Somerset Celebration of Literature
Melbourne Theatre Company

Events

Events

Welcome to the Good Reading Events Calendar! Here you'll find book-related events near you. From festivals, exhibitions, author talks, book signings and launches to literary lunches and dinners, there's always something happening in the book world.

Browse events sorted by:
In Living Memory Exhibition NSW: Sydney - CBD

N/A, 08-Sep-2006 to 01-Sep-2010
State Records Gallery, 2 Globe Street, The Rocks, SYDNEY

In June 1977, the official records of the former New South Wales Aborigines Welfare Board were transferred to the protection of State Records, the NSW Government archives institution. Along with the Board's correspondence, reports and ledgers, there were approximately 1000 loosely stored black and white photographs of Aboriginal people taken between 1919 and 1966. These images are the surviving photographic records of the NSW Aborigines Welfare Board.

In Living Memory — an exhibition based on the photographs — opened to the public at State Records Gallery in The Rocks on 8 September 2006. The exhibition has been so well received that it has been extended twice and a separate touring version is travelling to 17 venues around New South Wales until 2010.

The Board photographs do not provide a complete picture of Indigenous life from the 1920s to the 1960s. Some people and places are represented by many photographs; others by a few or none at all. However, the process of meeting with Indigenous communities to research, develop and present the exhibition has begun to bring new life to those historical records that have survived. In Living Memory is helping to create a new purpose and place for the photographs within contemporary Indigenous life.

Tel: N/A
View the website for more details

THE DROWSY CHAPERONE - Melbourne Theatre Company VIC: Melbourne - CBD

Various times, 18-Jan-2010 to 20-Feb-2010

the Arts Centre, Playhouse
100 St Kilda Road, Melbourne VIC 3000

Geoffrey Rush stars as a die-hard musical theatre fan who invites us into his dreary living room. As he drops the needle on his all-time favourite album, an outrageously funny musical from the 1920s, The Drowsy Chaperone, bursts into life complete with a pampered starlet, gangsters, chorus girls and all manner of mayhem.

With a star-studded cast, sequin-drenched costumesand dazzling new production numbers, The Drowsy Chaperone is a jazz-hot trip back to the golden age of musicals when stars had charisma, Broadway had romance and Rodgers had Hart.

Don’t miss this five time Tony Award winning lollapalooza of a show.

Tickets: $95-$130
Book: mtc.com.au or 03 8688 0800 / theartscentre.com.au or 1300 182 183

Tel: 03 8688 0800
Email: info@mtc.com.au
View the website for more details

The Journeying Self with Beth Yahp NSW: Sydney - CBD

10am - 4pm, 30-Jan-2010 to 20-Feb-2010

NSW Writers' Centre

Rozelle Hospital Grounds

Balmain Rd, Rozelle

This practical and popular writing course takes the journey as its starting point. It is interested in how journeys shape identity: how the self observes, reacts, transforms or even reinvents itself as we travel through space and time, and how to capture these observations on the page. It is for anyone interested in travel writing (journey narratives) and life writing (memoir) that is reflective and engaging, utilizing the skills of both fiction and personal narrative.

The course considers both the outer and inner journeys of the self: through space, time, heart and mind. You, the traveller, will focus your seeing eye, your heart’s ear. You will share tips, techniques and practices to help you capture their fruits on paper.

Run over four Saturdays from 10am - 4pm. Full price $540. Discounts apply for NSW Writers' Centre members. Click for bookings and membership.

Tel: 9555 9757
Email: workshops@nswwriterscentre.org.au
View the website for more details

THE SWIMMING CLUB - Melbourne Theatre Company VIC: Melbourne - CBD

Various times, 30-Jan-2010 to 14-Mar-2010

MTC Theatre, Sumner
140 Southbank Blvd
Southbank VIC 3006

In 1983, when they were footloose and fancy free, they spent one glorious summer together working and loving on a Greek island. Now that they are middle-class, middle-aged, mid-career and mortgaged to the hilt, do they really want to carry all their burdens halfway round the world for a reunion?

Life issues no return tickets. So perhaps the best that the successful yet not quite - satisfied characters in Hannie Rayson’s comedy can hope for in their travels is to find a face there they loved when all was young.

Tickets: $30-$84

Tel: 03 8688 0800
Email: info@mtc.com.au
View the website for more details

Short Story Lab by Email with Julie Chevalier Australia Wide: Australia Wide

N/A, 04-Feb-2010 to 20-May-2010
Online

Want to write short stories but can’t make it to a course or workshop? Need individual feedback on your work without leaving the house? Join widely published writer and teacher Julie Chevalier for an online, interactive short story writing course.

This is a lab where you can experiment.  Every three weeks you will receive an exercise and excerpts from short stories (by writers such as Ernest Hemingway, Alice Munro, Pam Houston and Tina Lupton) and related materials by e-mail. Explore the materials, write a portion of your short story in response to the exercises, and e-mail three pages to the tutor.  Then you receive the next materials, and the tutor’s constructive comments. At the conclusion the tutor will provide comments on your 3,000 word short story.

Full price is $450. Click for bookings.

Tel: 9555 9757
Email: workshops@nswwriterscentre.org.au
View the website for more details

Saturday Playwright's Course with Timothy Daly NSW: Sydney - CBD

1pm - 4pm, 06-Feb-2010 to 17-Apr-2010
NSW Writers' Centre, Rozelle

In 2010, the NSW Writers’ Centre will be the venue for a year-long, 30-session intensive course and play workshop that takes you from start to finish, conducted by one of Australia’s most experienced teachers of writing, multi-award winning playwright Timothy Daly.

The Saturday Playwrights’ Course is suitable both for beginners and more experienced writers wishing to use the weekly deadlines as a structure by which to finish a full-length play.

How the Course Works:
This course has been designed to be the most comprehensive and content-rich in the country. It combines an in-depth analytical approach to writing with a hands-on, intuitive, practical method of working. During the year long course, you will write a full-length play, guided every step of the way.

Each week you will receive extensive notes, along with creative writing exercises which Timothy Daly has devised over his many years of teaching. The first half of each session is devoted to the learning of new writing concepts, and the second half will involve reading, workshopping and analysis of your developing plays and creative exercises. The emphasis is on learning the techniques of theatre writing by seeing the results of your work acted out in front of you every week.

This course will run in three 10-week phases spread over 2010. You can join for a phase or two only, or commit to the entire course. Phase one begins Saturday 6 February and runs until Saturday 17 April, 1pm - 4pm. Full price $850. Discount of 30% for NSW Writers' Centre members. Click for bookings and membership.

Tel: 9555 9757
Email: workshops@nswwriterscentre.org.au
View the website for more details

Introduction to Professional Editing NSW: Sydney - CBD

10am - 4pm, 06-Feb-2010 to 10-Apr-2010
NSW Writers' Centre, Rozelle

Let Deb take you through an editor’s work, from the basic techniques to specific editorial style matters and issues. You will find out what an editor does, how to improve and tighten other people’s writing, and how to become and remain a self-employed editor.

 

Discover easy ways to solve the common problems that writers encounter and that professional editors and proofreaders “invisibly mend”. Learn about the nine parts of speech, construction of English and all the punctuation marks. Come to grips with copy editing, proofreading, structural editing and the standard editing marks. Learn how to survive and thrive as a professional editor.

 

This course is suitable for people looking to start a career in editing, as well as for practising editors and people looking for a “taster”. In each session, you work with a range of sample documents, exercises and handouts. Deb provides each participant with an itemised statement of participation at the end of the course.

 

Students are welcome to attend any or all of the eight sessions. However, students attending any of sessions four to eight will find themselves disadvantaged if they have not also been to sessions one, two and three. These first three sessions are a grammar and punctuation intensive and include essential material that you need to refer to later on in the course.

 

Run over eight Saturdays from 10am - 4pm. Full price $1080. Discount of 30% applies for NSW Writers' Centre members. Click for bookings and membership.

Tel: 9555 9757
Email: workshops@nswwriterscentre.org.au
View the website for more details

Society of Women Writers NSW Lunch NSW: Sydney - CBD

12pm for 12..30pm, 10-Feb-2010

State Library of NSW
Dixon Room
Macquarie Street
Sydney NSW

 

Come early and join us for a workshop  between 10am and 12pm with   Dr Patricia Gaut on 'The simplicity and the complexity of the Winning Story'.
Our guest speaker at lunch is Joanne Nichols, author of Ironbark and our memebr talk is by Beverley Earnshaw.
Cost: $30 for non-members, $25 for members, $10 for workshop
Bookings required.

Tel: Eunice 9959 5568 or Margo 9153 0621)
Email: BriDon@McKern.biz

MADAGASCAR VIC: Melbourne - CBD

Various times, 12-Feb-2010 to 27-Mar-2010

the Arts Centre, Fairfax Studio
100 St Kilda Road, Melbourne VIC 3000

In a hotel room overlooking the Spanish Steps in Rome, three versions of a story are told at three different times: by an older woman Lilian, by a young woman June, and by an older man Nathan. As each reveals how they came to be in that room, the audience pieces together the story of a young man’s mysterious disappearance and its shattering implications.

Inconsolable regret. In Madagascar, playwright J.T. Rogers meditates on the past’s ability to hold on to us and our slow-arriving acceptance that it may never let go.

Tickets: $30-$84
Book: mtc.com.au or 03 8688 0800 / theartscentre.com.au or 1300 182 183

Tel: 03 8688 0800
Email: info@mtc.com.au
View the website for more details

Writing Crime at Marrickville Library NSW: Sydney - West

6.30pm, 12-Feb-2010

Marrickville Town Hall
Corner of Petersham Rd and Marrickville Rd
Marrickville NSW

Join us at Marrickville Town Hall for an evening of free talks on true crime and crime fiction.

Speakers include:

Peter Corris (local crime fiction author)
Peter Mile (expert on crime writing)
Chrys Meader: Marrickville Local Historian

Get in early to receive a free copy of Good Reading magazine.

RSVPs essential.

Tel: (02) 9335 2173
Email: libml@marrickville.nsw.gov.au

Publishing in the 21st Century VIC: Melbourne - CBD

8.15am to 5.10pm, 15-Feb-2010
State Library of Victoria Conference Centre
Entry 3, La Trobe Street 
MELBOURNE Vic

The Digital Revolution: Publishing in the 21st Century.
What’s happening globally to the publishing industry in the new digital era? What opportunities are being created for Australian publishers and writers through advances in digital technology? What skills will publishers need to embrace the new digital world? Will e-books replace traditional print books? What are readers doing and what do they want?
The digital opportunities and challenges offered to the world of literature and publishing will be discussed at The Digital Revolution: Publishing in the 21st Century symposium.

You are invited to join international industry leaders Richard Charkin (Bloomsbury Publishing), Stephen Page (Faber & Faber), Michael Tamblyn (Shortcovers for Indigo) and key  Australian speakers including Elizabeth Weiss, Victoria Nash, and Susan Hawthorne, in a one-day symposium to discuss what digital technology means for the Australian publishing industry. 

Presented by the Australia Council for the Arts in partnership with the Australian Publishers Association, the symposia will take place in

For more information on the symposia and how to register go the Australian Publishers Association website at www.publishers.asn.au
Registration is essential. See website. 

Travel, accommodation and registration assistance is available to regional and interstate small trade publishers on application. Applications for this assistance must be submitted to the APA by Friday 11 December 2009.

Tel: 02 9281 9788
Email: dee.read@publishers.asn.au
View the website for more details

Publishing in the 21st Century NSW: Sydney - CBD

8.15 to 5.10pm, 17-Feb-2010
National Maritime Museum
2 Murray St, Darling Harbour
Sydney NSW

The Digital Revolution: Publishing in the 21st Century. What’s happening globally to the publishing industry in the new digital era? What opportunities are being created for Australian publishers and writers through advances in digital technology? What skills will publishers need to embrace the new digital world? Will e-books replace traditional print books? What are readers doing and what do they want?
The digital opportunities and challenges offered to the world of literature and publishing will be discussed at The Digital Revolution: Publishing in the 21st Century symposium.

You are invited to join international industry leaders Richard Charkin (Bloomsbury Publishing), Stephen Page (Faber & Faber), Michael Tamblyn (Shortcovers for Indigo) and key  Australian speakers including Elizabeth Weiss, Victoria Nash, and Susan Hawthorne, in a one-day symposium to discuss what digital technology means for the Australian publishing industry. 

Presented by the Australia Council for the Arts in partnership with the Australian Publishers Association, the symposia will take place in

For more information on the symposia and how to register go the Australian Publishers Association website. Registration is essential. See website. 

Travel, accommodation and registration assistance is available to regional and interstate small trade publishers on application. Applications for this assistance must be submitted to the APA by Friday 11 December 2009.

Tel: 02 9281 9788
Email: dee.read@publishers.asn.au
View the website for more details

Writing About Food with John Newton NSW: Sydney - CBD

10am - 3pm, 21-Feb-2010 to 07-Mar-2010
NSW Writers' Centre, Rozelle

Ever fancied becoming a restaurant reviewer?

Respected food journalist and freelance writer John Newton returns by popular demand in 2010 with a broad appeal to those with or without food writing experience.

In this UTS accredited course participants will explore and discuss a range of Australian and international texts – history, journalism, recipes and writing by chefs on all aspects of food in society (taste, social implications of food and food policy and agriculture in society), and a component of critical writing especially as it relates to restaurant criticism.

John Newton has taught this popular course previously, and there have been a number of success stories among his students, some of whom have gone on to write for newspapers and journals. Examples of previous students' work can be found online at http://eatourwords.wordpress.com/

Course will run over three Sundays from 10am - 3pm. Full price $405. Discount of 30% for NSW Writers' Centre members. Click for bookings and membership.

Tel: 02 9555 9757
Email: workshops@nswwriterscentre.org.au
View the website for more details

Creativity, memory and feeling-pathways to writing NSW: Rest of NSW

Friday evening (26th Feb) until Feb 28th, 26-Feb-2010 to 28-Feb-2010

The Brahma Kumaris Retreat Centre, Wilton, NSW

Creativity, memory and feeling – pathways to writing your life story, a residential weekend retreat with Beth Yahp

Delicious vegetarian meals included * places limited to 20 participants

This course is equally for the beginner or the more advanced chroniclers of their life stories, who may feel blocked from their creative flow.

Through short presentations, discussion of readings, writing exercises and workshopping, this in-depth non-confrontational residential workshop looks at ways to invite creativity back into our lives, and to explore, gather and shape our ‘moments of being’ into a story for ourselves, or for others.

As well as thematic ideas and prompts to trigger our writing, we’ll look at foundational writing craft: selection, description, character, point-of-view, and how to use these to bring our lives alive on the page.

$480 per person (including twin-share accommodation and meals)

Tel: 02 8005 0978
Email: service@inspiredtraveller.com.au
View the website for more details

Show Me the Story! with Deonie Fiford NSW: Sydney - CBD

10am - 4pm, 27-Feb-2010
NSW Writers' Centre, Rozelle

Ever been told that your writing needs to show, not tell? In publishing, this is one of the main criticisms of rejected manuscripts. ‘Show don’t tell’ is one of the first and most essential rules of good writing of all styles and genres. Yet many otherwise excellent writers find it a struggle.

Many of us have heard the criticism that you’re ‘telling’ the reader the story rather than ‘showing’ them. But what does this really mean and how do you ‘show’ your story to best effect? This workshop will help developing writers gain the skills and confidence to not only show their story, but make it shine.

Deonie Fiford has over ten years’ experience as a senior editor, working for some of Australia’s leading publishing houses including Hachette, HarperCollins and Simon & Schuster. Together with Deonie. we’ll examine the difference between ‘telling’ and ‘showing’ with real examples. We’ll look at the advantages and disadvantages of both, including the use of ‘telling’ to create narrative pace and the use of ‘showing’ to engage the reader. Participants will be able to see how showing can have a dramatic effect on the reader’s enjoyment of a work and increase the chances of publication.

Full price $140. Discount of 30% available for NSW Writers' Centre members. Click for bookings and membership.

Tel: 9555 9757
Email: workshops@nswwriterscentre.org.au
View the website for more details

Perth Writers Festival: An evening of readings WA: Perth - CBD

6.30 pm, 27-Feb-2010

University of Western Australia, Perth

Be mesmerised by ‘the writer's voice’ in this wonderful evening of readings by a selection of our international stars: Marina Endicott, Patrick Gale, Elizabeth Kostova, Tom Rachman and Salley Vickers. Chair: Geraldine Mellet

Tel: 08 6488 2000
Email: festival@perthfestival.com.au
View the website for more details

Adelaide Writers' Week SA: Adelaide - CBD

Various sessions times, 28-Feb-2010 to 05-Mar-2010
Pioneer Women's Memorial Gardens
Adelaide SA

In 2010 Adelaide Writers' Week will build on traditions that have evolved over four decades, bringing together writers and readers in a series of stimulating readings, debates and exchanges. Old friends, writers known and respected, will be there alongside new writers with new writing. The popular mix of panel discussions, 'Meet the Author' sessions, lectures and readings will be included.

Tel: 08 8216 4444
Email: info@adelaidefestival.com.au
View the website for more details

See Richard Dawkins - The Greatest Show on Earth QLD: Brisbane

6pm for 6.30pm, 04-Mar-2010
Concert Hall, QPAC
Brisbane Qld

Richard Dawkins has written about evolution before, but none of his books discussed the evidence that evolution actually happened. The Greatest Show on Earth comes at a critical time: systematic opposition to the fact of evolution is now ourishing as never before, especially in America, where a recent survey conducted by Gallup revealed that 44% of the respondents believed that God created humans in their present form at some point within the last 10,000 years. 

Richard Dawkins’s recent phenomenal bestseller, The God Delusion, has become an iconic book for our time, topping bestseller lists throughout the world. He was rst catapulted to fame with The Selfish Gene.  Dawkins is a Fellow of both the Royal Society and the Royal Society of Literature.  He is the recipient of numerous honours and awards, including the Royal Society of Literature Award (1987), the Michael Faraday Award of the Royal Society (1990), the International Cosmos Prize for Achievement in Human Science (1997), the Kistler Prize (2001), the Shakespeare Prize (2005), the Lewis Thomas Prize for Writing about Science (2006), the Galaxy British Book of the Year Award (2007), and the Nierenberg Prize for Science and the Public Interest (2009).  He retired from his position as the Charles Simonyi Professor for the Public Understanding of Science at Oxford University in 2008 and remains a fellow of New College.

BBB are proud to be hosting this event in association with Brisbane Writers Festival and QPAC.

Tickets $18, $15 concession.

TICKETS SELLING FAST ALREADY!! OVER 900 sold, so book your seat today!

Tel: 136 246
View the website for more details

Meet Richard Dawkins VIC: Melbourne - CBD

7pm, 05-Mar-2010 to 12-Mar-2010
Melbourne Town Hall
120 Swanston Street
Melbourne, Vic, 3000

Richard Dawkins is the world's pre-eminent science writer, an evolutionary biologist and an outspoken atheist. Join 'Darwin's pitbull' for this premier event, as he takes on the creationists and all those who question evolution through natural selection.

Dawkins will be discussing his latest work The Greatest Show on Earth on Friday 5 March at 7pm at the Melbourne Town Hall, presented by the Melbourne Writers Festival and introduced by Robyn Williams (from Radio National's Science Show), who will also moderate the session.

In The Greatest Show on Earth, Dawkins provides evidence that boldly and comprehensively responds to those who question evolution while sharing his palpable love of the natural world and the essential role that science plays in its interpretation.

The Wall Street Journal said Dawkins 'passion is supported by an awe-inspiring literary craftsmanship'. The New York Times Book Review has hailed him as a writer who 'understands the issues so clearly that he forces his reader to understand them too'. Indeed, Dawkins was named as one of TIME Magazine's 100 Most Influential People in 2007. His books include: The Ancestor's Tale; The Selfish Gene; The Blind Watchmaker; Climbing Mount Improbable; Unweaving the Rainbow; A Devil's Chaplain; the international bestseller, The God Delusion.

Tel: Visit website for more details
View the website for more details

Blood, Boggarts and Battlestars with Margo Lanagan NSW: Sydney - CBD

10am - 4pm, 06-Mar-2010
NSW Writers' Centre, Rozelle

Come and dig around in the three genres that make up spec fic today: science fiction, fantasy and horror.

You can go anywhere in science fiction; just ask Margaret Atwood. And fantasy will take you places you only ever dreamed of; Stephanie Meyer will tell you that. As for horror, there are no holds barred there; learn to turn readers’ stomachs along with the darkest of dark Palahniuk.

First we’ll loosen up with some fast writing, unconfined by plot and form. Then we’ll put ourselves through a series of longer exercises, exploring some of the classic scenes, characters and plot devices in SF/F/H stories.

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This workshop will be a learn-by-doing experience. There won’t be a lot of theory; instead I’ll send you off into space, or the dark forest, or into the murderer’s arms, to see what you encounter, to see what you find and bring back. Let’s push our brains out of their day-to-day shape. Let’s experiment with the sorts of questions, dark and bright, funny, tragic and mysterious, that can only be asked within these three genres.

Run over one Saturday from 10am - 4pm. Full price $140. Discounts available for NSW Writers' Centre members. Click for bookings and membership

Tel: 9555 9757
Email: workshops@nswwriterscentre.org.au
View the website for more details

First Line - First Draft - Final Poem NSW: Sydney - CBD

10am - 4pm, 07-Mar-2010
NSW Writers' Centre
Rozelle NSW

A poetry workshop tailored for poets who are just beginning to write or just beginning to submit their work for publication.

Through practical exercises and discussion the workshop will consider issues such as: what a poem is and what it can do; how to make and turn a line; how to say it with sound and say it with image; how to say it ‘straight’ and say it ‘slant’; how to move from draft to draft to ‘finished’ poem; how to check your finished poem for problems. Participants should bring 10 copies of one of their poems (max 32 lines) to discuss in a friendly, supportive environment. The workshop will conclude with information about poetry groups, organisations, journals and publishers.

Run over one Sunday, 10am - 4pm. Full price $140. Discounts available for NSW Writers' Centre members. Click for bookings and membership.

Tel: 9555 9757
Email: workshops@nswwriterscentre.org.au
View the website for more details

Plotting, Planning and Avoiding Soggy Bits NSW: Sydney - CBD

10am - 4pm, 07-Mar-2010
NSW Writers' Centre, Rozelle

Plotting is the backbone of your story – no matter what your genre.

This workshop will explore the different methods of plotting, the problems that can arise during this process, and help uncover the most effective technique for you. It will look at creating character, point of view and structure with writing exercises, group work, discussion and constructive critiques.

Every participant will leave with a toolbox full of skills to help plan their story as well as meeting a network of fellow writers with whom they may want to continue sharing ideas.

Run over one Sunday from 10am - 4pm. Full price is $140. Discounts available for NSW Writers' Centre members. Click for bookings and membership.

Tel: 9555 9757
Email: workshops@nswwriterscentre.org.au
View the website for more details

History Writers Festival: Writing the Past NSW: Sydney - CBD

9.30am - 5pm, 13-Mar-2010
NSW Writers' Centre, Rozelle

“Writing the Past” is the name of the 2010 History Festival and it’s a deceptively simple one. It is certainly a good definition of the broad genre of history writing, but we could hear this title in another way. Perhaps as “Righting the Past”.

All writers can be said to be making the world right. Telling a story their way, making their world, introducing characters and a situation and then making it “turn out right”. Even a sad ending can be the right one, for that story, for that writer and her readers. Perhaps all writers are therefore, in their individual ways, creating the “right” story.

This year's festival will include appearances from James Bradley, Cathie Craigie, Meenakshi Bharat, Gabrielle Carey, Catherine Jinks, Ann Curthoys, Delia Falconer, Tom Gilling, Robert Gray, Paula Hamilton and many more.

Full price for tickets is $75. Discounts available for members of the NSW Writers' Centre. Click for full program and bookings.

Tel: 9555 9757
Email: info@nswwriterscentre.org.au
View the website for more details

Somerset Conference for Librarians and Teachers QLD: Gold Coast

start 8.15am each day, 15-Mar-2010 to 16-Mar-2010

Conrad Jupiters
Broadbeach Island

and

Somerset College
Somerset Drive
Mudgeeraba
Gold Coast
Queensland

Reading Locally, Learning Globally - creating a universal experience


Join us for one of Australia’s most relevant, stimulating and economical two day professional development events for librarians and teachers.

Conference Monday, an academic forum for presentations on issues related to reading, writing, researching and librarianship, will be held at Conrad Jupiters Hotel, Broadbeach, on Monday 15 March 2010. Featuring Dr Carol Gordon, Kevin Hennah and award winning author James Moloney, this promises to be an entertaining and professionally rewarding event.

Workshop Tuesday provides a selection of valuable and practical sessions, activities and discussions relating to the specific concerns of public and school librarians and teachers and will be held at the Somerset College Library, Somerset Drive, Mudgeeraba. With keynote addresses and workshop presentations by CBCA National President, Marj Kirkland, award winning Australian author Anthony Eaton, and a host of nationally and internationally regarded educationalists, Workshop Tuesday will address and discuss issues of best professional practice.

Tel: (07) 5530 5458
Email: astark@somerset.qld.edu.au
View the website for more details

Somerset Writers' Festival QLD: Gold Coast

9.00am to late, 17-Mar-2010 to 19-Mar-2010

Somerset College
Somerset Drive
Mudgeeraba
Gold Coast
Queensland

Over the years, the Somerset Writers' Festival has grown into one of Australia’s most enduring and innovative literary festivals. It forms part of the week-long 'Somerset Celebration of Literature', which also incorporates the Somerset National Novella Writing Competition, the Somerset International Conference for Librarians and Teachers.

The 2010 Somerset Writers' Festival offers a fascinating blend of authors and illustrators. In addition to the author sessions, workshops, and seminars, special functions include the Festival Cocktail Party, Literary Lunch and Literary Dinner.

Somerset College extends an invitation to all adults and children to attend the exciting Somerset Writers' Festival this March.

Tel: 07 5530 3777
Email: events@somerset.qld.edu.au
View the website for more details

Getting it Right: The News Story NSW: Sydney - CBD

10am - 4pm, 20-Mar-2010
NSW Writers' Centre

Ever wondered how much work goes into the making of a newspaper? Why some ‘stories’ stay in the mind and some are consigned to the rubbish dump of memory from which nothing can be retrieved?

The few sheets of loose paper that present themselves for your daily attention are generally taken so for granted that scant thought is spared to the effort that goes into getting it just right. Through this workshop, we shall try to train aspiring journalists to zero in on the right ingredients for an effective ‘telling’.

The news story presents itself daily in various hues: as the headline catcher, as the juicy Page 3 report, as the middle page with its thoughtful editorial and the personalised ‘middles’, as the travel report or the sports cover of the latest match. In this workshop we shall look at samples of the various kinds of articles that go into making the complete paper and understand and learn the different ways of approaching and handling them.

This workshop will engage the participants in the construction of various kinds of news stories. It will, subsequently, also require them to learn the importance of editing through the process of peer reviewing.

This workshop will run on Saturday 20 March, 10am - 4pm. Full price is $140. Discount of 30% is available for members of the NSW Writers' Centre. Click for bookings and membership.

Tel: 9555 9757
Email: workshops@nswwriterscentre.org.au
View the website for more details

The Opportunities of Romance Fiction NSW: Sydney - CBD

10am - 4pm, 21-Mar-2010
NSW Writers' Centre

The international market for romance is huge, and it’s hungry for new voices and fresh, exciting stories. This is why romance writers who are published with large, international publishers can make a living from their writing. The romance market is also expanding in its range and variety, encompassing aspects of fantasy, paranormal, crime, suspense and other genres, and reaching a wider audience. Yet in Australia, the assumption persists that romance is a simple genre for simple readers and something that ‘real writers’ don’t write.

Anne Gracie is an internationally published, best-selling and award-winning author. Discover with her the opportunities for Australian writers in the international market, and learn the crucial features of gripping, well-written, internationally marketable romantic fiction.

This course will run on Sunday 21 March from 10am - 4pm. Full price is $140. Discount of 30% available for members of the NSW Writers' Centre. Click for bookings and membership.

Tel: 9555 9757
Email: workshops@nswwriterscentre.org.au
View the website for more details

Start Writing for the Stage with Verity Laughton NSW: Sydney - CBD

10am - 4pm, 21-Mar-2010 to 28-Mar-2010
NSW Writers' Centre

Want to write theatre? Need a kick-start to get your short play underway? Join internationally produced and award-winning playwright Verity Laughton to learn the essentials of theatre writing and write a thirty minute play.

Using a series of structured exercises to generate material, students will be guided through the process of writing and developing the draft of a short play. Students will be encouraged to integrate the elements of writing for the stage – character, dialogue, dramatic action, scenes, reversals, rituals and use of image and symbol – within their own newly created work. The first day of the workshop is largely about the writing task itself; the second day focuses on feedback and editing of the resulting work.

Students should expect to end up with a short (up to thirty minutes) piece of dramatic writing and an understanding of the technical requirements of writing for the stage.

This course will run over two Sundays 21 and 28 March from 10am - 4pm. Full price is $270. Discount of 30% available for members of the NSW Writers' Centre. Click for bookings and membership.

Tel: 9555 9757
Email: workshops@nswwriterscentre.org.au
View the website for more details

Life Stories with Patti Miller NSW: Sydney - CBD

10am - 4pm, 27-Mar-2010 to 28-Mar-2010
NSW Writers' Centre

Have you got a story to tell? Are you working on a memoir? Enter the world of writing lived experience with renowned, best-selling writer, mentor and memoir specialist Patti Miller.

In this two day intensive, we’ll look at accessing memory, the creativity of writing the self and the pleasures and dangers of autobiography. Learn how to bring your writing alive with lively detail and texture. Explore finding a writing voice. Look at various ways of structuring life stories.

We’ll read and discuss extracts from autobiographies, as well as experiment with writing possibilities through a series of exercises. Students will benefit from Patti’s knowledge and insight with individual attention in an encouraging and supportive environment. Suitable for beginners as well as more experienced writers.

This course will run over Saturday and Sunday 27 and 28 March, from 10am - 4pm. Full price is $270. Discount of 30% available for members of the NSW Writers' Centre. Click for bookings and membership.

Tel: 9555 9757
Email: workshops@nswwriterscentre.org.au
View the website for more details

Mystery, Murder and Motive: Writing Crime Fiction NSW: Sydney - CBD

10am - 4pm, 28-Mar-2010
NSW Writers' Centre

Fancy yourself a detective? Challenge your readers with insoluble crimes. Bamboozle them with red herrings. Drop clues, follow suspects, create a startling denouement, all with multi-published Australian crime writer and UTS lecturer Jean Bedford.

A one-day workshop on the principles and practice of writing crime fiction. We will discuss the history and context of crime fiction and the structural, thematic and stylistic characteristics of the genre. Participants will produce several short pieces that can  be put together to make a crime story and these will be workshopped during the afternoon.

This course will run on Sunday 28 March from 10am - 4pm. Full price is $140. Discount of 30% available for members of the NSW Writers' Centre. Click for bookings and membership.

Tel: 9555 9757
Email: workshops@nswwriterscentre.org.au
View the website for more details

Scriptwriting for Film and TV with Greg Waters NSW: Sydney - CBD

6.30pm - 9.30pm, 07-Apr-2010 to 26-May-2010
NSW Writers' Centre, Rozelle

Storytelling for the screen has its own rules, conventions and craft skills. This practical course teaches elements of screenwriting craft while developing students’ work.

Come with an idea, an outline or even a draft and put class teaching into effect while improving your story on the spot. We will discuss which ideas best suit film and/or television and how to express those ideas dramatically. We will explore character and the critical role it plays in drama: how to identify a protagonist; making passive characters active; defining character objectives; creating a character arc and investigate the ways character informs plot.

The course will cover film and television structure and explain the rules of cinema and television, why they exist and when you can break them. We’ll learn the vocabulary of structure: turning points, scenes, sequences, acts, exposition, complication, climax, resolution, subplots, commercial breaks, A, B & C stories, and how they work.

The course introduces short documents – synopsis, treatment, bible, scene breakdown and how to use them effectively when writing and rewriting and will involve practical exercises. Using your ideas we will create story templates, identify the dramatic question and how it powers narrative in drama. Using examples, we will examine genre, formula and cliché. The final night of the course will be practical discussion on where to go next with your new and improved script.

This course will run over eight Wednesday evenings from 7 April to 26 May, from 6.30pm - 9.30pm. Full price is $680. Discount of 30% available for members of the NSW Writers' Centre. Click for bookings and membership.

Tel: 9555 9757
Email: workshops@nswwriterscentre.org.au
View the website for more details

Blogging for Beginners with William Kostakis NSW: Sydney - CBD

10am - 1pm, 10-Apr-2010 to 17-Apr-2010
NSW Writers' Centre, Rozelle

Do you have the urge to tell strangers about your day? Do feel your opinion is worth reading? Do you want to share your writing with the online community? Then join award-winning author and professional blogger William Kostakis for a hands-on introduction to the world of blogging.

Blogs – to some, a gateway to the world; to others, a funny sounding word. Short for web log, a blog is an online journal that allows you to share your writing – be it creative, journalistic, or a personal account of your day-to-day life.  Writing for blogs requires a specific skills set.  The best blogs aren’t just thoughts on a webpage, they have style, they have flair, they have a clear voice – William will help you find and express your voice.

A beginner-intermediate course, this workshop will translate the jargon (‘Web 2.0’ anybody?) into English you can understand, and demonstrate just how easy it is to set up and maintain a blog. But it isn’t just theoretical – William will guide you through practical exercises in constructing posts that will attract and engage an audience.  Learn about the alternative blogging tools available online, search engine optimisation, how to build an audience and how to write for the Web.

But the learning doesn’t stop in the classroom. In the week between classes, William will be continuing the lessons – online. There are some things that cannot be taught in a classroom, and working at home, on your own blog, at your own pace, you will be given time to try your hand at being a blogger, building your network, and attracting an audience.

This course will run over two Saturday mornings from 10 to 17 April, 10am - 1pm. Full price is $170. Discount of 30% available for members of the NSW Writers' Centre. Click for bookings and membership.

Tel: 9555 9757
Email: workshops@nswwriterscentre.org.au
View the website for more details

Making Your Manuscript Publishable NSW: Sydney - CBD

1.30pm - 4.30pm, 10-Apr-2010 to 29-May-2010
NSW Writers' Centre, Rozelle

So you’ve got a manuscript, or you’re on your way to having one. You’re thinking about trying for publication but you’re just not sure if it’s ready. Is your story well-structured and engaging? Are your characters all that they can be? Does your manuscript have what it takes to wow a publisher?

Catherine Hammond is an industry-renowned editor and mentor who has worked with such publishers as Pan Macmillan, Allen & Unwin, HarperCollins and Random House. Join her for an eight week editing intensive to polish your writing until it shines and bring your manuscript to publication standard.

In non-confronting sessions, Catherine will look at both the manuscript itself and the demands of the publishing industry today. Catherine’s ability to detect flaws and offer remedies is legendary in Australian publishing. Course structure will be designed to suit the student needs as Catherine assesses where individual manuscripts have room for improvement. This course will only be run once in 2010 so don’t miss out!

This course will run over eight Saturday afternoons from 10 April to 29 May, 1.30pm - 4.30pm. Full price is $680. Discount of 30% available for members of the NSW Writers' Centre. Click for bookings and membership.

Tel: 9555 9757
Email: workshops@nswwriterscentre.org.au
View the website for more details

Writing History with Chris Cheng NSW: Sydney - CBD

10am - 4pm, 18-Apr-2010
NSW Writers' Centre, Rozelle

Historians are storytellers. They take a pile of raw data, old newspapers, shipping lists, or ephemera like theatre programs and ticket stubs, and they turn it into a tale. This workshop will investigate Australian history (although we will look at other international avenues as well) and is suitable for anybody who is interested in researching and writing historical fiction, from the beginner to the experienced writer, whether you’re interested in local history, family history, the history of people, places, or things. Chris will discuss what makes historical fiction and also show you how to get started in your research –what to do, where to look and what to look for. He will show you how to organise and shape your material, and develop a story from your research. He will teach you how to flesh out those telling historical details, and make your history come to life. No prior experience required although participants can bring material for discussion.

This course will run on Saturday 18 April from 10am - 4pm. Full price is $140. Discount of 30% available for members of the NSW Writers' Centre. Click for bookings and membership.

Tel: 9555 9757
Email: workshops@nswwriterscentre.org.au
View the website for more details

Fiction Writing Essentials with Rosie Scott NSW: Sydney - CBD

10am - 1pm, 24-Apr-2010 to 12-Jun-2010
NSW Writers' Centre, Rozelle

You’ve got a drawer full of manuscripts – a novella, short stories, the first draft of a novel – or a notebook full of ideas, observations and themes, but you just can’t seem to finish anything. You’ve learnt and practiced some writing skills, but there are many techniques and styles you’d like to experiment with. You’ve got the flesh and bones of your work down, but how do you find the spirit, the resonating soul of your story?

If you recognise some, or all of these problems, Fiction Writing Essentials can help you resolve them. Each week we will explore a particular technique or aspect of fiction writing, looking at examples from contemporary and classic literature, and experimenting with some exercises designed to stimulate your creative mind and fine-tune your technique. Students will workshop their works in progress or finished pieces.

This course will run over eight Saturday mornings from 24 April to 12 June, 10am - 1pm. Full price is $680. Discounts of 30% available for members of the NSW Writers' Centre. Click for bookings and membership.

Tel: 9555 9757
Email: workshops@nswwriterscentre.org.au
View the website for more details

Teen Writers Get Serious! with Melina Marchetta NSW: Sydney - CBD

10am - 4pm, 24-Apr-2010
NSW Writers' Centre, Rozelle

Are you into writing? Do you make up stories in your head or on the page? Want to take it further? Then join the internationally published, prize-winning author of Looking for Alibrandi, Melina Marchetta, for a day of creative writing that will take your words further.

Through a combination of theory, examples and practical exercises, Melina will explore with students the creation of tension and atmosphere, descriptive scenes and fast-paced narrative, enhancing action, characterisation, point of view, narrative  tense, writing strong dialogue and more, using techniques she has developed over years of writing. Students will complete up to four brief writing pieces throughout the day and come away with new techniques and skills for their craft along with the seeds of new stories.

This workshop is appropriate for 16-18 year olds. HSC Extension 2 English students welcome to attend.

This course will run on Saturday 24 April from 10am - 4pm. Full price is $140. Discount of 40% available for concession members of the NSW Writers' Centre. Click for bookings and membership.

Tel: 9555 9757
Email: workshops@nswwriterscentre.org.au
View the website for more details

Poetry Lab by Email with Julie Chevalier NSW: Sydney - CBD

N/A, 29-Apr-2010 to 09-Sep-2010
NSW Writers' Centre, Rozelle

Want to write poetry but can’t make it to a course or workshop? Need individual feedback on your work without leaving the house? Join widely published poet and teacher Julie Chevalier for an online, interactive poetry writing course.

You will write six poems using exercises and related materials sent by e-mail.  Each poem receives written comments. This is a lab where you can experiment.  Approximately every three weeks you will receive a poetry exercise, poems, commentary and related materials.  Take a couple of weeks to explore the materials, write and rewrite a short poem, and e-mail it to the tutor.  You will then receive the next exercise and materials along with the tutor’s constructive comments on your poem.  

This course is suitable for someone who is interested in writing contemporary poetry and has reliable email.  It fills the gap between working through exercises in a book (although books are recommended) and working with a mentor.  It enables people who are unable to access courses and workshops because of isolation, time or distance to receive personal feedback to improve their poems.  Students are offered the opportunity to contact each other.  HSC students are welcome.  

The course begins when materials are e-mailed on 29 April. Further materials are e-mailed on 20 May, 10 June, 1 July, 21 July and 12 August.  The last poem is sent to the tutor by 2 September.  The course ends when the tutor’s last comments have been received, by 9 September.

Full price is $450. Click for bookings.

Tel: 9555 9757
Email: workshops@nswwriterscentre.org.au
View the website for more details

Sydney Writers' Festival NSW: Sydney - CBD

Various session times, 17-May-2010 to 23-May-2010
Pier 4/5
Sydney Theatre Co
Walsh Bay Sydney NSW

Join us by the sparkling harbour of Sydney to hear both Australian and internatinals writers speak.

Tel: (02) 9252 7729

NZ Library Week New Zealand: New Zealand Wide

Check with your library for event time, 16-Aug-2010 to 22-Aug-2010
In libraries across New Zealand.

This is the week to visit your local library. Lots of events will be held across the country.

Tel: 64 4 473 5834

Australian Book Week Australia Wide: Australia Wide

Various events, 21-Aug-2010 to 27-Aug-2010
Check out what's happening at your lcoal bookshop, school, or library.

Book Week is the longest running children's festival in Australia, celebrating its 65th birthday in 2010. The Children's Book Awards are announced during this week.

Tel: Check the website for details
View the website for more details

The Watermark Literary Muster NSW: Newcastle

Check website for final Festival dates and times, 01-Jun-2011 to 30-Jun-2011
Kendall
Camden Haven
NSW Mid North Coast

The Watermark Literary Muster is a biennial gathering that brings together writers and readers who share a passion for the literature of nature and place. It is recognised internationally as a unique literary event on the Australian cultural calendar where writers share their work directly with readers, talk about the places that inspire them, exchange ideas on writing about nature and place, explore the role literature plays in environmental understanding and inspire others to write about the natural landscape. 

Watermark seeks to advance the professional interests of Australian writers by providing the sort of environment that prompts comments such as these from participating writers:

The event

  • Promotes literature as a medium for cultural development and environmental awareness;
  • Fosters the "Australian-ness" of writers by inspiring them to write about Australian nature and place;
  • Continues the development of a program that embraces cultural diversity and supports and promotes the presentation of indigenous and ethnic culture and traditions through literature;
  • Fosters excellence in Australian writing by providing direct access for academics, students, writers and readers to leading Australian and overseas writers;
  • Provides a learning opportunity for aspiring and emerging writers;
  • Provides a forum for academic writers to enhance their literary skills;
  • Engages the reading community with Australian literature, particularly of nature and natural history;
  • Exposes a regional community to literature and raise community awareness of environmental issues;
  • Is a much appreciated ‘niche’ event on the Australian literary calendar with regional, national and international significance and reach;
  • Attracts an audience of readers and writers from Australia and New Zealand as well as around the world;
  • Contributes to the cultural and social development of the Camden Haven and the NSW Mid North Coast;
  • Brings economic benefits to the Camden Haven community and make a small profit that can be used as seed funding for the next Muster.

Tel: 02 6559 9953
Email: watermarks@tsn.cc
View the website for more details