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| Stairway to the moon without a tripod |
Well folks, we've come to the end of our first year and the group is still here and as vigorous and enthusiastic as ever. At least three of our members have completed manuscripts to the point of submission and many are embarking on new projects. We've had some great discussions over the past year about writing process, and have been privileged to hear presentations by our members and by guests who kindly agreed to come along to share their thoughts. We were able to host critically acclaimed authors Nicholas Hasluck and Amanda Curtin who generously gave up their Sunday morning to speak with us. Nicholas has written numerous novels, the most recent being Dismissal, so having the opportunity to hear about his writing process was a great gift. Amanda's debut novel The Sinkings has been critically acclaimed and an absorbing read. One of our members and FAWWA president Trisha Kotai-Ewers spoke with us about her beautiful book Listen to the talk of Us: People with Dementia Speak Out. I love this book, which is filled with the poetry of words spoken by people with dementia, and, I think, should be required reading for anyone working in this field. Required, highly enjoyable reading. Today, another of our members, Lynn Allen author of Illusion gave a wonderful presentation in which she shared her knowlege with regard to the e-publishing field, and a lively discussion ensued. FAWWA Writer in Residence Campbell Jeffreys joined the discussion, and was extremely gracious given that we barged in on him without warning this morning. (Sorry Campbell!)
We have some promises of presentations next year from Maureen-Helen (January) and also Chris McLeod (TBA). It is going to be a very good year. Yes!
So next year we will meet once a month, as usual on the third Sunday of each month (this month being the exception that proves the rule - we thought we'd go a little wild and have it a week early!)
We start at 10am(ish) and finish at 12.30(ish) and the cost per meeting is $5 for FAWWA members, and $10 for non-members. We meet at Mattie's House at the FAWWA premises in Swanbourne. There is no expectation that people attend every meeting - the group is for meeting with like minded individualists, and people come along when they can make it. Sometimes the groups are large, and sometimes not so large. If you are interested in attending contact FAWWA.
To be more specific, dates for 2013 are as follows, all being well (any unexpected changes will be notified by email and on this blog site, so it might be worth checking the day before)
20 January 2013
17 February 2013
17 March 2013
21 April 2013
19 May 2013
16 June 2013
21 July 2013
18 August 2013
15 September 2013
20 October 2013
17 November 2013
15 December 2013
Thank you for starting the group, Iris, and for sharing your experiences and knowledge so freely. I couldn't make today's meeting, but I'm so looking forward to continuing next year. It is a great way to support each other and to inspire us towards our goals.
ReplyDeleteThanks Louise. I'm loving it. It's great to be part of such an inspirational writing community. Thanks for your support this year.
ReplyDelete