Highlights
Link to the Photo Gallery1993: GETTING STARTED
Jim Vicars, Joe Massingham (then Master of Wright College at the
University of New England) and other New England writers lobbied local
and State support for the establishment of a New England Writers’
Centre. Jim Vicars chaired an interim committee, and Michael Sharkey
was invited to become Chair of the Board on 30 August. The committee
adopted a constitution, and incorporated the organisation. The New
South Wales Ministry for the Arts encouraged a submission for funding
and approved a grant of $5,000 towards administration and projects for
1994.
From 1993 until 1997, the New England
Writers’ Centre sought a permanent home. Wright College hosted
committee meetings, and literary events took place there and in many
Armidale and regional venues.
1994: EARLY ACTIVITIES
At the first AGM on 28 January 1994, the elected board consisted mostly
of writers: Michael Sharkey (Chair), Paul Packham (Treasurer), Jim
Vicars (Secretary & Public Affairs), Joe Massingham, Val Chubb,
Kaye Mill and Dan Byrnes. They were later joined by Greg Shortis, Pat
Lightfoot, Sandra Kerr, Joan Robb, Susan McMichael, Rex Kearns and
Arthur Chaffey.
Activities sponsored by NEWC in 1994
In response to a questionnaire circulated in the region, the Centre
sponsored readings and workshops by regional and visiting writers and
performers. The Centre sponsored regional writers Terry Larsen, Sophie
Masson, Pat Lightfoot, Joe Massingham, Andrew McCue, and Sue Fell.
Events were held in Armidale, Tamworth, Moree, Coffs Harbour and
Bellingen.
Visiting writers included Susan
Hampton, Gabrielle Lord, Mark Scrivener, Ursula Dubosarsky and Barbara
Brooks (all at Armidale), John Forbes (at Inverell, Guyra and Armidale)
and American poet Yusuf Komunyaaka (at Tamworth and Armidale).
At the end of 1994, Jim Vicars and Michael Sharkey, with
Neil James (Project Officer with the NSW Ministry for the Arts) met
with the University of New England Vice Chancellor Bruce Thom and
Deputy Vice Chancellor John Sharpham to discuss joint NSW Ministry and
UNE sponsorship of accommodation for the Centre.
1995
In 1995, the Centre sought a salaried, part-time coordinator. Lesley
Sly was appointed, and she commenced in July. Her first act on the
Centre’s behalf was to attend the Regional Writers’ Centre conference
at the NSW Writers’ Centre, at which LitLink (a formal linking of NSW
Writers’ Centres) was established.
In January
1995, the Centre sponsored a Festival of Words & Music at
Wright College. During the year, regular events includes poetry
readings at Rumours café in Armidale, and a series of workshops held by
Sophie Masson, Alana Valentine, and other locals and visitors.
Melbourne writer Mary Lord spoke on her biography of Hal Porter; Malina
Marchetta gave talks on her work, at Inverell and Moree, and New
England writers were featured at readings throughout the region as well
as in Brisbane. Visitors to New England included The Poets on Wheels
group, and Melbourne poets Geoff prince and Phil Ilton.
1996
The NSW Ministry and the University of New England collaborated to
provide accommodation for the Centre. The University donated the
caretaker’s lodge, a two-bedroom dwelling adjacent to the old Teachers
College in Kentucky Street, Armidale. Renovation work commenced at the
end of the year.
Meanwhile, the program of
activities grew to include year-round readings, talks, workshops,
master-classes and literary festivities. Historian Graham Wilson,
playwright Terry Larsen, and the Centre’s coordinator Lesley Sly ran
courses for children at Camp Creative. Visiting writers included many
from interstate, such as South Australian poet Geoff Goodfellow,
Western Australian poets Tracey Ryan and John Kinsella, and Canberra
writers Geoff Page and Anne Edgeworth. Chris Mansell read and ran
courses for high school students, Koori writer Kathleen Schilling ran a
workshop on researching Aboriginal family history (at the Aboriginal
Cultural centre); Amanda Midlam ran a writing workshop at Armidale;
Rosemary Mort, Tony Gillies (Northern Daily Leader) and Lesley Sly ran
a workshop on journalism and marketing of work, and Gwen Kelly, Tony
Scanlon, Sue Woolfe and Dorothy Porter read and discussed their work.
1997
At the 31 January AGM, 1997, it was decided that the title of
Coordinator be changed to Director in line with other Centres’
practice. The Centre’s new premises were opened on 10 May 1997 by Kate
Grenville, with State MP Ray Chappell representing the NSW Ministry for
the Arts.
In April, Michael Sharkey, Felicity
Plunkett, Yve Louis, Tony Bennett gave talks on writing and publishing
to readers and writers at Moree, Narrabri, Inverell, Glen Innes, and
Tamworth. Regular reading groups were maintained throughout the year by
Yves Louis, Val Chubb, Jane O’Sullivan and others. Local writers Jim
Vicars, Kaye Mill and Joe Massingham gave talks and readings at
Tamworth. Joe Massingham, John Bishop and Pip Powell visited Gunnedah
and Quirindi. Chris Kelen and Judith Eburn were writers –m residence at
Kentucky Street in 1997.
Patti Miller and Les Murray gave
readings and talks in Armidale, and writers who followed included John
Bishop, Kate Grenville, MTC Cronin, Lauren Williams, Tug Dumbly, John
Marsden, Sophie Masson, and Beverley Harper. During the October Writing
Festival, John Marsden, Sophie Masson, Leonie Rutherford, and Wendy
Smith debated children’s literature and gave public talks, readings,
and workshops.
1998
Regular reading groups and workshops were maintained throughout 1998: a
series of ‘drop-in workshops’ coordinated by Yves Louis; readings and
discussions on the essay form (Val Chubb); ‘Reading, writing and
gender’ readings; a workshop on the styles of workshops for different
age groups (Joe Massingham); a workshop on ‘how to get published’ by
Lesley Sly. Other events included the following:
• Maurice Briffa (‘Turning family history into fiction’ and ‘Romance’;
• Gabrielle Lord and Roger Johnson: public talks, a literary lunch, and
a workshop on researching, writing, and reading crime fiction;
• a regional writers’ tour and meetings with regional writers in Moree,
Narrabri and Tamworth;
• workshops by writer-in-residence
David Reiter (Qld poet & editor);
• a youth project
coordinated by Tim Rushton;
• Mary Hutchinson, discussing
family stories and writing (‘Out of the Ordinary’) at Gunnedah;
• an evening dedicated to ‘The funny side’, on humour in (their own and
others’) writing;
• Judith Ridge (President of NSW Children’s
Book Council) on writing for children
• a public talk by
Mungo MacCallum and Bob Ellis (‘The Long Lunch’) at Tattersalls Hotel,
Armidale;
• a reading and workshop by novelist Carmel Bird;
• the launch of the LitLink CD at NEWC. Five New England writers are
represented on the CD (of work from NSW Writers’ Centres).
1999
The Centre’s main projects were a Writing Festival in May and another
in October, and an ambitious project to take writers into schools and
libraries in the New England region. Eleven writers carried out 77
events in seventeen schools, bookshops and libraries in Armidale,
Tamworth, Moree, Glen Innes, Wollomombi and at the Centre. Writers
involved in Young Writers Week activities included Jill Morris, Richard
Harland, Sophie Masson, John Heffernan, Judith Eburn, Sue Ingleton,
Cathie Craigie, Joe Massingham, Julie Fuad and book illustrator Julie
Vivas.
We continued to offer regular events at
the Centre: discussions on the essay form (Yve Louis); ‘Reading Women’
(Lesley Sly); prose reading and writing (Judith Eburn); poetry (Yve
Louis); the Nineveh Club (a social gathering dedicated to lovers of
books and writing (Val Chubb). There was also a full program of other
activities:
• Dan Byrnes’ discussion sessions
on the topic of yarning;
• Meet the Editors (Rosemary Mort,
Winifred Belmont, Jim Vicars, Yve Louis);
• An evening with
novelist Matt Condon, and a workshop on ‘A Writing Life’;
•
Tim Rushton’s youth writing and performance group with twenty-five high
school students;
• an advanced poetry workshop (Michael
Sharkey);
• An evening with Anita Heiss;
• a
literary breakfast on the theme ‘The Author is Dead’ (hosted by Gwen
Kelly, Liz Horne, Felicity Plunkett, Joe Massingham & Joe
Massingham);
• a on self-publishing (Anita Heiss);
• Julie Fuad reading and discussing her book One of My Daughters;
• Julie Vivas discussing children’s book illustrating;
•
Cathie Craigie’s workshop on Koori writing (at the Aboriginal Cultural
Centre);
• a panel on writing for children (Jill Morris, John
Heffernan and Judith Eburn);
• Richard Harland reading,
discussing and workshopping science fiction writing;
• a
reading and launch (by State MP Richard Torbay) of the New England
Writers’ anthology Skylines at Caffiends café (and subsequent readings
at Tamworth;
• Breakfast with Sue Woolfe, and a workshop on
‘Writing Dangerously’, followed by book signing at Dymocks;
•
Alan Valentine on ‘Writing for Radio’;
• Barbara Brooks
talking on and workshopping ‘Creative nonfiction’;
• A
literary lunch and discussion with Armidale historian John Ferry.
2000
In addition to ongoing readings, discussion and reading groups and
workshops (including a ‘drop-in’ weekly workshop session, and a popular
fiction writing session held by Wendy James), the following major
events were sponsored in 2000.
• ‘Writing for Media’
discussion and workshop (Lesley Sly);
• ‘Writing for the
Internet’ (Dan Byrnes);
• a workshop on ‘Drama for Radio’
(Barbara Albury;
• Readings by NEWC members at ‘Art in the
Garden’ at Newling campus;
• ‘Writing for Radio’ (Alana
Valentine);
• Wendy McCarthy author talk at the New England
Regional Art Museum (NERAM);
• Robyn Davidson reading ‘Desert
Tracks’, as part of a literary dinner at NERAM; following this, (at
NEWC) a workshop on writing of memoirs;
• Steven Herrick’s
poetry readings, performances and discussions at NEWC and in regional
schools;
• a literary breakfast with Jennifer Maiden and
Julian Croft, and reading by Jennifer Maiden at NEWC;
• a
‘Novel weekend’ with author Charlotte Wood;
• Readings and a
short story masterclass with Rosie Scott on fiction;
• A
literary debate ‘Fact into Fiction’ with Rosie Scott, Christopher Koch
& Michael Sharkey at the UNE Union’s annual Literary Awards
(the debate co-sponsored by NEWC and the UNE Union);
• a
literary breakfast with novelist Christopher Koch at Caffiends Café;
• a dramatised reading of the script of The Green Prince at NERAM. The
Writers’ Centre, in conjunction with the Armadillos theatre company,
successfully applied for a grant from the Armidale Dumaresq City of the
Arts fund toward a production of the play based on a story by Sophie
Masson;
• ‘Shaping Experience’ – readings and discussions
by authors Gillian Hanscombe and Suniti Namjoshi.
2001
During 2001, Janice Burn was employed as Office Manager for 3 hours per
week, to assist with refining and developing systems to cope with the
new GST and Business Activity Statement requirements, and to assist
with grant acquittals.
Regular events held at the Centre in
2001 included ‘Read Your Work’ meetings (coordinated by Janice Burn);
‘Exercises in wiring’ and ‘Creative writing’ classes by Wendy James.
The major projects for 2001 were the Spring Writers’ Festival and the
production of The Green Prince.
Highlights of 2001 included
these events:
• poet Jennifer Maiden talking on ‘Issues in
Poetry’ with Julian Croft and providing a one-day workshop at Armidale;
• The ‘Isolated Writers Tour’ undertaken by poet and novelist John Muk
Muk Burke, with Kaye Mill and Lesley Sly at Inverell, Boggabri, Moree,
Narrabri and Gunnedah;
• Gretel Killeen’s forum and
workshop on children’s writing and writing for children;
•
Kerry Greenwood’s talks on crime writing
• Robert Drewe
speaking at the UNE Union Literary Awards an event cosponsored by the
UNE Union and the Writers’ Centre. Robert Drewe also gave a talk at
NERAM.
• Editor Carl Harrison-Ford’s workshop on editing
prose at NEWC
• Eighteen performances of The Green Prince at
the Arts Theatre at UNE.
• The launch of Marilla North’s book
Yarn Spinners;
• Sylvia Martin’s reading from her book
Passionate Friends.
2002
On 4 March 2002, the University of New England transferred ownership of
the Kentucky Street premises housing the NEWC to the Armidale-Dumaresq
Council. Literary critic and scholar Stephen Harris was a part-time
writer-in-residence at the Centre.
Highlights of the year included the following:
• ‘Women writing women’ at NERAM: Wendy James, Kristal Yee, Shari
Kocher, Jill Adamson, and a reading from Bette Guy’s play, The Other
Side of the Lake;
• Jan Cornall’s 3-day intensive workshop
on ‘A Life Worth Writing – A Life worth Telling’;
• Bette
Guy’s intensive script writing workshop;
• Marele Day’s
reading and discussion of her novel, A Reading of Mrs Cook at Dymocks,
and a writing workshop at NEWC;
• Rosie Scott’s one-day
intensive workshop;
• Karla Meyer’s journal workshop at NEWC.
2003 2003 Spring Writers' Festival
The Centre announced early in 2003 that major undertakings for the year
would be the publication of a journal of members’ work, and the Spring
Writers’ Festival. The anthology is edited by Wendy James, and the
publication will be distributed free throughout the region.
Early in the year, Stephen Harris held a workshop on ‘New roads to
research’, Karla Meyer held another day-long session on journals and
journal writing, and Michael Sharkey collaborated with the UNE Literary
Society to present a seminar on preparing work for publication. Wendy
James continued to hold popular writing classes in response to growing
demand.
The Centre collaborated with organisers
of the Uralla Book Festival on several September events. Fantasy writer
Ian Irvine and poets Julian Croft and David Evans were featured at
Uralla and Armidale readings and talks. Dorothy Porter discussed the
book and the movie of The Monkey’s Mask at Armidale, and was guest at a
literary breakfast and a literary dinner at Uralla.
2006
2007
Workshops:
- Getting Started (Wendy James)
- Making Stories (Wendy James)
- Writing Gym (Wendy James)
- Polishing for publication (Wendy James)
- Writing for profit (Lesley Sly)
- The art of reviewing (Michael Sharkey)
In addition to ongoing readings, discussion and reading groups, the following major events were sponsored in 2007:
- Miles Merrill - Performance poet, Miles Merrill, toured schools and libraries in the New England region and hosted regional heats for the NSW State Library's SLAM07 Poetry Competition. He also held workshops for the Armidale Dumaresq Council's Together Together project.
- Youth Online - Following on from our pilot program in 2006, the second part of our Youth Online project was expanded this year to include more schools, including some in isolated locations.
- Susan Mitchell - author,
broadcaster, biographer
- Lunch with Susan Mitchell
- Writing a life - workshop.
- History Week
- Celebrating History & Identity in New England,
events for History Week, in conjunction with the History Council of
NSW.
Presented by NEWC, Australian History at UNE, and the Aboriginal Cultural Centre & Keeping Place, and featuring Henry Reynolds, Roger McDonald, David Roberts and Julian Croft.- Drawing the Global Colour Line :A public seminar with Henry Reynolds, discussing the findings in the new book he has co-written with Marilyn Lake.
- Aboriginal Massacres across the New England Region: A discussion between Henry Reynolds and Aboriginal elders.
- The importance of national identity to Australian writing: A panel discussion. This event was opened by Mr Richard Torbay, MLA.
- Making Fiction Work in History: A workshop (Roger McDonald)
- Manuscript consultations with Peter Bishop, director of Varuna - The Writers' House.