Sydney Writers' Centre blog

2012 Finch Memoir prize is now open for entries

The Finch Memoir prize is a signficant writing competition ran each year, offering writers with an unpublished non-fiction manuscript in the form of a memoir the opportunity to be published by Finch, and $10,000 in prize money.

Memoir is an enormously popular genre that keeps growing, and we have never run a Life Writing course that hasn't filled up, so we know there are a lot of memoir writers out there.

Samantha Miles is the Finch Editorial and Producton manager, and she describes the competition as: "This is an excellent opportunity for new and previously unpublished writers to make their mark in the ever-growing genre of memoir. No matter what the subject matter, we are on the lookout for writing that is fresh, engaging and captivating."

So if you have a memoir almost finished, it's time to whip it into shape and submit it between 1 September and 14 October 2011.Head to the Finch Publishing website for entry forms and term and conditions.

Lionel Penrose Prize for Short Story on Global Peace is now open

The Lionel Penrose Prize is a competition for 2500-3000 word stories that include factual information about the peace movement and have an optimistic perspective. This competition is held in memory of Professor Penrose, an eminent geneticist and peace activist.

However fictional elements are equally welcome. You can take an original approach but here are some important points in medical peace history to stimulate ideas:

•    Costa Rica is a country without an army.

•    Australia has created National Ministries of Peace.

•    The Japanese Constitution renounces the right to wage war except in self defence.

•    Officials worldwide transcend national borders  e.g. Mayors for Peace.

•    The Hague Convention (1899)- one of the first formal statements of war crimes in international law.

•    Olaf Palme, the assassinated anti-nuclear Prime Minister of Sweden, Bernard Lown, President of International Physicians for Prevention of Nuclear War (IPPNW), Joseph Rotblat, the nuclear scientist who opposed nuclear weapons.

The prize is open to all but the story should not previously have been published. The first prize is £500, second prize is £300 and winning stories will be considered for publication in Medact’s newsletter, Communique. The closing date is 1 July 2011.

Please submit entries by email to  lionelpenrose@gmail.com

 

Where are we? At Sydney Writers' Festival 2011

So where have we been? We're currently in the midst of the thought-provoking, entertaining and always fun Sydney Writers' Festival 2011.

Undoubtedly of the biggest writers' festivals around, this year's world class program has been put together by artistic director Chip Rolley and his team.

We've already bumped into heaps of students at the Festival. So if you see us, come say hello!

We have so much to share with you - including videos with authors and guest blog posts from our community - that we decided we needed a dedicated space for these reviews, reports and interviews. So you'll find it here. It will be jam-packed with information for writers and readers alike.

If you might prefer to receive this via RSS feed through your chosen reader. Don't worry, this blog isn't going to go away. We'll be back in business next week with our usual news and views.

Pictured above: The talented Malcolm Knox (right) in conversation about his latest book "This Life".
Pictured below: The beautiful wharf area of the Sydney Writers' Festival.

 

Congratulations to Lori Dwyer, Best Australian Blogs Personal/Lifestyle winner on getting published

The Best Australian Blogs competition is over for 2011, but we're still getting sent articles and fielding media requests for the five winners of the competition.

We were thrilled to find this huge article written by Lori Dwyer, the winner of the Personal/Lifestyle category of the competition in the Daily Telegraph on May 14. We look forward to seeing more of her writing in the press, and can't recommend her blog enough.

 

Feedback on our online Feature Writing course

Considering doing the online course of Feature Writing Stage 1 course but don't know anyone who has done it? If you've never studied online before, it can be confusing so please don't hesitate to call us to chat you through how it works on (02) 9929 0088

We recently received this feedback about the course, and wanted to share it:

“Such great practical advice that would normally takes years of industry experience to learn. Sue was great. Very knowledgeable and keen to help. The online delivery was very easy, very well structured and easy to navigate. This mode of delivery allows repeated listening to the modules which will be useful. I also think that the online mode allows for more productive use of time, since the online lectures can be extremely well prepared with large amounts of information, and time is not wasted getting off-topic as can happen in classes. Also, being able to do it in segments throughout the week whenever I had time was so convenient. Fantastic!”
- Rachel Morton

“The information was very practical and relevant, and presented in a convenient and easy to understand format. Sue was wonderful with her feedback and information. Even though I always feel pressed for time in life I found it very easy to complete the course online and found it helpful downloading the modules to my Ipod and listening to them on the train to work.”
- Donna Webeck

“I thought Sue was excellent. I felt she was a very approachable person who encouraged you with constructive comments. The online delivery was easy and convenient. It’s fun!”
- Michelle Browne

“I enjoyed being able to take the class whenever I wanted from home, and the simple step-by-step process of the course. I thought everyone who was involved was excellent! I learned lots, and now feel more confident about my writing.”
- Holly Lander

“The sessions gave a good progression through the structure, research and writing of a feature article. Sue's presentations were clear and easily understood. I especially appreciated the feedback she gave on my assignments. I work and the online delivery gave me lots of flexibility, but also let me feel I was part of a group.”
- Nanette Irvine

“The course was easy to follow and easy to download and listen to on itunes. It fitted in with my family commitments and I enjoyed the interaction with the tutor online. Sue was very helpful and current with her responses and she understood the needs of students at all levels.”
- Melissa Sargent

“The ability to listen to the modules at my own leisure was fantastic. I looked forward to them every week! The structure was brilliant and I have gained confidence in approaching publications. The Sydney Writers' Centre is a great place to learn the ins and outs of a career in writing. They're professional, very friendly and have a wealth of experience in the field. I highly recommend it!”
- Veeya Seekis

“This was an excellent course that contained everything you need to know to get straight into feature writing. It didn't contain any unnecessary information. Everything was useful.”
- Janis Love

2011 NSW Premier's Literary Award announced

It's a very exciting time of year for writing and writers in NSW with the Sydney Writers' Festival promising a week of great events, conversations and writing inspiration. The 2011 NSW Premiers Literary Award was announced last night, with a range of great writers recognised. 
 

One of Australia’s best-loved writers, Alex Miller, was awarded the Christina Stead 
Prize for Fiction for Lovesong.  Alex has received numerous awards for his writing, 
including twice winning the prestigious Miles Franklin Award.
 
Miller also won The People’s Choice Award.

Introduced three years ago to increase 
public engagement with the arts, the People’s Choice Award was chosen by 
Australian residents from the six novels shortlisted for the Christina Stead Prize. 
 
Former Prime Minister of Australia, Malcolm Fraser, along with Margaret Simons, 
were awarded the Douglas Stewart Prize for Non-Fiction for Malcolm Fraser: The 
Political Memoirs.  It also took out Book of The Year.  The judges described it as an 
engaging work that demonstrates how literary craft can transcend the usual 
limitations of political autobiography. 
 

The NSW Premier’s Literary Awards, established in 1979, were Australia’s first 
premier’s awards.  In their 32 year history, they have honoured many of the nation’s 
greatest writers, including David Malouf, Shaun Tan and Jane Campion. 
 

Over the course of the evening, $315,000 in prizes were given out over 13 
categories.  Author Libby Gleeson, AM, received a Special Award for her numerous 
contributions to the children’s book industry. Jennifer Maiden won the Kenneth Slessor Prize for Poetry for her collection Pirate 
Rain, making her the first poet to win the prize three times. 
 
Other winners include Debra Oswald for Offspring (Script Writing Award), Patricia 
Cornelius for Do Not Go Gentle… (Play Award), Cath Crowley for Graffiti Moon 
(Ethel Turner Prize), Sophie Masson for My Australian Story (Patricia Wrightson 
Prize), Ouyang Yu for The English Class (Community Relations Commission Award), Stephen Daisley for Traitor (UTS Glenda Adams Award) and Ian Johnson (Translation Prize & PEN Medallion).

Additionally, the recipient of the 2011 NSW Writer’s Fellowship was announced. The 
winner, chosen from a field of 111 applications, was Emily Maguire. The Fellowship 
is offered annually by the NSW Government and is valued at $20,000. 

There were many fabulous judges for the awards, including Sydney Writers' Centre presenters Judith Ridge, Tim Gooding, Dr Kathryn Heyman and James Roy. It must have been a hard job to pick winners from so many wonderful entries.

Come join the NSW Premier Literary Award winners at the Sydney Writers' Festival.
 At 5.30pm on Friday 20 May, join some of the NSW Premier’s Literary Award 
winners as they discuss their work at the Sydney Writers’ Festival. It's a free event, and you can get more details here.

What's new this week at the Centre

What's new at the Centre this week:

• We're so excited about the Sydney Writers' Festival on next week. We'll be going to heaps of sessions and interviewing our favourite authors and blogging about the festival here.
• Kate Forsyth’s new course, Plotting and Planning, is filling quickly. Enrol here.
  
  
• The winners of the Best Australian Blogs Competition was announced last week. You can see all the winners and judges comments here.

“Reach out” and “come with”

FROM VALERIE KHOO:

We often adopt Americanism and there are a couple phrases I’ve been noticing more of recently. The first is “reach out”. Of course, this is not a new phrase but I’m increasingly seeing it used in the corporate world instead of “connect”.

Example:
“I received your email. Thanks for reaching out.”
I first started noticing this phrase from friends and associates in the US. But it’s now becoming more common here too.

The second adopted phrase is “come with”. I first heard it on US sitcoms.
Example from Sex and the City when Carrie asks the waiter if she can get crackers with her lentil soup and he simply says:
“Crackers come with.”
Or
“I’m going to yoga tonight. Do you want to come with?”

Well, in Sydney, I was ordering some fast food the other day when I asked for some fries. The bored teenager taking my order rolled her eyes and said:
“Fries come with.” (Apparently, I should have known).

While I’m getting used to “reaching out” to people, I don’t I’ll be able to “come with” for a while yet! Have you noticed any new phrases creeping
into everyday language?

What we're going to during the Sydney Writers' Festival

If you've been anywhere near our Facebook, Twitter or office this week you'll know that we're very excited about the Sydney Writers' Festival this year. It's on next week, and we have a packed week full of sessions, interviews with over 15 authors and a lot of queuing planned!

We have big plans for this year. Not only will we be filming interviews with authors and then sharing these via our website, Twitter and Facebook, we'll also be live tweeting from several sessions and blogging or vlogging from others. You can head straight to this page to stay on top of the updates, or stalk us on Twitter.

We'll be queuing up for a lot of the free events but here are the events that one or more of our team will be at and reporting from the following.

Tuesday 17th of May

The Opening Address - with Pakistani author Fatima Bhutto speaking on the topic: "A Nation on the Verge of Collapse" - Join us.

Thursday 19th of May

Aminatta Forna talks about her prize winning book The Memory of Love - Join us.

AA Gill is here - Legendary travel writer and food critic interviewed by Caroline Baum - Join us.

The Final Judgement for Man Booker prize - with SWF Artistic Director Chip Rolley and Rick Gekoski - Join us.

The Finkler Question - 2010 Man Booker Prize winner Howard Jacobson talks to Rick Gekoski - Join us.

An Evening with Ingrid Betancourt - Anton Enus interviews Betancourt about her 6 years as a hostage in the Columbian jungle. Join us.

Friday 20th of May

Bright Sparks - Sonya Harnett and Markus Zusak on success and contentment. Join us.

Your Voice in my Head - Emma Forrest shares her story. Join us.

Lazarus at the Wharf - John Howard discussing his best selling biography. Join us.

Malcolm Knox - Discusses his work with Matthew Condon. Join us.

The Thousand Styles of David Mitchell - Heralded as one of the most creative writers of our time, interviewed by Geordie Williamson. Join us.

The New Finnegans Wake - 30 years and almost 9,000 editorial changes have been made to Joyce's classic released today. Join us.

Saturday 21st of May

9/11 - I was there - A range of writers share their experiences of being in New York on that terrible day. Join us.

Digital Dinosaurs No More - Bob Carr, Chip Rolley and AA Gill on blogging, tweeting and digital citzenship. Join us.

The Collectors - International book collectors share what drives them with Sandra Yates. Join us.

Medium Raw - Anthony Bourdain on his explorations of the culinary world. Join us.

Sunday 22nd of May

The Romantic - Kate Holden on her latest memoir. Join us.

Extremely Frank and Incredibly Close - Kate Holden and Emma Forrest on sharing your soul with the world. Join us.

Michael Cunningham - Pulitzer Prize winning author talks to Caroline Baum. Join us.

Are you going to events that we're not and want to blog for an audience of thousands? Click here for more info.

 

Going to the Sydney Writers' Festival and want to share your thoughts with thousands?

We're going to the Sydney Writers' Festival, and blogging/vlogging and tweeting from every event we're at. To see which events we're covering click here. To bookmark our updates page click here.

But are you going to any events that we're not? If you can throw together a 200-500 word blog post about what was discussed and the most memorable moments of the sessions you attend,and get it to us within 24 hours of the event, we'd love to share it with our online networks.

With very active social media communities on Twitter and Facebook, and a seriously huge mailing list for our newsletter this is your opportunity to share the joy and learning of the Sydney Writers' Festival with the wider Australian writing community.

Simply email your summary to rose[at]spindriftmedia.com.au within 24 hours of the event for us to share it on. Email us to let us know what you're going to!