Katharine Susannah Prichard

Transcription

1 2015 PROGRAM

2 'I think that I know thoroughly every phase of life in Australia I write of; that I absorb the life of our people and country with love and an intense and intimate sympathy; I strive to express myself from those sources My defect as a writer is probably that I am too much of the soil. But I'd rather be that and fall from universal standards than be less the medium for expression of this place and people.' Katharine Susannah Prichard

3 Workshops at a Glance IMPORTANT NOTE All advertised program events are correct at time of printing, but are subject to change. Please consult our website: for current prices and up-to-date information.

4 KSP Writing Group Anthologies A Proud Community-Based Bookshelf

5 KSP Writing Groups An opportunity to join a supportive group of writers to share work and ideas, give and receive feedback, be published, and engage in inspiring writing exercises DETAILS $5 per session for members or $10 per session for non-members Located at the Centre: 11 Old York Road, Greenmount WA Tea, coffee and biscuits provided. Everyone welcome; no need to formally book Bring a pen and notebook and a piece of writing (if you are comfortable sharing) Some groups publish annual anthologies; contribution is optional for members Visit our website for more information on each group Poetry Writing Group Poets@KSP 2nd and 4th Monday of the month 1pm 3pm Writers Circle Tuesdays 10am 12pm Writefree Women s Writing Group Wednesdays 9.45am 11.45am Young Writers Group, Mondays (during public school term) Under 12s: 4pm 5pm, 12-16s: 5pm 6pm Homeschoolers Group (10-16s) Thursdays (in term) 10am 11.30am Thursday Night Group Thursdays 7.30pm 9.30pm Non-Fiction Group 1st Saturday of the month 9.30am 12pm Past Tense (Social History) Group 2nd Saturday of the month 10am 12pm Speculative Fiction Group 2nd Sunday of the month 10am 12pm Romance Writers Group Fridays 9.30am 11.30am Marathon Writers Group Fridays 12pm 4pm NaNoWriMo Support Group Mondays in November, 9am 12pm

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7 January March Advance booking and payment ESSENTIAL to / kspf@iinet.net.au Sweetness & Swooning: Writing Romance The biggest selling fiction genre in the world is romance, but most other genres also contain elements of romance. Want to incorporate the qualities that readers love in a romance novel into your book? Join author Rachael Johns as she explores some of romance fiction s best-loved tropes and features, and shows you how to use these to create characters and plots in mainstream fiction that will have your readers turning pages and reading late into the night. Rachael will also share some of the lessons she learned that she believes took her manuscripts from GOOD to SOLD! Bring pens and paper and come prepared to brainstorm. Sunday 15 Feb, pm, $30 members, $45 others Short Story Master Class Great short fiction requires any number of elements to be in place before it can be truly effective. These elements include plot, character, conflict and the writer s choice of perspective, but these elements alone will not guarantee a compelling narrative. Using exercise and examples from short story masters including Tobias Wolff and Jhumpa Lahiri, participants will explore more advanced elements in crafting quality (and ultimately, more publishable) short fiction. By the end, you will have a fresh perspective on your existing stories and indeed a greater understanding of what it takes to write truly compelling short fiction. This workshop is with KSP s Writer-in-Residence Laurie Steed. Tuesday 24 Feb, pm with light refreshments, $30 members, $45 others Breaking the Writer s Block This is a workshop for anyone who wants to begin writing or who has started and got stuck. Horst Kornberger offers a step-by-step process that helps writers recover artistic imagination. The imagination is born in stages during childhood and youth. When we revisit these stages through writing, we reconnect with the core capacities we need to bring our work into flow. Sunday 8 March pm $30 members, $45 others

8 2015 Anzac Centenary KSP book launch KSP members have compiled a never-before recorded social history book entitled 'Blackboy Hill is Calling' to commemorate the 2015 Anzac Centenary. The book focuses on Blackboy Hill, Western Australia s most significant World War I training camp. Pick up your limited edition copy and join former Blackboy Hill soldiers on their journey preparing for the Great War, with humorous and touching stories of marching, firearms training, camp folklore and sufferance through countless bowls of dreary stew. Order forms are available on the KSP website. Launch: Greenmount Primary School Anzac Service, Thursday 23 April Copies available for sale on the day ($10 each). Polishing Manuscripts for Publication Novel Development Course with Deb Fitzpatrick So you have a manuscript. You know it s got something, and that it also needs something or some things. You want to prepare it to send out for publication. Come to this series of workshops for writers with nearcomplete manuscripts (for readers aged 8 and up), to work through what you need to do before you take the plunge and Send It Out. We will workshop your writing, develop a synopsis and cover letter. Writers will need to have at least 5000 words towards their manuscript. (Note: This workshop is not suitable for picture book manuscripts.) Four Saturdays over four months, $150 members, $240 others pm each session: Saturday 23 May, Saturday 20 June Saturday 25 July, Saturday 22 August Deb Fitzpatrick lives and works in Fremantle, WA. She has a Master of Arts (Creative Writing) from UWA and occasionally teaches professional writing and editing at Curtin University. Deb is the author of The Amazing Spencer Gray, a novel for younger readers (2013). Her two novels for young adults 90 Packets of Instant Noodles (2010) and Have You Seen Ally Queen? (2011) were both awarded Notable Books by the Children s Book Council of Australia. The Break is her first book for adult readers.

9 March - May Advance booking and payment ESSENTIAL to / kspf@iinet.net.au Practical Creativity Thinking is the ultimate human resource, Edward de Bono. This fascinating online course leads you through three stages of story creation nurturing the spark of your ideas; creating living, breathing people; and shaping your material to suit your writing goals. Included are step-by-step ways to access your creative brain and overcome blocks, with the option of submitting work for helpful feedback. Over the three modules, you ll develop strong story ideas and people them with characters you can t wait to write about. Three weeks from Monday 16 March (15 places only), $100 members, $150 others Writing Emotion The best stories and novels will make the reader empathise and connect with a character s emotion; it is an essential skill which keeps the reader turning pages. So how do you authentically capture emotion without falling into the trap of cliché? Come to this workshop with Fremantle Press author Kate McCaffrey to learn useful techniques. Saturday 28 Mar, pm, $30 members, $45 others Writing for Games: Core Ideas and Techniques for Developing Game Ideas and Scripts Crafting an experience for players is a difficult challenge that requires more skill and training than is often respected. This workshop with ECU Game Design lecturer Glen Spoors introduces core concepts and techniques used when writing game design documents. Discounts for high school students. Saturday 18 April (school holidays), pm, $30 members, $45 others Perth as Setting and Muse: Drawing inspiration from our city Perth is a city of light and shadow. It can seem perpetually shiny and new, yet behind the façade it has such an interesting past. In the quest for the exotic, too often local writers overlook its potential as a setting and influence. This workshop gives participants an opportunity to be inspired by Perth itself its feel, its memories and legends, and its places, from the sand dunes to the hills. Using as a launching pad excerpts and photographs, participants will write short pieces in fiction and creative non-fiction. With a theme which most locals can relate to, the workshop is designed to have wide appeal across ages and development-levels. It will be a workshop which encourages writers to be proud of where they live and see anew its literary potential. This workshop will be delivered by KSP Writer-in-Residence Nathan Hobby. Saturday 16 May, pm, $30 members, $45 others

10 School Holiday Camps WRITE-A-RAMA Aged 10-17? Join us in April or October 2015 for three days of writing fun at KSP Writing Centre's School Holiday Write-a-Rama. Meet 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... Each program includes Games and exercises Visits from two guest authors An excursion or two Interactive writing workshop Afternoon tea Performance Day Publication in the Write-a-Rama anthology Planning/design session for the anthology Complimentary copy of the anthology Please visit the KSP website for full program details including costs and to download a booking form. Early bookings are advised as there are limited spaces.

11 May - August Advance booking and payment ESSENTIAL to / kspf@iinet.net.au Polishing Manuscripts for Publication Come to this series of workshops for writers with near-complete manuscripts (5000 words minimum), to work through what you need to do before you take the plunge and Send It Out. We will workshop your writing, develop a synopsis and cover letter. Four Saturdays over four months, 23 May, 20 Jun, 25 July, & 22 Aug, pm each session, $150 members, $240 others. Writing Your Life Story with Suzanne Covich Back by popular demand Suzanne Covich spent her early years in a large family in the country, leaving school unwillingly at thirteen to work in an old people s home. After entering university in her mid-thirties as a single mother, she went on to obtain a PhD in Creative Writing at Edith Cowan University. Her work has been performed on ABC Radio National and published in major Australian journals including Quadrant, Meanjin, Island, Southern Review and Northern Perspective. Saturday 13 June, pm, $30 members, $45 others Why Not Say What Happened? This workshop with Ron Pretty, KSP s 2015 Established Writer-in-Residence and former publisher of Five Islands Press, will give more experienced writers the opportunity to explore the question of dealing with political, social and religious issues in poetry. Should poetry tackle such issues? If it is to be done, can it be done effectively? If so, how? What are the pitfalls? Where does poetry end and propaganda begin? Is there any point in preaching to the converted? The concept of poetry as witness. Issues of appropriation. Saturday 18 July, pm, $30 members, $45 others The Modern Day Writer s Guide to Technology This four-week short course with author and technological guru Simon Haynes will cover e-book publishing, author websites, typesetting and social media all the hot topics-to-know for today s crop of writers. Four Sundays in August: 2, 9, 16 & 23, pm $150 members, $240 others.

12 Writers-in-Residence Did you know? Every year, KSP s Writers-in-Residence offer one lucky member a free onehour mentorship. To apply, please an expression of interest to kspf@iinet.net.au together with a short sample of your work and a letter describing how and why you wish to benefit from the mentoring and the genre-specific expertise of an upcoming Writer-in-Residence. You can also meet the Writers at a Literary Dinner or Workshop (see web). FEBRUARY: Laurie Steed (Emerging Writer in Residence) is an author of awardwinning literary fiction from Perth, Western Australia. His stories have appeared on BBC Radio 4 and in Best Australian Stories, Award Winning Australian Writing, The Age, Meanjin, Westerly, Island, The Sleepers Almanac and elsewhere. He won the 2012 Patricia Hackett Prize for Fiction and is the recipient of fellowships and residencies from Rosebank, Varuna, The University of Iowa and The Fellowship of Writers (WA). In April 2014, he became the first Australian writer to be granted fellowship in the history of the Sozopol Fiction Seminars. He is currently working on his debut novel, You Belong Here. MAY: Nathan Hobby (Emerging Writer in Residence) is a writer, reader and librarian living in Perth, Western Australia, with his wife Nicole. He is currently undertaking a PhD with his research focused on the life of the Australian novelist, Katharine Susannah Prichard. Nathan won the prestigious T.A.G. Hungerford award in 2003 for his debut novel The Fur, and his blog, The Annotations of Nathan Hobby, was recently selected for preservation by the National Library of Australia in its PANDORA web archive project. JULY: Ron Pretty (Established Writer in Residence) is an Australian poet, publisher and teacher. He has taught writing in the University of Wollongong and Melbourne University as well as in schools, colleges and a broad variety of community organisations. For a twenty year period he ran Five Islands Press, publishing some 230 books of poetry, and mentored many Australian poets. He also edited the magazines Scarp:New Arts and Writing and Blue Dog:Australian Poetry for a number of years, and was instrumental in establishing the Poetry Australia Foundation. He was awarded the NSW Premier's Award for Poetry and was made a Member of the Order of Australia for services to Australian literature. OCTOBER: Anna Solding (Emerging Writer in Residence) grew up in Sweden, but is now happily settled in Australia with her partner and their three gorgeous boys. Working as a photographer, translator, editor and university tutor to support her writing, she earned a PhD in Creative Writing from the University of Adelaide. Many of her stories have won awards and have appeared in journals and collections. She has judged the HarperCollins Varuna Award and has served as fiction co-editor for the literary magazines Wet Ink and Animate Quarterly. In 2010, her novel The Hum of Concrete was shortlisted for the Adelaide Festival Awards for Best Unpublished Manuscript. In March 2012, the highly anticipated The Hum of Concrete was published to rave reviews. Currently, Anna is busy travelling around the country promoting her book, speaking at festivals and universities as well as signing books in book shops.

13 September - October Advance booking and payment ESSENTIAL to / kspf@iinet.net.au Manuscript Assessments with Rosanne Dingli KSP offers this manuscript assessment service once a year. A professional assessor will perform a one-hour face-to-face personal critique of 1) a synopsis and 2) a work up to 10,000 words. This is designed to be a constructive meeting to help find the writer realise their dreams for the work. Saturday 5 Sep, between 9.00am-4.00pm, $150 members, $190 others (6 placements only) Writing a Crime Series with Alan Carter John Rebus, Kay Scarpetta, Jack Irish the gifts that keep on giving. How do you develop and maintain a crime series to ensure the reader keeps coming back for more? A practical workshop in creating a cast of characters and how to grow and develop them a series. Alan Carter is an author and works as a television documentary director. In 2010 Alan was short listed for the UK Crime Writers Association Debut Dagger Award and in 2011 he won the Ned Kelly Award for Best First Fiction for his debut novel Prime Cut. Getting Warmer, the second novel in the Cato Kwong crime series, received widespread critical acclaim. Bad Seed, the third novel in the Cato Kwong series, is released on March 1st Two Saturdays 12 & 19 Sep, 10.00am-4.30pm, $120 members, $180 others The Member s Choice Workshop The Member's Choice workshop gives KSP members to chance to CHOOSE A FOCUS of your own!!! What would you like to attend? What would most benefit you? Cast your vote now to kspf@iinet.net.au. Deadline: Friday 2 May. Workshop scheduled for: Saturday 3 Oct, pm. Costs to be advised. Writing Historical Fiction Writing historical fiction presents novelists with some unique challenges. Historical fiction author Michelle Diener will take workshop attendees through some of these challenges, from ways of incorporating historical events, using research, language usage, using historical mores and social rules as part of the plot, and managing reader expectations when it comes to historical values, among other things. Attendees will participate in various exercises, and be encouraged to ask questions in an open and friendly environment. Saturday 17 Oct, pm (with lunch and tea breaks) $80 members, $120 others

14 October - December Advance booking and payment ESSENTIAL to / kspf@iinet.net.au Preparing a Final Draft for a Publisher This workshop with KSP Writer in Residence Anna Solding will help you finetune your manuscript. By making your writing the best it can be, from the first paragraph to the last, you will maximise your chances of getting it published. Saturday 24 Oct, pm, $30 members, $45 others. NEW FOR 2015 The Pitching Panel Sit down for eight-minutes with a local publisher and present your book idea. Genres accepted are non-fiction, literature, creative non-fiction, speculative fiction, and children's fiction. Limited places. Publishers Appearing: Fremantle Press Margaret River Press UWA Publishing Twelfth Planet Press Saturday 14 Nov, $20 members, $35 others (per eight-minute pitch). Only six pitches available per publisher. Katharine s Birthday Join us at Katharine's Place for our special 30 th year celebration. You are warmly invited to take part in the Awards Ceremonies of three annual competitions, namely the KSP Speculative Fiction Award, the KSP Poetry Award and the KSP Short Fiction Award. Many of these winners will share with us extracts of their winning stories. The day will also 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, plus a range of giftware and raffles will be on sale. Everybody is welcome to join us for this special occasion! Sunday 6 Dec, free.

15 The KSP Café Q. What is a Literary Dinner? A. The best-kept dining secret in Perth! The KSP Café is open five times a year, bringing writers and readers together to celebrate Writers-in-Residence. The Centre is transformed into an intimate restaurant and boasts a delicious three-course meal with tea and coffee to complete the evening. Entertainment is provided in the form of feature readings by the Writer-in-Residence. Casual ambience. Seating is limited, so early booking is recommended. Bring your favourite drinks to complement the three course meal, but please do drink in moderation: 'I wish I could drink like a lady / I can take one or two at the most / Three and I'm under the table / Four and I'm under the host.' Dorothy Parker, poet. Please visit the website for upcoming KSP Café dinners. KSP Retreats Writing is hard. Writers need places like this where they can get away from life s distractions and demands. This is writers heaven. I ve been to a number of writers retreats around the world and this one is up there with the best of them. Being set in the grounds of an actual writer s home makes it special beyond compare. Coming up to the house to cook my meals, or just to wander through the rooms, was a treat every time. I think Katharine would be pleased with the writing farmlet her home has become. Kate Walker, NSW Please visit the website for more information and to book.

16 A Support Hub for Writers Everywhere The KSP Writers Centre is heritage-listed and located in the leafy Perth Hills in the former home of Katharine Susannah Prichard ( , famed author of Coonardoo) and Captain Hugo Throssell, VC. The Centre is mostly run by volunteers and supported by many local writers. As a tribute to Katharine, the first Australian author to win an international literature award, the KSP Centre is dedicated to encouraging others to enjoy writing and helping them to achieve their writerly dreams. Since its inception in 1985, KSP has played an integral role in the development and promotion of Western Australian writing, with unique programs such as writing residencies, groups and competitions. Katharine s Place 11 Old York Road Greenmount WA 6056 Phone: kspf@iinet.net.au Web: