The KSP Writers Centre aims to provide a schedule of linked activities for all writers. The Dept of Culture and the Arts 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. We also thank the Mundaring Community Bank (Bendigo Bank) for funding the Karen W Treanor Poetry Awards. The KSP Foundation is indebted to Mundaring Shire for continuing support and thanks all volunteers for their help. The KSP Writer-in-Residence program 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.
Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec
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. Cancellation Policy
Regular Writing Groups for beginners to advanced writers Members $5, Non-members $8 per session
From Monday, 23 January to Sunday, 29 January 2012, KSP is offering a one-week-retreat for three writers to work on their writing projects in a wonderful ambience. The cost of $800 for members or $855 including membership includes seven nights in the retreat, use of all the house facilities and catering during the week. On Tuesday, 24 January, Australian writer and editor Amanda Curtin will do a focused 3-hour-feedback session specifically for the three writers in residence.
Threasa Meads is a writer, artist and PhD Candidate with a passion for nurturing the creative writing of others. Her first memoir, Nobody, was shortlisted for The Australian/Vogel Literary Award in 2008 as well as being awarded a Text/Varuna Publisher Fellowship in 2009. Her work in various genres has been published in street press, anthologies, and online journals. She teaches and mentors writers at Flinders University and in the wider community, and is currently working on a magical realist memoir, Singing up the Bones, which is a sequel to Nobody. Threasa lives in Adelaide with her husband and their mischievous cat Rufus.
To create believable characters, you need to hear their voices. Understanding the way your characters talk and think, hearing the rhythm of their voices, and conveying the nuances of their interactions with other characters will help you to create engaging stories in any genre. Through a series of writing exercises focused on character and voice, participants will develop a short work of prose fiction or life writing with strong characterisation. Participants will share and discuss their developing characters with the group and offer and receive feedback toward enhancing their work.
Costs: $25 for KSP-members and $40 for non-members. Booking and payment in advance is essential. Optional payment by direct deposit - details here.
There are many great writers. Unfortunately it is not always the best writer that sells the most books or gets the recognition they deserve. Even writers need to be noticed, be professional and ‘Be Branded” Your personal brand is about your whole package as judged by your key constituents. A personal brand is so much more than your stationery, your Facebook page or your designer suit.
The branding workshop will include:
Why branding?
Costs: $25 for KSP-members and $40 for non-members. Booking and payment in advance is essential. Optional payment by direct deposit - details here.
Join us at KSP to listen to Emerging Writer-in-Residence,Threasa Meads, read her work. Meet other authors and enjoy a three-course candle-lit dinner. Bring your own favourite drinks.
Costs: $25 for KSP-members and $30 for non-members. Booking and payment in advance essential. Optional payment by direct deposit - details here.
From Feb 23 to Feb 26, the Perth Writers’ Festival will take place on the grounds of the University of WA. There will be an opening party, readings, talks, workshops and the always popular Family Day. KSP will have a stand there on Friday 24 and Saturday 25, selling books by members, and answering questions about the Centre, its retreats, workshops, dinners and writing groups.
For more information visit www.perthfestival.com.au/en/Perth-Writers-Festival.
This online workshop invites you to connect with the incredible diversity of contemporary Australian poetry, broaden your understanding of the history, themes and styles of Australian poetry and expand your own poetry writing practice. Over six weeks, former KSP Emerging-Writer-in-Residence and highly-awarded poet Andy Jackson will discuss key recent poems and books. These will provide the inspiration for you to write each week. After sharing what you've written, you'll be given tailored, constructive feedback from Andy, as well as the opportunity to discuss poetry and poems with others. This workshop is ideal for new and emerging poets who (due to distance or time constraints) may not be able to access the locations where writing workshops are typically held.
Andy Jackson's poetry has been published in many print and on-line journals. He has featured at Australian Poetry Festival in Sydney, Queensland Poetry Festival, and the Newcastle Young Writers Festival. His collaborative performance with puppeteer Rachael Guy and cellist David Churchill (Ambiguous Mirrors) was awarded the City of Yarra Award for Most Innovative Work at the 2009 Overload Poetry Festival. He won the Arts ACT 2008 Rosemary Dobson Prize for an Unpublished Poem, and was an Emerging Writer in Residence in 2010 at the Katharine Susannah Prichard Writers Centre in Perth. His collection, Among the Regulars, was recently published by papertiger media, and was shortlisted for the Kenneth Slessor Prize and Highly Commended for the Anne Elder Award. He is currently the Librarian for Australian Poetry, and co-convenes the La Mama Poetica series of readings.
Costs: $140 for KSP-members and $195 for non-members. Booking and payment in advance is essential. Optional payment by direct deposit - details here.
Jeremy Balius was Dallas Texas born, Gießen German raised, Los Angeles California educated, and has lived in Fremantle Western Australia for the last seven years. He looks after Black Rider Press and hangs out with the Cottonmouth kids. wherein? he asks of memory is forthcoming from Knives Forks and Spoons Press (UK). He writes for the last of the red hot lovers.
On Friday, Brenton will give a talk at Midland Library at 6.00pm. Food and drinks provided.
This is a FREE EVENT sponsored by Midland Library and the Department of Culture and Arts! Bookings are open. Ring KSP now to reserve a place!
BRENTON MCKENNA
Graphic novelist
Brenton is a young Indigenous writer from Broome, in the far North West of Australia. Ever since he can remember, Brenton has been passionate about art and telling stories. He first developed his love of comic books and this style of drawing when he was very young. Since then, Brenton has been immersed in the world of comic art, cartooning and graphic novels. He is inspired by the multicultural history of his hometown and draws on Aboriginal and foreign mythologies in his stories.
Brenton studied visual arts for two years at Goldburn TAFE and in 2009 was one of twenty successful applicants to be awarded a highly sought after mentorship with the Australian Society of Authors. Brenton was a Deadly Award nominee in 2011, guest panelist at Dromkeen Literary Lunch for Graphic Novelists and winner of Kullarri NAIDOC award for Literature.
UBBY’S UNDERDOGS is his first graphic novel.
In a dusty pearling town in the north-west of Australia, runs Ubby, a young ruffian who leads a rag-tag gang known as the Underdogs. When Ubby meets Sai Fong, a Chinese girl just off the boat from Shanghai, she finds herself thrown into a world of ancient legends and secrets never before exposed. Ubby is on the brink of becoming a hero unlike the world has ever seen, and must walk where most men dare not tread.
Come along and meet Emerging-Writer-in-Residence Jeremy Balius, listen to him perform readings of his poetry, then stay for afternoon tea.
Costs: $5 for KSP-members and $8 for non-members. Bookings in advance appreciated, if possible.
Justin Randall is a Digital Illustration lecturer for Curtin University, Western Australia and an internationally published graphic novelist and commercial artist. He has worked on franchises such as ’30 Days of Night’ and ‘Silent Hill’, produced artwork for albums, book covers, magazines and currently writes and illustrates his own Aurealis award-winning graphic novel series, ‘Changing Ways’, for Gestalt Publishing.
The workshop is targeted at anyone interested in composing, scripting or illustrating a graphic novel. It's also useful for scriptwriters looking at art direction or creating storyboards for film and TV. Justin Randall’s techniques are a combination of traditional painting, Photography and Adobe Photoshop.
Costs: $25 for KSP-members and $40 for non-members. Booking and payment in advance essential. Optional payment by direct deposit - details here.
Katy Watson-Kell was born at the Rottenrow in Glasgow and spent her early childhood in Kilmarnock where she discovered her passion for animals and nature. When she wasn't drawing horses, she was off in the woods searching for wild things or collecting shiny conkers. Just after her tenth birthday, she climbed aboard a Boeing 727 and flew with her family to Western Australia. At her new school in Maida Vale she displayed an impressive array of nervous ticks earning her the title of `that weird Scottish kid' and causing considerable embarrassment to her older sister, Zanty. But after stifling her Scottish brogue and winning lots of swimming races, all was forgiven by her new Aussie peers and over the next few years she honed her neighbour-watching talents from the heights of well-placed gum trees. She likes to believe this period was the beginning of her obsession with research, and not a budding stalker-like tendency that her mother cautioned her against.
After leaving high school, she talked her way into a smorgasbord of unusual occupations where she surreptitiously read novels, drew portraits of her workmates and daydreamed - the perfect incubation for a frustrated writer in waiting. She is the award-winning author of two novels for young adults, Juice and Mama's trippin' and in October 2010, was awarded a May Gibbs CTR Fellowship at the Burrow in Adelaide to research and develop a creative non-fiction picture book for children. She is currently working on her PhD in English and Creative Writing at Murdoch University. A passion for history inspires much of her work – she loves unlocking the secrets of the past through research and creative writing.
About the Workshop:
Katy is an engaging and experienced public speaker. She has presented author talks and creative writing workshops at conferences, writing centres, schools and festivals throughout Australia. Her workshop will encourage writers to use their written storytelling skills together with visual arts and crafts to create vibrant characters for their children’s stories and picture books. She will also discuss effective research methods for writers who are keen to explore creative non-fiction stories for both younger and older readers.
Costs: $25 for KSP-members and $40 for non-members. Booking and payment in advance essential. Optional payment by direct deposit - details here.
Instead of sitting in a class taking notes about passive voice, you will be doing it, living it, being the writer and editor and illustrator and book publisher in the pressure boiler of a 12-hour deadline.
In a single day, on a date that you choose, you and your team will plan, write, illustrate, print and bind a 2000-8000 word book. Then you celebrate. Team writing? You will be surprised. It is wonderful fun. There are also awards for the best books.
Competition closes on Friday 31 August 2012.
For more information visit http://www.writeabookinaday.com.
Booking and payment in advance essential. Optional payment by direct deposit - details here.
Join us this April for three days of writing fun at KSP’s School Holiday Write-a-Rama. Meet other writers your own age, and develop your writing skills in a creative, safe and friendly setting. No special writing skills or experience are necessary, though people obsessed with writing will definitely be catered for!
WHERE AND WHEN? Katharine Susannah Prichard (KSP) Writers Centre, 11 Old York Road, Greenmount, Monday April 16th and Thursday April 19th from 9:30 AM to 4 PM, and The Perth Zoo Tuesday April 17th from 10:30 AM to 3:30 PM (drop off and pick up in front of The Perth Zoo or carpooling from KSP can be arranged)
HOW MUCH? only $130 for KSP members and $160 for non-members for the three days (including excursion fee)
HOW DO I SIGN UP? You can download an ENROLMENT FORM here. For bookings contact KSP Writers Centre on 9294 1872 or email kspf@iinet.net.au
Melissa O’Shea is the proud facilitator of the past ten KSP school holiday Write-a-Ramas. Besides devising ingenious ways to make children write in a variety of locations, she does a bit of writing of her own. Melissa has a PhD in Writing from Edith Cowan University, and is working on a Young Adult novel.
Guy Salvidge is a Western Australian writer and English teacher. His first science fiction novel, The Kingdom of Four Rivers, was published in 2009. His second, Yellowcake Springs, won the 2011 IP Picks Award for Best Fiction and was published by Glass House Books in the same year. He has had short stories published in Kurungabaa, Eclecticism E-zine and Vibewire. He lives in the Avon Valley with his wife and two small children.
Jeremy Balius was Dallas Texas born, Gießen German raised, Los Angeles California educated, and has lived in Fremantle Western Australia for the last seven years. He looks after Black Rider Press and hangs out with the Cottonmouth kids. wherein? he asks of memory is forthcoming from Knives Forks and Spoons Press (UK). Jeremy is KSP’s 2012 Emerging Writer-in-Residence during March and April.
Jeremy Balius was Dallas Texas born, Gießen German raised, Los Angeles California educated, and has lived in Fremantle Western Australia for the last seven years. He looks after Black Rider Press and hangs out with the Cottonmouth kids. wherein? he asks of memory is forthcoming from Knives Forks and Spoons Press (UK). He writes for the last of the red hot lovers.
Join us at KSP to listen to Emerging Writer-in-Residence, Jeremy Balius, read his work. Meet other authors and enjoy a three-course candle-lit dinner. Bring your own favourite drinks.
Costs: $25 for KSP-members and $30 for non-members. Booking and payment in advance essential. Optional payment by direct deposit - details here.
Everybody is welcome to come along and join KSP when we open our doors and celebrate the many wonderful things that happen at Katharine’s Place.
Guest author: Amanda Curtin will be reading from her latest novel 'Inherited'. Copies will be available for signing and purchase.
KSP Writer in Residence: Jeremy Balius will present a lively poetry performance.
This is a FREE community event so put it in your diary and join us for a great, literary day.
Bullies, Bastards & the Bad to the Bone
As an author, writing compelling fiction can often require wallowing in the misery a protagonist suffers and struggles through. This misery may be at the hand of one or multiple antagonists who torment or cause harm to occur, directly or indirectly. Long after a story’s plotline has been forgotten, the remembrance of a great antagonist lives on in the reader.
Who are these bad guys and why are they so bad? And how do we write them believably and memorably?
This workshop takes a hard look at the mechanics of fear, works through examples of the sinister, and conjures up the bad to the bone.
Costs: $25 for KSP-members and $40 for non-members. Booking and payment in advance is essential. Optional payment by direct deposit - details here.
The synopsis plays a vital role in the life of a manuscript seeking publication. 'In a Nutshell' is a workshop dedicated to the accurate writing and targeting of a synopsis that will more effectively raise an author’s chances of getting noticed by a prospective publisher. In today’s rapidly changing industry, it is more important than ever to understand how paper books and eBooks are created – from the first glimpse an agent or publisher has of a synopsis, to the finished product. Rosanne Dingli believes an effective synopsis is charged with all the ability, know-how and hope an author can invest in a project. That charge can be refined and accurately directed by authors who desire more attention from a very demanding industry.
Rosanne Dingli is the Perth prize-winning author of two novels, six collections of short stories and a poetry book. She started writing in country NSW in 1985, and has since occupied a number of roles in the publishing industry, including editor, journalist, EIC, literary editor, manuscript assessor, slush pile reader, proofreader, columnist, researcher and reviewer. She sat on the KSP management board for a number of terms, and was also program coordinator. Her work has appeared in numerous magazines, journals, newspaper supplements and anthologies, and has won 20 literary awards and commendations. Her latest novel is According to Luke.
Costs: $25 for KSP-members and $40 for non-members. Booking and payment in advance is essential. Optional payment by direct deposit - details here.
Family History for Writers
Are you writing a biography or biographical novel? Do you want to know how to research someone’s family history? This workshop will show you how to approach family history research in the most economical and efficient way
After dropping out of university I fell into librarianship which satisfied my desire to solve mysteries for over 20 years. I never imagined, when I began delving into my family’s past in 1982, that it would metamorphose into a passion, then a profession. I completed a diploma in family historical studies in 1989 and have worked as a freelance researcher since then. This has included writing articles, presenting courses, seminars and conference papers. I have carried out research for authors of a number of books including Terri-ann White, Finding Theodore and Brina, (Fremantle, WA: Fremantle Arts Centre Press, 2001), Robert E. Webber, Yankee Captain: Amasa T. Webber 1840-1880, (Rutland, Vermont: Robert E. Webber, 2007) and Suzanne Falkiner, The Imago: E.L. Grant Watson and Australia, (Crawley, WA: UWA Publishing, 2011). I am an accredited member of the Australasian Association of Genealogists and Record Agents, an accredited historical researcher with the Professional Historians Association (WA) and a life member of the Western Australian Genealogical Society Inc.
Costs: $25 for KSP-members and $40 for non-members. Booking and payment in advance is essential. Optional payment by direct deposit - details here.
Children’s author and teacher, David Caddy, will talk about the current state of literacy in children and the value of the supplementary programs at KSP
Are you concerned about your child’s literacy? Want more than the education system is offering?
David Caddy is a primary school teacher and storyteller. He wrote his first book 'Whammy' then followed it with 'Smash', 'Whacko', 'The Bear Collection' and 'Sabotage' in 'Tales from Two Islands'. David has appeared at several writers festivals including The Perth International Writer’s Festival, the All Saints’ College Literature Festival, and has delivered children’s workshops at numerous schools and libraries. His books have won or been short listed for awards including 'Whammy!' (Fremantle Arts Centre Press, 1996), shortlisted for Waybra, 'Whacko!' (Fremantle Arts Centre Press, 2001), Winner of the Hoffman Award, Waybra, 2002, and 'The Reef' (Fremantle Arts Centre Press, 2005), shortlisted for the Premier's book awards.
KSP Writers Centre is seeking consultation from the community. Over a delicious catered morning tea, parents will be invited to exchange ideas with the Katharine Susannah Prichard Writers’ Centre and to assist KSP Management in tailoring programs to suit children in the local community. We invite parents to become more actively involved in their children’s education by interaction with the Katharine Susannah Prichard Writers Centre. Volunteers are welcome to assist with the Youth Program at KSP. The greater the number of volunteers, the more extensive the service we can provide in turn back to the community. KSP gratefully acknowledges the support of the State Library of Western Australia’s Better Beginnings Family Literacy Program. Register your interest to: Shey Marque, KSP Literary Program Coordinator, on 9294 1872.
This is your last chance to submit your work!
This prestigious competition has run since 1998, with many winners going on to successful careers as science fiction and fantasy authors.
A fee of $7.00 per story applies for all Open Category entries; however young writers under 20 are encouraged to enter and may submit their work for FREE! Stories must be between 1500 and 3500 words, and all forms of speculative fiction are welcome.
Winners will be announced on a special celebration on Sunday 19 August 2012.
Please find the entry form and more information on http://www.kspf.iinet.net.au/activities.html#competitions.
Do you want to gain a realistic insight into the publishing jungle, get to the bottom of the demands of the industry, pick up a few tips and tricks about contribution and marketing? Whether you are looking for a publisher for your novel, poetry, short stories, non-fiction articles or to self-publish then don’t miss the opportunity to participate in a hot discussion lead by publishers with years of experience in the industry and get a chance to finally ask all the questions you’ve always wanted to ask. Get the inside information here.
Jeremy Balius was Dallas Texas born, Gießen German raised, Los Angeles California educated, and has lived in Fremantle Western Australia for the last seven years. He looks after Black Rider Press and hangs out with the Cottonmouth kids. wherein? he asks of memory is forthcoming from Knives Forks and Spoons Press (UK). He writes for the last of the red hot lovers.
Jane Fraser is CEO and non-fiction publisher at Fremantle Press. She began her career in educational publishing in Sydney over 25 years ago before moving into editorial trade publishing. She spent five years in San Francisco heading up the editorial office for an international book packaging and co-editions publishing company and during this time she developed her interest and expertise in non-fiction publishing. For a decade prior to joining Fremantle Press, Jane worked in corporate marketing and communications.
Karen Treanor has been writing about animals since the age of six, when she first made the acquaintance of a chipmunk in her back yard in New England. While working in Southern Africa, she wrote several reading books based on local folk tales for the Ministry of Education in Swaziland, and a number of radio scripts for the English Language program of the Ministry of Education in Lesotho. She started Quenda Books, which publishes the "Scoot, Scoot, Bandicoot®" series for children, in 2003.
Karen writes books for older readers, including The Angelus Ghost, Death in the Sea of Grass, A Tree in Mundaring, and the 'malice domestic' series featuring amateur sleuth Geneva Bradford, Bitter Bones and Long Bones . Several of the books are available in electronic formats from fidopublishing.com
Wolfgang Bylsma worked making zines and corporate industry comic strips before founding in 2005 with Skye Ogden. Gestalt Publishing is Australia’s largest independent graphic novel publishing house, based in Applecross, Western Australia. He has edited numerous comics and comic and illustration anthologies, including Justin Randall’s Aurealis Award-winning Changing Ways and hosted the Faster than Light speculative fiction radio show. He is managing director of Gestalt Publishing and serves on the board of WritingWA.
Costs: $25 for KSP-members and $40 for non-members. Booking and payment in advance essential. Optional payment by direct deposit - details here.
Are you a writer/poet wanting to improve the way you perform your work? Or a writer wanting to record your stories onto CD or DVD?
Perth born Michael Loney is an actor, voice coach, voice over artist and presenter. Michael graduated from Curtin University (then WAIT) with an English Degree in 1977 and then went on to study in England, with the aid of a Rotary Foundation Scholarship, at the Bristol Old Vic Theatre School from 1980-82. He worked in England, Scotland and Northern Ireland in Theatre, TV (Coronation Street, Howards’ Way, Tenko and The Return of Sherlock Holmes) and Radio until 1988 when he returned home to Perth. Since then Michael has worked for all the major theatre companies in WA and has appeared in many TV series, films, plays and musicals. He has also worked at the Western Australian Academy of Performing Arts as a sessional lecturer in voice and acting.The aim of this voice workshop will be to help the participants relax in front of a microphone or an audience. Confidence in your own voice is very difficult to achieve if you are not relaxed. The key is to bring the best out of your voice. We will be looking at various techniques to help with breath control, pace and vocal modulation. We will also pay special attention to the three rules of presenting and performing: relax, relax, relax!!! Learn techniques from Michael on how to perform poetry at readings or poetry slams, deliver monologues, or record your work to the best possible effect.
Cost: $25 KSP members or $40 non-members. Bookings Essential: Call Shey on 9294 1872 to reserve a place.
For experienced writers of short and long fiction. Numbers limited. Participants will be required to submit a piece of writing (synopsis and first chapter of a novel, or a complete short story) by May 16 for workshopping by the group. The workshop will be tailored to the particular challenges the participants are facing in their writing and may cover such topics as structure, point of view, pacing, maintaining tension and flow, and creating believable characters. Note, all critiquing will honest, tactful and constructive! Writers of fiction in all genres are welcome, however, writers of speculative fiction, historical fiction and romantic fiction should find the workshop especially useful.
Juliet Marillier was born in New Zealand and now lives in Western Australia. A graduate of Otago University, she worked as a teacher and public servant before becoming a full-time writer. Juliet has written eleven historical fantasy novels for adults and two books for young adults as well as short fiction. Her novels are published internationally and have won numerous awards including the Aurealis (three times), the Sir Julius Vogel Award, the Prix Imaginales and the American Library Association Alex Award. Her new novel for young adults, Shadowfell, will be published by Pan Macmillan in July 2012. Juliet is a member of the druid order OBOD (the Order of Bards, Ovates and Druids.) When not writing, she looks after a small pack of rescued dogs.
Costs: $100 for KSP-members and $160 for non-members. Booking and payment in advance essential. Optional payment by direct deposit - details here.
This is a hands-on workshop to show how to record and edit your poetry and prose to CD or DVD using Audacity. In the first session you will install Audacity on your PC and learn how to edit a previously prepared recording, add previously recorded music, and create a CD or DVD. A second session is provided a week later for people who wish to have assistance in editing a sample of their own work. There is a limit of six people in each session. Each attendee needs to bring a PC laptop (not an Apple Mac). Two PC laptops are available for hire from KSP for a small extra fee. Written how-to notes will also be supplied.
Costs: $50 for KSP-members and $80 for non-members. Booking and payment in advance essential. Optional payment by direct deposit - details here.
Valerie Parv, international best-selling author, is a successful writer of romance and non-fiction. Valerie’s books have sold more than twenty-six million copies internationally, and been translated into over twenty languages from Russian to Japanese and Icelandic. With a master of arts from Queensland University of Technology and a diploma in professional counselling, she conducts seminars and workshops on creativity and the writer’s craft. Her practical guide to the romance genre, The Art of Romance Writing, was voted the most useful book on writing in a poll of members of Romance Writers of Australia. Valerie recent works include Heart & Craft, the ultimate ‘how-to’ book on romance writing, and How Do I Love Thee? (Allen & Unwin, 2009) a unique collection of love stories written by Australia’s top selling and award-winning authors. Valerie is the first Australian author to receive a Pioneer of Romance Award recognising her contributions to the field of romance writing. The award was presented to Valerie by Romantic Times Book Reviews Magazine at their annual Booklovers' Convention in Los Angeles this year. Follow Valerie on Twitter @valerieparv. More including a complete list of Valerie’s books are at www.valerieparv.com.
Today, time-poor agents and editors say they read two pages or less (sometimes much less) of a submission from an author before deciding whether to request a full manuscript. They see writers facing the same challenges time after time. This workshop shows you how to recognise and overcome these challenges in your work, improving your chance of getting to the next stage.
Some flaws are obvious, such as grammar and spelling. Spellcheck has a lot to answer for. Others are subtle. Do we care about a character before they’re thrown into harm’s way? How can you be sure? If a synopsis is required, does yours work for your book or against it? Are there differences in what you submit to an agent and an editor?
Participants are invited to bring along the first two pages of their work in progress for discussion. We’ll examine aspects such as where your story really starts; why you should identify your characters up front; and whether you’re telling rather than showing.
We’ll also workshop skills such as selling a book in a sentence – the so-called “elevator pitch”; in 2-3 paragraphs, and in a synopsis. What you put in - or leave out – can make the difference between slush pile and success.
Costs: $25 for KSP-members and $40 for non-members. Booking and payment in advance is essential. Optional payment by direct deposit - details here.
Join us at KSP to listen to Established Writer-in-Residence, Valerie Parv, read her work. Meet other authors and enjoy a three-course candle-lit dinner. Bring your own favourite drinks.
Costs: $25 for KSP-members and $30 for non-members. Booking and payment in advance essential. Optional payment by direct deposit - details here.
David Whish-Wilson
Learn about crime story structure and using multiple points of view. David Whish-Wilson references everything from TV series such as The Wire and Oz to Joseph Conrad’s The Secret Agent and the novels of George Pelecanos.
David Whish-Wilson was born in Newcastle, NSW but grew up in Singapore, Victoria and WA. He left Australia in his teens to travel for ten years in Europe, Africa and Asia. During this time he began to publish short stories in Australia, and had a longer piece short-listed for the Vogel/Australian Literary Award. His first novel 'The Summons' was published by Random House in 2006. His second novel, ‘Line of Sight’, was published by Penguin Australia in 2010, and was recently short-listed for a Ned Kelly Award. David has taught in the prison system in both WA and Fiji, where he started the country’s first prisoner writing program, which now operates in all Fijian prisons. He currently lives in Fremantle, Western Australia, where he teaches creative writing at Curtin University.
Amanda Curtin
Short Fiction as Photograph: exploiting form
American writer Lorrie Moore says that while a novel is like a film, a short story is like a photograph. This master class is designed to analyse what short stories do best and to develop skills in making the most of these strengths.
Amanda Curtin writes fiction and has worked as a freelance book editor for more than 25 years (accredited, Institute of Professional Editors)). Her first novel, The Sinkings, was published in 2008 (UWA Publishing). She has also won numerous awards for short fiction, including the University of Canberra National Short Story Award, and her collection, Inherited, is being published by UWA Publishing in late 2011. Amanda has been writer-in-residence at the Tasmanian Writers Centre in Hobart (2009) and was the recipient of a Hawthornden Fellowship at Hawthornden International Writers Retreat in Scotland (2010) and an Australia Council residency at the Tyrone Guthrie Centre in Ireland (2011). Amanda has a PhD in Writing. She has lectured and conducted master classes and workshops in writing and editing (Perth, Brisbane, Hobart, Launceston, Singapore, regional Western Australia), and has provided one-on-one mentoring sessions with emerging writers
Costs: $100 for KSP-members and $160 for non-members (Includes Part 1 and Part 2). Booking and payment in advance essential. Optional payment by direct deposit - details here.
Booking and payment in advance essential. Optional payment by direct deposit - details here.
One position is available for a full-time period of 4 weeks, or equivalent part time in 2013.
The Established Writer-in-Residence should have achieved major publication and have demonstrated a commitment towards furthering the status and practice of writing among his/her peers and the community in general. Experience in preparation for and conducting of workshops and seminars is desirable.
Please find the application form and more information on http://www.kspf.iinet.net.au/writer_res_info.html.
Three positions are available for the week of Sun 18 Nov – Tue 27 Nov 2012.
Three Young Writers, up to the age of twenty-five years, will be selected for a 10-day residency at the Katharine Susannah Prichard Writers' Centre, Greenmount. The residents will receive a salary of $650 and be given writing space and time to concentrate on, develop or complete a work in progress. The writer will also be invited to participate in Katharine Susannah Prichard (KSP) Writers' Centre activities.
The Selection Committee will be looking for a talented young writers able to show application to the craft of writing. It is expected that the writers will have some published material in the print, visual or broadcast media. Ideally, applicants should be working towards achieving their first major full-length publication. Applicants may conduct a workshop at the Centre during their residency. If the applicant wishes to do so full support will be given to that endeavour by the Centre. However, applicants who do not want to present a workshop will NOT be penalised.
Please find the application form and more information on http://www.kspf.iinet.net.au/writer_res_info.html.
Richard Rossiter
Voice and Point of View
A reading/writing workshop where participants will have the opportunity to see how meaning is shaped and altered, often subtly, by shifts in tone and point of view.The session will be practice based and, where possible, draw on samples of writing by members of the class.
Associate Professor Richard Rossiter is a very experienced teacher of literature and supervisor of higher degrees in Writing. He has published a range of critical works, both books and articles. His latest publications are in the journal Westerly and in The Kid on the Karaoke Stage and other stories. His most recent book length work is Arrhythmia: Stories of Desire, UWA Press, 2009.
Rachel Robertson
Memoir and Autobiographical Fiction
Many writers mine their own lives for their works of fiction. Others tell part of their own story in a memoir. In this master class, we will explore how to use personal experience to create works that have a wider resonance and meaning.
We will explore:
The workshop will be structured, with handouts provided. It will be interactive and participants will write their own work from prompts (although opportunities to read and share this work will be limited by time).
Dr Rachel Robertson is a lecturer in Professional Writing and Publishing at Curtin University. Her memoir Reaching One Thousand was published by Black Inc. in 2012. Her essays, short fiction and articles have been published in many journals and anthologies, including Griffith Review, Westerly, Island, Life Writing and Best Australian Essays. In 2008 she was joint winner of the Australian Book Review’s Calibre Award for Outstanding Essay. Her research interests include life writing, disability, motherhood and creative non-fiction. For further information, please see http://www.rachelrobertson.net.au.
Costs: $100 for KSP-members and $160 for non-members (Includes Part 1 and Part 2). Booking and payment in advance essential. Optional payment by direct deposit - details here.
Celebrated entrepreneur, Author and public speaker, Miles Burke, has been in the web industry since 1994. Author of The Principles of Successful Freelancing (SitePoint, 2008) and Founding Chairperson of the Australian Web Industry Association, Miles regularly speaks at events and conferences, and contributes articles to well-known magazines about the digital space. Miles is also Managing Director of award-winning Western Australian website company, Bam Creative.
Costs: $25 for KSP-members and $40 for non-members. Booking and payment in advance essential. Optional payment by direct deposit - details here.
Book Week is the longest running children's festival in Australia and is celebrating its 67th year in 2010. Every year, Book Week, which is run by the Children's Book Council of Australia, aims to highlight and promote the importance and enjoyment of reading among young Australians. Many schools, public libraries and children's organisations run activities and dress-up parades throughout the week.
Come along to the Katharine Susannah Prichard Writers Centre for a fascinating afternoon. Attend the Award Presentations, listen to the readings from the winning entries and hear the judge's report on the outstanding quality of this year's entries. Afternoon tea.
Costs: Open to the public. Gold coin donation for afternoon tea.
For more information visit www.wapoets.net.au/pages/festival/poetryfestival.html.
Author of The Sacred Moon Tree, Bradbury Press, 1986, nominated for the Washington Irving Children's Book Award, Laura's poetry has appeared in literary magazines in the US, Italy, New Zealand and Australia. In 1996, she immigrated to Australia where she initiated Dangerously Poetic reading series and community press. Her collection, Breathworks, was launched at the Byron Writers Festival in 2002 by Dorothy Porter. She won the 2009 FAW John Shaw Nielson Award and the 2006 CJ Dennis "Open Poetry" Literary Award. Her latest book, Water over Stone, won IP Picks Best Poetry 2011 and is published by Brisbane publisher, Interactive Press.
Since 2005, the Mundaring Arts Centre biennially showcases the art of literary and book art through the month-long heARTlines Children’s Literature and Book Illustration Festival. A wide range of events, workshops and displays support a fascinating exhibition of strong interest to adults, children and teenagers alike.
For further information visit www.mundaringartscentre.com.
Three positions are available for a full-time period of 4 weeks, or equivalent part time in 2013.
Emerging does not mean beginner. Preference for one position will be given to a WA regional writer or a Culturally and Linguistically Diverse writer.The Selection Committee will be looking for talented writers able to show application to the craft of writing. It is expected that selected writers will have some published material, in the print, visual or broadcast media. Ideally, applicants should be working towards achieving their first major full-length publication.
Please find the application form and more information on http://www.kspf.iinet.net.au/writer_res_info.html.
Instead of sitting in a class taking notes about passive voice, you will be doing it, living it , being the writer and editor and illustrator and book publisher in the pressure boiler of a 12-hour deadline.
In a single day, on a date that you choose, you and your team will plan, write, illustrate, print and bind a 2000-8000 word book. Then you celebrate. Team writing? You will be surprised. It is wonderful fun. There are also awards for the best books.
For more information visit www.writeabookinaday.com.
Join us for our fourth biennial one day speculative fiction get together of writers and readers. This is a must visit for Western Australian writers and fans of speculative fiction – a chance to meet writers and editors for a low entry fee. Tea and coffee and cheap lunches available.
Mingle with established Western Australian writers and editors from all areas of speculative fiction – science fiction, fantasy, dark fantasy and horror. You will have the opportunity to sit in on discussion panels, meet up with other fans and buy books.
This workshop is especially for both new and experienced poets but would also be suitable for writers of memoir and fiction. It will stimulate 2 or 3 writing "starts" that could be evolved into poems or a personal essay or memoir or a short fiction piece. Poetry sharpens our ear to potent language and teaches us how to distil memories into their essence.
Costs: $25 for KSP-members and $40 for non-members. Booking and payment in advance essential. Optional payment by direct deposit - details here.
Join us at KSP to listen to Emerging Writer-in-Residence, Laura Jan Shore, read her work. Meet other authors and enjoy a three-course candle-lit dinner. Bring your own favourite drinks.
Costs: $25 for KSP-members and $30 for non-members. Booking and payment in advance essential. Optional payment by direct deposit - details here.
SHORT FICTION AWARDS - 2 categories: (Open to all Australian residents.)
KAREN W TREANOR AWARDS - 2 categories: (Open only to Western Australian residents.)
Winners will be announced on Katharine's Birthday on Sunday 2 December 2012.
Please find the entry form and more information on http://www.kspf.iinet.net.au/activities.html#competitions.
In this three-hour workshop, Deb will explore the crucial importance of editing, from the structure of a book or document through to the selection of words and the placement of punctuation. Suitable for published and unpublished writers, this workshop will include time to work on participants’ own work, which they are encouraged to bring along.
Deb Fitzpatrick is a writer and a freelance editor. Her first book, 90 Packets of Instant Noodles (Fremantle Press, 2010), a novel for teenagers, was listed as a ‘notable book’ in the Children’s Book Council of Australia 2010 awards. Have You Seen Ally Queen? (Fremantle Press) is due out in September 2011. Deb has an MA (creative writing) from UWA, and has been working as an editor for more than 15 years. She now specialises in fiction editing, and works with UWA Publishing and Fremantle Press, as well as individual writers.
Costs: $25 for KSP-members and $40 for non-members. Booking and payment in advance essential. Optional payment by direct deposit - details here.
An invitation to writers of fiction: this is an opportunity for you to have a one-to-one discussion with creative writing lecturer and award-winning novelist, Julienne van Loon, regarding your ideas for a proposed book-length work. Interested applicants should submit a 350 word synopsis and a 3000-5000 word excerpt from the proposed work to “Encouraging Words” c/- Katharine Susannah Prichard Writers' Centre, 11 Old York Rd, Greenmount, WA, 6056, to be received by close-of-business on Friday 14 September 2012. You must be available to meet in person with Julienne on Saturday 20 October 2012 at an allocated time of one hour between 10am and 4pm. A maximum of six submissions will be accepted for assessment. Discussions will include an appraisal of the work submitted and dialogue around your goals, dreams and ideas for the longer work. Julienne may make reading recommendations, help you to set up an achievable set of goals for the proposed book, or provide advice on relevant skills development opportunities. The aim is to provide supportive and constructive feedback to help you achieve your aims.
Julienne van Loon is a Senior Lecturer in Creative Writing at Curtin University. She is the author of two novels: Road Story (2005) and Beneath the Bloodwood Tree (2008). Her shorter works have been published in The Monthly, and Griffith Review. She is currently the fiction editor at Westerly journal.
Costs: $150 for KSP-members and $190 for non-members. Booking and payment in advance essential.Optional payment by direct deposit - details here.
You are warmly invited to the official launch of the Writefree Women’s Group’s 16th anthology. Join them at Katharine’s Place for an afternoon of stories and poems. Afternoon tea provided. Ever wanted to have your stories published? Come along, join us and find out how. Cost: FREE!
Costs: TBA. Booking and payment in advance essential.
The Darlington Art Festival is held on the Darlington Oval on the first week-end in November. KSP will have a stand in one of the pavillions on both days, selling books by their members, and answering questions about the Centre, its writers retreats, workshops, dinners and writing groups.
For more information visit www.darlingtonartsfestival.org.au.
Writing Marathon: starting lines, music samples, pictures, sticks and stones….a variety of prompts to kindle the creative spirit and generate writing ideas. Suitable for both prose and poetry writers of all levels of experience. Based upon the ideas of Natalie Goldberg, with the length of the writing stint linked to increasing fluidity and a wider exploration of thoughts.
Kevin Gillam: is a West Australian writer with two books of poems published, “Other Gravities” (2003) and “permitted to fall”(2007), both by Sunline Press. He has also has had two chapbooks published by Picaro Press, “shouting, drowning” (2005) and “closer to now” (2010). He has been a guest poet at Festivals in Tasmania, Queensland, Melbourne and Darwin, and broadcast on ABC Radio National’s “Poetica”. His poems have also been published in numerous Australian and overseas journals, including ‘Best Australian Poems’ and ‘The Best Australian Poetry’. Recent awards include the Reason-Brisbane Poetry Prize (2010) and the Shepparton Literary Festival Poetry Award (2011).
Costs: $25 for KSP-members and $40 for non-members. Booking and payment in advance essential. Optional payment by direct deposit - details here.
During their residency, the three Young Writers will be staying and writing in KSP's writers' retreats, reading their work at a literary dinner, attending writing groups and giving workshops. These residencies are sponsored by the Department of the Culture and the Arts.
Join us at KSP for an evening of readings from our three Young Writers-in-Residence. Meet other authors and enjoy a three-course candle-lit dinner. Bring your own favourite drinks.
Costs: $25 for KSP-members and $30 for non-members. Booking and payment in advance essential. Optional payment by direct deposit - details here.
Join us at Katharine’s Place for our special celebration. You are warmly invited to take part in the Awards Ceremonies of two annual competitions, namely the Karen W Treanor Poetry Award and the KSP’s Short Fiction Award. Many of these winners will share with us extracts of their winning stories. The celebrations will also honour our numerous volunteers, present a tribute to Katharine and give tours of the heritage listed house and garden. A delicious lunch and afternoon tea will be available for a gold coin donation. Everybody is welcome to join us for this special occasion!
The Thursday Night Group will launch its 13th anthology with readings, theatre and a large array of food. Authors will be present to sell and sign copies. Costs: $5 for KSP-members, $8 non-members.
Name of Account: KSP Society CHEQUE ACCOUNT
BSB: 306-041
Acct No: 4191445
Please use a recognisable reference (eg. SURNAME WORKSHOP NAME). Then email your booking and payment details to kspf@iinet.net.au.
The Writers-in-Residence and some of the programs for Young Writers are funded by The Department of Culture and the Arts. The Young Writers' categories in the KSP Speculative Fiction Award and the KSP Short Fiction Award are funded by the Shire of Mundaring and Karen W Treanor Poetry 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.