The KSP Writers Centre aims to provide a schedule of linked activities for all writers. ArtsWA provides essential funds for Writers/Editors-in-Residence and Specialist Tutors for the Young Writers Group, and to assist with running the KSP Science Fiction and Short Fiction Competitions. The KSP Foundation is indebted to Mundaring Shire for continuing support and thanks all volunteers for their help. The KSP Writer-in-Residence program, funded by ArtsWA, attracts Emerging and Established writers and editors from WA and interstate. Writers reside in the house, attend some regular KSP group sessions and are available for consultation by appointment.
For bookings, Workshop details and Enquiries, Please Email
kspf@iinet.net.au
or phone the Coordinator on 08 9294 1872. Bookings are essential for all events. All events are
open to KSPF members and the public unless otherwise specified.
Poetry Writing Group – ‘Poets@KSP’ 2nd and 4th Mondays 12.45pm
Karibu Women’s Writing Group Every Wednesday 9.30am - in Midland
Writefree Women’s Writing Group Every Wednesday 9.30am
Tall Tales Group 1st and 3rd Thursdays 9.30am - term time
Young Writers Group Every Thursdays 4.30-5.30pm - term time
Thursday Night Group Every Thursday 7.30pm
Non-Fiction Writers 1st Saturday of the month 10.00am
Past Tense (Social History) Group 2nd Saturday of the month 10.00am
Script Writing Group 4th Saturday of the month 10.00am
Speculative Fiction/ Fantasy Writers 3rd Sunday of the month 10.00am
Monday 1st 11.00am-3.00pm - Poetry Workshop – Sculpting in English
In this workshop, presented by Janet Jackson, participants will learn about expanding the boundaries of their poetry. Participants will be learning how to better read, write and edit poetry, so bring some energy and you’ll have plenty of fun. Be prepared to come away with poem drafts, as well as ideas for new poems! Suitable for poets willing to try new ideas and prose writers who want to have a go at poetry. Bring your own lunch and writing implements. M$25 NM$40.
Saturday 6th 10am - AUTHOR TALKS - Trisha Kotai-Ewers visits the Non-Fiction Group
Trisha Kotai Ewers, Acting President of the Fellowship of Australian Writers (WA) and author of Listen to the talk of us : people with dementia speak out will talk about her book about Alzheimers, her research, techniques and experiences, and answer questions. Her book will also be on sale. Everyone is welcome. M$3 NM$5
Saturday 13th 10am - Success Print attends Past Tense
Success Print is visiting the Past Tense social history writing group and will discuss, and offer, layout and design services, as well as commercial printing opportunities. Everyone is welcome.
14th- 28th - Young Writer in Residence is Simon Cox
Simon Cox has been making up stories since preschool, and writing them down since at least grade three. Throughout Primary School he attended young writers’ workshops at the Peter Cowan, Tom Collins and Katharine Susannah Prichard Writers Centres and entered work in young writing competitions- with much success. At 15 he began publishing fiction in Voiceworks magazine, and having attended the 2004 National Young Writers festival (NYWF) became the youngest and sole interstate member of the Voiceworks editorial committee based in Melbourne. He has since published editorials, columns and articles in Voiceworks helped organise a Perth launch for the magazine and regularly attends local readings and literary events. Following the 2007 NYWF Simon became involved in organising Perth’s wildly successful spoken work showcase Cottonmouth. Simon is currently completing the second year of his Bachelor of Arts at UWA and - no surprises - is majoring in English.
Sunday 21st 11.00am Speculative Fiction Mini-Convention
A gathering of Speculative Fiction authors from Western Australia, with readings, panels and book sales. Everyone is welcome. Tea, coffee and cheap lunches available. 10am start.
Saturday 27th 1.00-4.00pm Young Writer in Residence, Simon Cox, Workshop
Simon will give a workshop Use Your Allusion: Creative Reading as a Prompt for Poetry revolving around the use of the work of other poets as a springboard for the participants’ own poetry. Exercises will include:
The workshop will aim to have participants consider the nature of intertextuality in poetry, the richness that reference and allusion can lend a poem as well as the risks of obscurity, opacity (and plagiarism) that allusion can generate. It will also provide attendees with a number of generative strategies for their writing. Participants would be encouraged to bring along their own favourite poems, poems they despise and poetry they themselves have written.
Tue,Wed,Thur 7,8,9th 10am-4pm 3-Day Holiday Writearama for 11-15 yr olds
Attention young writers. Do you love writing stories? If you are 11-15 yrs old, come to our 3-day holiday write-a-rama and develop your writing skills in a fun and creative setting. $75.
Saturday 11 Oct,1pm-4pm - Workshop with Dr Felicity Newman
Dr Felicity Newman hosts a food writing workshop - "Biting the Hand that Feeds You". Whether your interest is in memoir, food reviewing, travel writing or literary fiction, this workshop will open you to new creative possibilities within yourself and the food writing genre. Please bring writing materials, your love of food and your willingness to read, write - and eat. $25 for members, $40 for non-members.
Monday 13th 12.45pm AUTHOR TALKs - Poet Andrew Taylor talks to Poets@KSP
Andrew Taylor was born in the windy town of Warrnambool, Victoria, in 1940 and educated at the University of Melbourne, where he was Lockie Fellow in Australian Literature and Creative Writing. He holds a Doctor of Letters from that university. He lived for several years in Italy, and has since travelled extensively in Europe, Asia and America. He taught for many years at the University of Adelaide, and from 1992 until 2003 was Foundation Professor of English at Edith Cowan University in Perth, Western Australia. In 1999 he was a By-Fellow of Churchill College, Cambridge, UK, and in 2004 he held a Residency at the BR Whiting Library in Rome. He is the poetry editor of the journal Westerly. He now divides his time between Perth, where he is a keen kayaker, and Wiesbaden in Germany.
He is the author of fifteen books of poetry, the most recent being Collected Poems (Salt Publishing, UK, 2004) and Rome (ACLL, 2005). A new collection, The Unhaunting, will be published by Salt later in 2008. He has written the libretti for two operas (The Letters of Amalie Dietrich and Barossa) and published numerous academic articles. Reading Australian Poetry (1987) was the first book-length critical study of Australian poetry to appear in many years. In 1986 his book Travelling was the Asia-Pacific winner of the British Airways Commonwealth Poetry Prize, Sandstone won the Western Australian Premier’s Prize for poetry in 1995, and Götterdämmerung Café was shortlisted in 2002.
He has been a member of the Literature Board of the Australia Council and Chairperson of Writers’ Week at the Adelaide Festival. He was the Founder of Friendly Street, Australia’s longest-running public poetry venue, and of Australia’s first Writers’ Centre, the South Australian Writers’ Centre. For a number of years he was a member of the Committee of Management of the Australian Society of Authors. In 1990 he was made a Member of the Order of Australia for services to the arts. Members $3 Non-Members $5.
Thursday 23rd 4.00pm AUTHOR TALKs - Liliana Stafford talks to the Young Writers
My author talks focus mainly on how to turn fact into fiction and encouraging reading and storytelling for all ages. I work with overhead pictures plus a variety of materials from the making of my books. The aim is to create a fun environment in which to learn about writing, illustrating and stories with the emphasis on the willingness to have a go.
My new picture book Heipparallaa! will be published early October so I will be talking about the process of creating this book working with a Finnish illustrator through e-mail.The book is about two young girls from Australia and Finnish Lapland building a friendship and discovering each other's culture by e-mail. Members $3 Non-Members $5.
Saturday 25th 10.00am AUTHOR TALKs - John Aitken talks to the Script Writers
I willconcentrate on the writing of my new work The Enchanters which is about the building and opening of the original Globe Theatre in London in 1599. The play is being prepared for production at the moment and I decided to write it to help celebrate the building and opening of our new drama theatre complex in Northbridge. I will use the process of writing the new play to examine the use of action, conflict and sub-text together with character development. In the workshop I will also refer to my recently produced works Imperial Facade and The Ships Pass Quietly. Members $3 Non-Members $5.
Sunday 26th 2.00pm Launch of Writefree Anthology
For the twelfth year, the Writefree Women's Group will launch their anthology of prose and poetry. Everyone is welcome. Light Refreshments. Free.
Saturday 1st 10.00am AUTHOR TALKs - Adrian Glamorgan visits the Non-Fiction Group
“Changing the World, One Word At a Time”: environmental and social issues writer Adrian Glamorgan will host a writing workshop with a difference. Connect with audiences without overwhelming them with the issues. Find ways to learn about the world while writing. How to explore issues that matter to you. If you are at home wanting to speak your truth, or you belong to an environmental or social organisation trying to get your message out in a new, creative way, come along to this workshop. It will inspire your writing, and your passion for life. Members $3 Non-Members $5.
Thursday 6th 7.30pm AUTHOR TALKS - Julienne van Loon visits the Thursday Night Group
Julienne van Loon, local award winning author will talk about her two books Road Rage and Beneath the Bloodwood Tree and share her experiences and insight with our eclectic Thursday Night Group. Everyone is welcome to come along.M$3 NM$5
Saturday 8th 10.00am AUTHOR TALKs - Marcella Polain talks about her latest book
Marcella Polain will talk about her book The Edge of the World. Members $3 Non-Members $5.
9th November - 7th December Writer in Residence - Deborah Pike - in Residence
Deborah Pike is a West-Australian writer and teacher based in Paris where she is currently completing her novel Dramatis Personae. Deborah received her doctorate from the University of Sydney in 2005 and has taught English Literature, Drama, and Media Studies at the University of Sydney, Critical and Cultural Theory at the University of Technology, Sydney, and Literature at the University of Notre Dame, Sydney. Deborah has also taught poetry and linguistics at the Université de Paris VII, and now lectures in Humanities at the Institut d'Etudes Politiques de Paris (Sciences-Po). Deborah has published plays, critical essays and journalism.
Wednesday 12th 9.30am AUTHOR TALKS - John Harman visitsWritefree Women's Writing Group
John Harman, author, journalist, scriptwriter, ghostwriter and creative writing teacher will be sharing his wisdom with the Writefree Women's Writing Group, and answering questions. All Welcome (Male and Female) M$3 NM$5
Sunday 16th 10.00am AUTHOR TALKS - Juliet Marillier talks on her fantasy book Hearts Blood
Juliet Marillier, author of ten novels and multi-award winner will be talking about her work, including her latest book Heart's Blood, due to be delivered to the publishers on December 1st, and Heir to Sevenwaters due in the bookshops in November, and answering questions. Everyone is welcome - young and old. If you have considered joining the Speculative Fiction Group, this would be a fabulous opportunity to attend. M$3 NM$5
Saturday 29th 1.00pm-4.00pmWorkshop with Deborah Pike - Creating Extraordinary Characters
Do your characters write the story for you? Do you wish they would? This workshop is for writers of fiction and stage, who wish to develop their characters further. The workshop will focus on researching and defining character through dialogue and character interaction. It will also explore character psychology and motivation. This course will help you create distinctive and convincing characters, who may just finish your book for you! M$25 NM$40
Sunday 7th 11.00am Katharine's Birthday
Readings and entertainment to honour Katharine Susannah Prichard and celebrate her birthday. Light Refreshments.
Sunday 7th 3.00pm KSP Short Fiction Awards
The Chairperson of KSP, the CEO of the SHire of Mundaring and the Competition Judge will present the awards to the winners of the KSP Short Fiction Competition. Prize winners will read exerpts from their entries. Light Refreshments. Free. Everyone welcome.
Thursday 11th 7.30pm Launch of the Thursday Night Group Anthology
This eclectic group publishes an annual anthology of their best poetry, short stories and plays. Light Refreshments. M$3 NM$5.
The Writers in Residence and some of the programs for Young Writers are funded by The Department of Culture and the Arts, and the Department for Child Protection. The Young Writers' categories in the KSP Speculative Fiction Award and the KSP Short Fiction Award are funded by the Shire of Mundaring and Open Section of the KSP Short Fiction Award is funded by the Mundaring Community Bank.
These events are also advertised in the Hills Gazette, Midland Reporter, and The Echo. Bookings are essential. Please email kspfevents@iinet.net.au, or phone the events coordinator on (08) 9294 1872.