors, dentists, and even conversations between doctors and dentists. These, she imagined, went, ‘There is nothing to be seen on
the X-rays’ and ‘I think this stupid woman is mad’. She had borne children and this ache was worse so there were suggestions of drastic
measures such as cutting facial nerves. Fortunately this idea departed to the wayside.
And then the irony. After two years, a diagnosis of TMJ, Temporo Mandibular Joint dysfunction, to be relieved by not opening her
mouth expansively, and in particular, refraining from yawning. Medical opinion was that, in all probability this condition was caused by
having her mouth clamped wide open…
5
BOORANGA nEWS
MAY - JUNE 2013
ASAL Country Conference 2013
The Association for the Study of Australian Literature will be holding its 2013 conference here in Wagga Wagga from 3rd to 5th
July at Charles Sturt University. David Gilbey, Adjunct Senior Lecturer in English at CSU’s Wagga Wagga Campus, and president
of Booranga Writers’ Centre, has taken on the role of convenor for this conference and has been working very hard to ensure that
everything will run smoothly and that the conference will provide all attendees with much to think about.
Keynote speakers include Wiradjuri woman and author of Purple Threads, and Dark Secrets: After
Dreaming, Dr Jeanine Leane, from AIATSIS, Canberra, Associate Professor Alison Ravenscroft, author of The Postcolonial Eye,
LaTrobe University, Melbourne, and Brian Castro, novelist and professor of Creative Writing, author of Shanghai Dancing, The
Garden Book, and Street to Street.
The panels for discussion on Children’s Literature and Creative Writing will be headed by Mark Macleod (CSU) and Keri
Glastonbury (University of Newcastle) respectively. A diverse range of papers will be
presented over the three days, including Ivor Indyke on ‘The Provincial Imagination’, Vijay Mishra on Salman Rushdie’s Australia, Elizabeth Webber on Charles Harpur, Nicholas Birns on Australia, the Russian Pacific, and the Transnational Imaginary,
Susan Sheridan on women writers for children, Lachlan Brown on Nam Le, plus plenty more.A highlight of the conference is the
presentation of the 2013 ALS Gold Medal (outstanding Australian literary work) and the 2013 Walter McCrae Russell Award (best
Australian Literary scholarship).
For more information and to register, go to the website: http://asaliterature.com/
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BOORANGA nEWS
NEWS
JULY - AUGUST 2007
EDITOR: DEREK MOTION
MARCH
MAY--APRIL
JUNE 2013
fourW twenty-four
Please note: Submissions for fourW twenty-four will close earlier in 2013. For this year only the cut-off date is:
21st June, 2013
Full subsmission guidelines are available at: http://www.csu.edu.au/faculty/arts/humss/booranga/submission-guidelines
Booranga on the Web
Homepage: http://www.csu.edu.au/faculty/arts/
humss/booranga/
Email list sign up:
http://csu.us5.list-manage.com/
subscribe?u=2666ad0df9dee182e7d4d9af4&id=ab1124f38e
‘Like’ our Facebook page: http://www.facebook.com/pages/
Booranga-Writers-Centre/198309036885917
Follow us on Twitter: http://twitter.com/#!/Booranga
Check-in via Foursquare when at the centre: https://foursquare.
com/venue/17176180
7
BOORANGA nEWS
NEWS
JULY - AUGUST 2007
EDITOR: DEREK MOTION
MARCH
2013
MAY--APRIL
JUNE 2013
PUBLISHING, COMPETITIONS and OPPORTUNITIES
General Submissions
Poetry
Remember to keep in mind those literary journals that are open
for submissions all year. A good place to start researching the
major Australian ones is here:
The 2013 Patron’s Prize for Poets conducted by Peter Cowan
Writers Centre Inc is now open for entries.
Key competition information is as follows:
Name: 2013 Patron’s Prize for Poets
Theme: Open
Age:
Open
Line Limit: Maximum of 50 lines of poetry per entry
Guidelines: Entries must be unpublished works, not on offer for
publication before the announcement of the prize winners, and
not have been recognised in any other competition. Please see
our website for full details at www.pcwc.org.au
Prize Money: 1st Prize: $200, 2nd Prize: $100, 3rd Prize
$50, Judge’s Encouragement Award: $50
Plus four x Highly Commended and four x Commended Certificates
Entry Fee: $10 per poem or $20 for three entries or $30 for
five entries
Closing Date: 31 May (entries must be post-marked by Australia Post by this date)
For more information: http://www.pcwc.org.au
http://www.litmags.com.au
(Booranga receives copies of the NSW based journal Southerly,
and issues are available to borrow for Booranga Members)
The Aesthetica Creative Writing Competition
The competition celebrates and champions creative writing,
nurturing talent and bringing work to international attention.
Aesthetica is inviting all writers and poets to submit to the
Aesthetica Creative Writing Competition 2013. There are two
categories for entry, Poetry and Short Fiction, and a selection of
fantastic prizes including:
·
£500 prize money – Poetry winner
·
£500 prize money – Short Fiction winner
·
Publication in the Aesthetica Creative Writing Annual
·
Complimentary copy of the Aesthetica Creative Writing Annual
·
A selection of books from our competition partners
Submissions previously published elsewhere are accepted.
Entry Fee: £10 and allows for the entry of two works into any
one category.
Closing Date: 31 August
For more information and to enter: http://www.aestheticamagazine.com/creativewriting
8
The Blake Poetry Prize challenges Australian poets to explore
the spiritual and religious in a new work of 100 lines or less.
Unpublished work that is not under consideration by any publisher, literary journal of for any other prize are eligible.
Entry Fee: $20 for each poem
Prize Money: $5,000
Closing Date: 14 June 2013
For more information: http://www.blakeprize.com.au/
BOORANGA nEWS
NEWS
JULY - AUGUST 2007
EDITOR: DEREK MOTION
MARCH
MAY--APRIL
JUNE 2013
PUBLISHING, COMPETITIONS and OPPORTUNITIES
Adelaide Plains Chapter & Verse - Short Story
Competition
The Bruce Dawe National Poetry Prize 2013
Endowed by Emeritus Professor Bruce Dawe and held in trust
by the University of Southern Queensland, this prize aims to
encourage established and emerging Australian poets and to
recofnise the important contribution that literature makes to our
culture.
Conditions of entry can be found at the website below.
Prize: $2,000
Further information: http://www.usq.edu.au/arts/awards/brucedawe-prize
1st, 2nd & 3rd cash prizes, plus Highly Commended & Commended certificates as awarded by judge. The best entries as
chosen by judge will be published in a collection.
Theme ‘Fairy Tales Twisted Sideways’All short stories entered
in this competition must be in the style of fairy tales, with a
twist.
Closes: 30th June
Further information: http://apchapterandverse.blogspot.com.
au/
The Elyne Mitchell Rural Writing Award
Prose
The 2013 Australian Book Review Elizabeth Jolley
Short Story Prize
The 2013 Jolley Prize is worth $5000 (first prize), with supplementary prizes of $2000 and $1000. It will be judged by Tony
Birch (academic and author of the 2012 novel Blood), Maria
Takolander (poet, critic and a past winner) and Terri-ann White
(Director of UWA Publishing).
This award commemorates Elyne Mitchell’s life and work,
and has been established to encourage all writers to focus their
stories on the Australian rural landscape.
There are three categories each with a cash prize ranging from
$500 to $1000.
Closes: 31st July
Further information: http://www.elynemitchell.com/2012competition/
ABR will publish the three shortlisted stories later this year in
its special Fiction issue, and announce the winner at an award
ceremony in Sydney that same month. Anyone is eligible to
enter, as long as they are an Australian citizen or permanent resident. ABR gratefully acknowledges Mr Ian Dickson’s generous
support for the Jolley Prize.
Enrty fee: $10
Closes: 31st May
Further information: https://www.australianbookreview.com.
au/prizes/elizabeth-jolley-story-prize
The Mornington Peninsula Prize 2013
This prize is offered by the Fellowship of Australian Writers
(Vic.) Peninsula Region. A short story of up to 3,000 words,
open theme and genre, must be entrant’s own work, must not
have been published and must not have been awarded First Prize
in any other competition.
First Prize $500, Second $200, Third $100, Highly Commended
and Commended certificates.
Entry Fee: $10.00 per story.
Closes 29th July
Further information: send email to [email protected]
9
BOORANGA WRITERS’ CENTRE
APPLICATION FOR 2013 MEMBERSHIP
Booranga (trading as Wagga Wagga Writers Writers Inc.) was formed in 1987 to assist and promote local authors and their
work. The group holds regular readings at local venues, conducts writing workshops, offers fellowships at Booranga, the Riverina Writers’ Centre at Charles Sturt University, and published an annual anthology, fourW, under the imprint of fourW press,
and is active in promoting writing and writers throughout the Riverina.
Membership period: 1st January to 31st
December 2013
Group membership (including one copy of fourW)
$55.00
Single membership (including one copy of fourW)
$36.00
Single membership (not including anthology)
$25.00
Concessional membership (one copy of fourW)
$26.00
Concessional membership (not including anthology)
$15.00
Student membership (under 21 years) not including
anthology$11.00
MEMBERSHIP ENTITLES YOU TO...
- Copy of fourW twenty-four Anthology
- Regular newsletter (bi-monthly) & e-list mailouts
- Member discounts to readings, performances & workshops
- Invitations to writing events & get-togethers
- Access to a network of writers, book enthusiaists &
other writers’ centres for information & friendship
- Use of Booranga Writers’ Centre resources, such as
library and computer
Please fill out and send application form to:
Wagga Wagga Writers Writers Inc. Booranga Writers’ Centre,
Charles Sturt University, Locked Bag 588, Wagga Wagga NSW 2678, Phone/Fax (02) 69332688
Name:
.................................................................................................................
Address:
.................................................................................................................
.................................................................................................................
Telephone:
.............................. (home).............................. (work) .............................. (mobile)
Email:
..............................................................................
Enclosed is: $............. cheque/money order FOR:
(please indicate membership type required)
undeliverable return to:
POSTAGE PAID AUSTRALIA
Booranga Writers’ Centre
Locked Bag 588
Wagga Wagga, NSW, 2678
POSTAGE PAID
AUSTRALIA
WWWW & the Booranga Writers’ Centre are supported by: