BOORANGA NEWS
NEWSLETTER FOR BOORANGA WRITERS’ CENTRE OF
WAGGA WAGGA WRITERS WRITERS INC.
SEPTEMBER - OCTOBER 2007
EDITOR: DEREK MOTION
Tara June Winch returns to Wagga
Previous newsletters have probably told you all you need
to know about Tara: she is a young writer who has won
a number of awards for her debut novel Swallow the Air
(including the 2006 David Unaipon Award for Indigenous Writers). This is a wonderfully written book and
although it may be difficult to get hold off (the Wagga
City Library had many enquires about reserving it the
last time Tara was here) it is well worth finding and
reading. She is currently working on her second novel.
During September and as you read this newsletter Tara
will be back in Wagga to complete the second part of her
residency at Booranga. This time she will be making her
way around the region, and in particular will be getting
out to the smaller centres surrounding Wagga. Tara will
be giving, or has already given, readings and writing
workshops in
the following locations:
Ashmont PS
(10th), Ariah
Park CS (11th), Narrandera (14th), Gundagai Library (19th) and Temora HS
(20th).
This time Booranga is offering you the chance to socialise with our visiting writer.
There is a barbeque organised for the 15th September at midday. Members and
their guests are invited to come out to the Writers’ Centre on McKeown Drive (see a
picture on page 3 of this issue) and enjoy the afternoon. Children are most welcome
and there will be food and some drink supplied.
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BOORANGA NEWS
SEPTEMBER - OCTOBER 2007
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Clockwise from top-left: Angela Stretch, Petra White (Poets on
Wheels reading), David Gilbey, Alan
Gould (poetry reading), Steve Sharman, Caitlin Tunstall, Jen Thompson, & Louise D’Arcy (3-Day Novel
Contest)
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BOORANGA NEWS
SEPTEMBER - OCTOBER 2007
Booranga House Revisted
- contributed by WWWW commitee member, John Muk Muk Burke.
Back in 1959 we lived in Amundsen Street, just down from where CSU is now. We called this street ‘the lane’ in those days. It is
still unsealed and looks as lonely now as it was then although there have been electricity wires strung along its length. The Riverina Anglican College has since been built in what was our back yard. Margaret Sutherland was in fifth year when I was in 1st year.
She need not have noticed me when I joined the bus that we took from the old Agriculture College back in 1959 to Wagga High
School, but for some reason she did. I had rarely been into the grounds of the Ag college, but I knew she lived in the big house I
always thought belonged more in a Tarzan set than on a hill overlooking Wagga. We had never spoken but one day on the bus this
lovely tall ‘big girl’ invited me to a party at her house. I was very surprised but I accepted and on the sunny Saturday of the party I
walked across the paddocks and her parents welcomed me warmly.
That was nearly 50 years ago but I have never forgotten that act of kindness. We were very poor and it was my first party. Did she
know that? I did not then and I still do not think that she was in any way patronising. Today I am on the board of the Booranga
Writers’ Centre and am a published author. As I walked shyly into that rambling house, I never thought that, a long way into the
future, I would return. Margaret, if you read this, I remember and am very grateful to you. I thought you were very clever, and you
were, but your kindness is a far greater quality.
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BOORANGA NEWS
SEPTEMBER - OCTOBER 2007
Calendar of Events
September 9 - 22nd: Tara June Winch
Residency (Includes bbq at Booranga
on Saturday 15th)
October 4th: Cyberwriters launch at
Wagga Historic Council Chambers
with Catherine Jinks
October 19th: Australian Poetry Slam
07 (Wagga Heat) - 7pm at Wagga City
Library
November 10th: fourW launch at
Wagga City Library + 20th birthday
celebrations
November 17th: fourW launch in
Sydney at Glebebooks
coming soon...
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BOORANGA NEWS
SEPTEMBER - OCTOBER 2007
AUSTRALIAN POETRY SLAM 2007
- over $10,000 in cash and prizes on offer!
Slam heats are being held in city centres and regional venues across Australia between June and November 2007. Two finalists
from each slam heat will compete in their state’s final, and the two top
point scorers from each state final will travel to Sydney in December to
battle it out for the national title at the State Library of NSW. All contestants are given a mic, a live audience and just two minutes to impress
the judges (selected at random at each heat) with their original spoken
word, poetry, hip hop, monologues and stories.
Local spoken-word artists from each participating state and territory
will host the slam heats and state finals, as well as entertain audiences
with their own word artistry. The Wagga heat will be hosted by Miles
Merrill (pictured) at the Wagga City Library, 7pm Friday 19th October.
Want to see your work on the Booranga website?
I’m currently looking for people who have had work published in fourW previously, or who have produced work while being mentored by one of our visiting writers. Our new website is almost complete and what will really make it impressive is the inclusion of
the best of our local content, which will be displayed alongside work by writers-in-residence and Booranga Prize winners. If you
have some work you think will be appropriate, please email it to me at: [email protected]
WWWW & Booranga is supported by:
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BOORANGA NEWS
SEPTEMBER - OCTOBER 2007
PUBLISHING, COMPETITIONS and OPPORTUNITIES
Poetry
Melbourne Poets’ Union International Poetry
Competition
19th Annual Féile Filíochta International Poetry
Competition Begins
Judged by Jordie Albiston, first prize $1000.
Under-18s Haiku contest judged by Myron Lysenko.
€25,000 in prizes
€5000 1st prize
Entry form at: http://home.vicnet.net.au/~mpuinc/MPU/
Files/IPC-poster-rules-entryform-2007.pdf
www.dlrcoco.ie/feile
Now in its 19th year the Féile Filíochta, a Dún LaoghaireRathdown County Council Libraries event, has carved itself a
special niche in the international poetry competition calendar
and is regarded as a significant and lucrative springboard for
emerging poets.
This outstanding and dynamic competition is open to poets everywhere and accepts submission of any style, length or theme.
In keeping with its inclusive nature there is no entry fee and up
to four poems can be submitted in each language category.
With €25,000 in prize money and a 1st prize of €5,000, the
Féile Filíochta attracts entrants from all corners of the globe.
Last years 6,176 entries in the ten language categories came
from over 52 different countries. This years competition winners will also be invited to take part in workshops with established poets and judges during the course of the Féile Filíochta
prizegiving weekend which runs in conjunction with the
renowned Poetry Now Festival.
For full details on the Féíle Filíochta and how to enter logon to
www.dlrcoco.ie/feile
Queries? Contact Conor Peoples at [email protected]
Closing date is 28th October.
Overland Magazine Judith Wright Poetry Prize
For New And Emerging Poets
The prize of $2000, and two minor prizes of $250, will be
awarded annually.
Eligible poets are those who have not yet had a collection
of their work commercially published. A maximum of three
unpublished poems is allowed per entrant, with each entry to be
accompanied by a $5 administration fee (regardless of whether
or not one, two or three poems are submitted). The winning poems will be judged by Overland’s poetry editor and published
in the magazine. All submitted poems will also be considered
for publication in Overland.
Judith Wright, one of Australia’s greatest poets, had a long and
fruitful connection with Overland, and her last published poem
(which appeared in Overland 154 in 1999), was entitled ‘To
Younger Poets’.
Entry forms can be downloaded at: http://www.overlandexpress.org/Poetry%20Prize%20Entry%20Form.pdf
The competition closing date is 9th November 2007.
Entries close 2nd November 2007.
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BOORANGA NEWS
SEPTEMBER - OCTOBER 2007
PUBLISHING, COMPETITIONS and OPPORTUNITIES
Gwen Harwood Poetry Prize
Eastern Regional Libraries 20th Annual Short
Story Competition
Open theme. Poems or linked suites of poems accepted up to
100 lines.
First Prize is $1500 with three awards of $150 made at judges
discretion.
•Adult 1st Prize $1500
•Local Award $500 For residents in
Knox, Maroondah and Yarra Ranges
•Teenage 1st Prize $350 13-18 years
Sponsored by DLS Australia
•Junior 1st Prize $250 9-12 years
Sponsored by The Little Bookroom
Entry forms available at: http://www.islandmag.com/poetryprize/harwood_07_sml.pdf
Closes 2nd October.
Entry forms at: http://www.erl.vic.gov.au/whatsnew/storyentry2007.pdf
Eucalypt: A Tanka Journal
Entries close on 14th September
Submissions are sought for Australia’s first journal dedicated
to this ancient form of Japanese poetry. Poets may submit up to
six tanka for consideration but no more than two poems will be
selected for any issue.
For more information contact: Beverly George on
[email protected]
The Age Short Story Competition
This competition is run in conjunction with the international
writers’ association PEN. The winning stories will be published
in The Age and online.
or visit: www.eucalypt.info
Prose
First prize is $3000 / entries must be 3000 words or less and
previously unpublished. Manuscripts must be typed (doublespaced) on A4 paper and will not be returned. Athor’s details
must be submitted on a separate page. Max. number of entries
per person is 3.
E.J. Brady Short Story Competition
Send entries to: The Age short story competition, 250 Spencer Street. Melbourne, 3000 or
email your entry to: [email protected]
$1,000 prize for Major Short Story Word limit 2,500 words
$500 prize for Very Short Story Word Limit 700 words
Entries close - 5th October
Entry forms at: http://www.mallacootaarts.org/ej2.htm
Closing date - Friday September 21st 2007
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BOORANGA NEWS
SEPTEMBER - OCTOBER 2007
PUBLISHING, COMPETITIONS and OPPORTUNITIES
Ulrick Poetry Prize on behalf of the Josephine Ulrick and Win
Schubert Foundation for the Arts.
Wet Ink seeks submissions
Quarterly magazine focussing on publishing fiction, poetry and
non-fiction by new and emerging writers. It is distributed in
Australia as well as 40 other countries.
More details at: www.wetink.com.au/submissions.htm
The Foundation is a charitable trust whose purpose is the promotion of excellence in achievement in the creative arts including excellence in literary writing and the writing of poetry.
Griffith University has one of Australia’s largest Creative Writing programs as part of its mix of arts and media degrees.
http://www.griffith.edu.au/arts-languages-criminology/
school-arts/news-and-events/josephine-ulrick-prizes
The GC O’Donnell Essay Prize
Entries close - January 31st 2008
Awarded every two years at the biennial Copyright Law and
Practice Symposium.
The prize is awarded to the author of an unpublished essay
displaying original thinking on a topic of the author’s choice regarding copyright and the protection of the interests of authors.
The winning entry is likely to exhibit original ideas on issues
of practical importance in copyright or on copyright theory.
The competition is open to any interested persons, including
authors, lawyers and students.
More information at: http://www.copyright.org.au/policy-research/essayprize
Drama / Screenwriting
The One Act Play Competition
Calls for a one act play that may be publicly performed in 2008.
The Award is for a One Act Play based on a single set with
a maximum of eight characters and a performance time not
exceeding 45 minutes. The theme is open.
Entries close - 19th October
First Prize of $500.
The Josephine Ulrick Literature Prize 2008
&
The Josephine Ulrick Poetry Prize 2008
($10000 prize money)
Download an entry form at: http://www.fawnswshoalhaven.
org.au/Playentryform.pdf
Entries Close 9th November
Griffith University’s School of Arts on the Gold Coast administers The Josephine Ulrick Literature Prize and The Josephine
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2008
(ANNUAL MEMBERSHIP $33 or
CONCESSION $20)
A copy of the annual anthology fourW
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