Hello writers. We trust you’ve had a rewarding month and are looking forward to the promise of 2024.
Stuart and Hadow Short Story Prize 2023
The Fellowship of Australian Writers Western Australia is proud to announce (at right) the following writers have been selected as finalists for their entries in the Stuart and Hadow Short Story Prize 2023.
Congratulations to all. We look forward to seeing you at Mattie Furphy House or on Zoom on Sunday, November 19 at 5pm (AWST) when judge Rashida Murphy will announce the winners, and the prize-winning entry will be read aloud.
All welcome. If you would like to join us for the prize announcement,
please RSVP to fellowshipaustralianwriterswa@ gmail.com
Annual General Meeting Sunday, November 19, 2pm
You are cordially invited to the 2023 Annual General Meeting (AGM) of the Fellowship of Australian Writers Western Australian Section on Sunday, November 19 at 2pm.
Please RSVP by 5pm on Tuesday, November 14 if you can attend, or if you wish to record apologies. If you cannot attend please let us know if you wish to nominate a proxy to vote on your behalf.
Glen Phillips Art Exhibition in Shanghai
Watercolour landscapes by prolific poet, academic, teacher and artist Glen Phillips are this week on show at the University of Shanghai for Science and Technology.
Professor Phillips, who is a Lifetime member of FAWWA and a FAWWA Fellow, said the 20 pieces were scenes from Australia, America and Italy. They would be on show as part of the Sixth Australian Studies Week.
Professor Phillips has had strong ties with China since he began teaching American literature to university students in Shanghai 1986.
He later taught Australian literature and had visited China more than 20 times since to teach, he said.
He had taught several hundred Chinese students over the years, many of whom still emailed him regularly, he said.
The Professor said he usually attended the Australian Studies Week and stayed back after the event to teach. He was unable to go this year due to ill health.
Professor Phillips described himself as a self-taught artist who began painting as a boy.
He returned to art later in life to illustrate his own publications, often in pen and ink.
“It’s often been to me a kind of relaxation,” he said about painting.
“It was something I needed to do. It was kind of calming and recuperative from stress. Like writing poetry.”
Prof Phillips, who has published no less than 90 volumes, said plans for his next book were already in the works – a biography about his father who taught in the wheatbelt for many years, illustrated with family photographs.
“I’ve collected together all these pictures of our life as a family I schoolhouses throughout the wheatbelt,” he said.
“My father was so interesting and as successful as he was innovative.”
Writing WA CEO Will Yeoman at Tom Collins House on Tuesdays
Writing WA CEO Will Yeoman will be “in residence” at Tom Collins House in Swanbourne this Tuesday, November 7 and every Tuesday moving forward, from 10am to 2pm. He’ll be there to talk about all things writing and to answer any questions you might have about WA's peak writing body and how it can help you. Pop in and say hello to Will if you’re in the neighbourhood.
FAWWA Fellow and Patron John Kinsella event at Mattie Furphy House 2024
Internationally acclaimed and prolific Western Australian poet John Kinsella has kindly agreed to be the guest of FAWWA at an event in 2024. John is the patron of FAWWA and we look forward to hosting him at an “Author in Conversation” evening, at a date to be confirmed.
Two new writers’ studios in Swanbourne
FAWWA is in the process of setting up two new spaces at Mattie Furphy House and Tom Collins House, where writers can work during business hours. The two rooms will be available for bookings via Space To Co. Details to come when finalised.
Call for donations
Would you like to support our new writers’ rooms? If you would like to donate towards the purchase of new furnishings such as desks, chairs and reading lamps for the writers' studios. If you would like to donate towards the purchase of an item please email us at fellowshipaustralianwriterswa@gmail.com
FAWWA Grant applications
Are you experienced in applying for government grants? We would love to hear from you. FAWWA is in need of funding to employ an administrator, and to update our Tom Collins House Museum. We would be delighted if you could offer your expertise in helping the organisation apply for grants. If you can help, please email us at fellowshipaustralianwriterswa@gmail.com
FAWWA Fellow Trevor Todd
FAWWA Fellow Trevor Todd will be staging a production at Perth Fringe 2024. It’s called “Elspeth: A Monologue … with interruptions”. It will star Jane Sherwood as Elspeth, an older actress who may be beaten by life but never beaten. For details please visit www.muchproductions.com or email writeonq@icloud.com
November Sundowner
The November Sundowner will not be held due to the AGM and Stuart and Hadow Short Story Prize taking place on November 19. We look forward to seeing members, friends and special guests at future dates to be confirmed.
FAWWA Sundowners include a competitive open mic with the winner’s piece to be published in the newsletter. A recent winner was Andrew Levett (The Story Mentor) for his poem, The Wall. Congratulations to Andrew.
THE WALL
(after Pink Floyd’s song Another Brick in the Wall (Part 2))
We don’t need no
social media
no constant news feed
that’s thought control
no dark sarcasm
in random messages.
Hey, Zuckerberg
leave those kids alone!
All in all it’s just
another post on your wall.
A.R. Levett 2023
Classes at FAWWA
Write Night at Mattie Furphy House
Writers of all genres in need of some inspiration or a relaxed setting to write are welcome every second Tuesday evening at Mattie Furphy House 6pm to 8pm. For details please phone Marshall Willan 0408 620 235.
Tuesdays at Mattie's with Kamille Roach
Join acclaimed author Kamille Roach for two-hour prose writing sessions once a month at Mattie Furphy House. Kamille is a rural crime novelist and winner of 2013 BJ Patterson Short Story Prize. For details please email kamillejr@iCloud
Write Nights with Holly Craig
Author of The Shallows and The Rip, Holly Craig invites you to join her for write nights and retreats at Mattie Furphy House. For more information about dates, times, fees and bookings please click here.
Book Length Project Group
Are you working on a book-length fiction or non-fiction manuscript? Come to Mattie Furphy House every third Sunday of the month 10am-12pm. This group is convened by Carol Mills and open to writers of all genres and levels of experience to come and discuss their project. For details and bookings please click here.
Poetry and Prose with OOTA Writers
OOTA’s final event for 2023 will be on Friday, December 1 at Mattie Furphy House, Swanbourne. It will feature members’ prose and poetry readings. To RSVP please click here.
Get to Grips with Publishing
Want to see your words in print? This workshop on Saturday 11 November 1 to 4pm offered by Dragonfly Publishing is all about book publishing in Australia including self-publishing, hybrid, and traditional. Phone KSP Writers Centre on 9294 1872 for bookings.
Young Writers’ Collective
Join Australian storytellers for face-to-face workshops in Bunbury and Busselton between November 20 and 23. For more please email writers@thelitcentre.org.au
Wednesday Writing Classes in the City
The Society of Women Writers WA will run the following Wednesday Writing Classes in November at Citiplace Community Centre in the Perth Railway Station Concourse.
Topic 18: Writing for Children will be on November 1, 8, 15, 22 from 9.30am – 12 noon.
Writing for Children will cover children’s picture books and writing for the pre-teen. Sessions cover language, format, illustrating your work and avenues of publication.
Cost of four workshops: $80 for members; $100 for non-members.
Bookings essential. Email swwwabookingofficer@gmail.com for a booking form. For more information, visit www.swwofwa.com.au
Competitions
CBCA 2024 Book of the Year Awards The Children’s Book Council of Australia Awards are for books with an implied readership under the age of 18. Entries close November 30, 2023. Find out more by clicking here
2024 Dorothy Hewett Award Australian writers are invited to submit a completed unpublished manuscript of fiction, narrative non-fiction, or a poetry collection of more than 90 pages. Works of prose must be at least 40,000 words. Submissions close on November 30, 2023. For more information please click here
2024 Heart Messages Anthology
The 2024 Heart Messages Anthology will be a curated literary collection of heart-warming, heartfelt, moving and hopeful stories from selected authors around Australia and the globe. Stories must be between 1,500 and 5,000 words. Entries close November 30, 2023. For more information please click here
Local Word Writing Prize
Geelong Regional Library Corporation and Deakin University present the Local Word Writing Prize for all Australian writers. Submit one entry of up to 3,000 of prose fiction or creative non-fiction. Entries close on January 27, 2024. For more information please click here
Odyssey House Short Story Competition 2023
This year’s theme is “Burning Bridges” and must include a reference to alcohol or other drugs. A maximum of 3 entries per person applies and a maximum of 1500 words. Entries close November 30, 2023. For more details please click here
Hawkeye Publishing Manuscript Development Prize 2024
Submit a 300-word synopsis (include genre and full manuscript word-count), the first 30 pages of your manuscript (up to 80, 000 words), and a one-page plan to demonstrate that you understand your audience, know how to reach them, and can successfully market your book. Entries close December 15. For more information please click here
Helen Anne Bell Poetry Bequest Award 2023
Female poets to submit an unpublished collection of poems between 50 to 80 pages to the award. The work should broadly deal with Australian culture. Entries close on December 18, 2023. Find out more by clicking here
Somerfest Festival Novella Writing Competition
Entries close on December 1. Open to all Australian high school students to submit a novella between 8,000 and 20,000 words. For more information, please click here
City of Subiaco Craig Silvey Award
FAWWA would like to congratulate Daglish resident Caleb Kameron, aged 7, who won First Place and was named the overall winner of the 2023 Craig Silvey Award for Young Writers for his story “Sea Spirit”. Congratulations to a young writer with a bright future. For more information please click here.
Best wishes and happy writing,
The Committee
Fellowship Australian Writers WA
Email: fellowshipaustralianwriterswa@gmail.com