June Newsletter 2021

FAWWA Panel at the Margaret River Writers Festival

Image: Lisa Collyer

Dear Members and Friends,

Welcome to June where here in the south west of Australia it’s the Noongar season of Makuru, the coldest and wettest part of the year. Frequent gales and storms have certainly made the last few weeks exciting at FAWWA. We had an early drenching in May, with water that almost breached the front door of Tom Collins House! Photos of the deluge are posted below.

Last month FAWWA participated for the first time in the Margaret River Readers and Writers Festival, where we curated a very successful panel on poetic craft featuring a triumvirate of intelligent, warm and thoughtful poets: Bron Bateman, Julie Watts, and Lucy Dougan. I also heard from Western Australian and Australian writers such as David Whish-Wilson, Pip Williams, and Dr Robert Isaacs OAM. Meantime, at our table stationed by the festival bookshop, Carol, Yeeda, Peter and Lyn provided information about FAWWA activities and encouraged would-be writers to join up.

Back in Perth, Friday@Furphy’s in May was a cosy evening with cheese and wine and the delightful, generous Susan Midalia who spoke about her new book, Everyday Madness. Susan shared the challenge and satisfaction of writing about a deeply unpleasant character. Her book is available through Fremantle Press and your local bookstore.

This month we welcome Maddie Godfrey and Elizabeth Lewis in conversation with Carol Millner. Maddie is the winner of the Tom Collins Poetry Prize 2021 and Elizabeth was Highly Commended in the same competition. Carol developed Curtin’s poetry course for online delivery via Open Universities Australia. Come along and hear Maddie and Elizabeth read their winning entries in the context of a wider conversation about their writing. Friday@Furphy’s, 11th June at Mattie Furphy House. Doors open at 5:30pm for a 6pm start. See you there!

With the extension of the Stuart Hadow Short Story Award deadline to July 1, you have four more weeks in which to submit your short story. And look out for FAWWA’s membership renewal reminders. This is the month in which we begin the 2021-2022 membership drive in earnest.

Enjoy the fireside with the start of the winter weather,

Karen Whittle-Herbert

FAWWA President.

FAWWA Events for June

Tuesday 1st - Write Night, MFH, 6-8pm.

Thursday 3rd - Andrew Levett Creative Writing Workshop, MFH, 10 - 1pm

Friday 4th - OOTA Poetry with Shey Marque, MFH, 10-12 noon

Friday 4th - OOTA Prose with Carol Millner, MFH, 1-3pm

Tuesday 8th - Writing Time with Louise Allan, MFH, 6-8.30pm

Thursday 10th - Andrew Levett Creative Writing Workshop, MFH, 10 - 1pm

Friday 11th - Friday@Furphy's: Maddie Godfrey and Elizabeth Lewis

in conversation with Carol Millner, 5.30 for a 6pm start

Tuesday 15th - Write Night, MFH, 6-8pm

Thursday 17th - Andrew Levett Creative Writing Workshop, MFH, 10-1pm

Friday 18th - OOTA Poetry with Shey Marque, MFH, 10-12 noon

Friday 18th - OOTA Prose with Carol Millner, MFH, 1-3pm

Sunday 20th - Book Length Project Group with Karen Whittle-Herbert, MFH, 10-12.30pm

Tuesday 22nd - Writing Time with Louise Allan, MFH, 6-8.30pm

Thursday 24th - Andrew Levett Creative Writing Workshop, MFH, 10-1pm

Friday 29th - Write Night, MFH, 6-8pm

On your Radar - July

DIY Filmmaking Workshop in the July School Holidays.

Aimed at young people aged 15 to 25, this series will be facilitated by Suzanne Ingelbrecht.

To run from 9am to 12noon on Tuesday July 6 and Wednesday July 7; and 9am to 12noon on Tuesday July 13 and Wednesday July 14.

A key focus will be storyboarding and script writing.

The course also covers shooting and production. Participants must bring their own i-phone.

$200 for the series. Twelve places available.

For inquiries and to book email: fellowshipaustralianwriterswa@gmail.com

Stuart Hadow Short Story Competition Extended to July 1st

Judged by Susan Midalia

We have extended the closing date for the Stuart Hadow Short Story Competition.

Now Closes 1st July 2021

Open Theme, Maximum Length: 3000 words, up to 3 stories per author.

Entry Fee = $25 per story, Members $15 per story.

1st Prize = $1000 plus 2-week Residency at Mattie Furphy House, Swanbourne WA.

2nd Prize = $300

3rd Prize = $100

See the Website at www.fawwa.org/writing-competitions for Term and Condition and Entry

Membership Drive and EOFY Donation

June has arrived so FAWWA is calling for Membership renewals! Thank you for supporting us as we continue to provide a vibrant program of events for local writers.

If you would like to make and 'end of financial year' donation to FAWWA, please make a separate payment for ease of receipting.

You can use the payment link on our Website for Paypal or Direct Debit. Cheques also accepted, payable to FAWWA.

Visit the website to download the membership form and/or pay online: https://www.fawwa.org/become-a-member

Other Writing Notices

DucK&dASh Poetry Fundraiser

Tuesday June 22nd online via ZOOM

7.30-9.30pm tickets are $10

7 guest poets and open mic raising money for youth homelessness charity AYLA inc.

https://www.trybooking.com/BRUOM

Online poetry workshops with Jackson - calling for expressions of interest

Would you like to write online in a small friendly group with much-published poet and experienced educator Jackson? At least 6 participants are needed for the workshops to go ahead, so please register your interest here:

http://thepoetjackson.com/events/learning/online2021/

Voicebox - Alan Fyfe, Ross Jackson and Jan Napier - three poets for the usual price!

Join us to celebrate poetry as we in WA can - in person.

There will be copies of the latest poetry books for sale, including Time Alone on a Quiet Path by Ross Jackson and Listening to Frost by Jan Napier. Open mic. (3 minute MAX)

Monday 31st May Navy Club, 64 High Street, Fremantle Doors open 6.45 pm, Poetry starts at 7. $10/$6

Bar open and food available

Boot Camp - The Society of Women Writers WA

The Society is running two Writers Boot Camps at Citiplace Community Centre on

Saturday 17 July and Saturday 24 July 2021 from 12.30pm to 5pm.

Boot Camp 1 will cover Writing Tips and Techniques; Elements of Short Story; Poetry Short Forms; and Writing for Children.

Boot Camp 2 will cover Elements of Novel Writing; Script Writing; Articles and Memoirs; and Editing and Publishing.

For bookings, please email swwwabookingofficer@gmail.com or telephone 0429 116 395.

For information about the Society of Women Writers WA, visit: www.swwofwa.com.au

Something or Other Publishing (SOOP) Contest

SOOP are running a Short Story Contest! Cash prizes are available in 13 fiction and 12 non-fiction categories, and we'd encourage you to submit. Submissions are always open in all categories, and right now we're specifically looking for submissions in the following categories:

Fantasy, Sci-Fi, Dystopin, Memoir & Autobiography

Learn more and submit at: https://soopllc.com/1st-annual-short-story-contest/

Book Length Project Group Update

Last month in the Book Length Project Group, we talked about depth and how you create it in a story. There were lots of suggestions around the table: create a back-story, show the social context, use setting to ground the reader. These are great things to do, but what is depth anyway and why is it important? Click for more from our May meeting: Deep Fiction – Karen Herbert (wordpress.com). The Book Length Project Group meets on the third Sunday of every month at Mattie Furphy House in Swanbourne, Western Australia. All FAWWA members and friends are welcome to join us. Go to https://www.fawwa.org/event for more information.

The Tom Collins House Flood!

Thank you We thought Members might like to know about the small flood that happened at Tom Collins House during the heavy rains on May 6th. Water flooded off the sand-hills and down Wood St, quickly filling the lane-way and overwhelming the storm-water drains, recently installed by Main Road last year. The result was a cascading river underneath Tom Collins House, with water almost lapping the verandah. The Tom Collins House air-conditioner was a casualty, and The Hollow became a lake. We were very lucky the rain stopped and water didn't enter the house!