Teasers

In the run up to the launch of Every Second Tuesday on Wednesday 9 December, each member of Elwood Writers will be introducing one of their pieces from the anthology. These teasers will appear on the Elwood Writers website, so if you’re not already following the blog and want to be sure of seeing every post, press the ‘follow’ button on the home page, here.

A reminder that our launch event will be online through Readings. To ensure you receive the link on the day, please register here. As it’s an online event, there are no geographical barriers to attending. The event is free, and the only requirement is an internet connection. And should the time difference be prohibitive, book a ticket anyway as the event will be recorded and a link to the video sent to all registered participants, whether they attend on the day or not.

So keep your eyes peeled for our anthology teasers over the next couple of weeks. Coming up shortly, Jennifer Bryce will talk about her short story ‘Duets’.

Stay tuned!

Two more books from the 2020 Booker shortlist

Elwood Writer Jennifer has been reading her way through this year’s Booker shortlist. Good on you, Jennifer. She’s one title short of finishing the entire list. The Booker winner will be announced on 19 November. This is the latest post from Jennifer’s blog, Little Smackerel:

littlesmackerel

Real Life and The New Wilderness may be the last two shortlisted books I read before the winner of the Booker is announced on 19th November. The only book on the shortlist that I haven’t read is The Shadow King, by Maaza Mengiste. Overall, I’ve found the books rather disappointing — possibly a result of my own short-comings, as I tread cautiously, for example, when I, a middleclass caucasian, try to immerse myself in the world of an Afro American gay man.

Brandon Taylor’s Real Life is a debut novel, so he must be congratulated on making it to the shortlist in this prestigious competition. The whole story takes place over one weekend in a university town in the US Midwest. It is a slab of life — a slab of a particular kind of life, where Wallace, a gay Afro American postgraduate biochemist, tries to exist in a…

View original post 669 more words

Armistice Day

In 2018, Elwood Writers was commissioned by Vision Australia Radio’s Tim McQueen to create the material for a special edition of the literary program Cover to Cover. The program was to commemorate the centenary of Armistice Day, and was broadcast then repeated on 9 and 11 November.

Today marks 102 years since the signing of the armistice ending the First World War. For another chance to hear our Armistice Day Centenary stories, an audio file of the commemorative edition of Cover to Cover can be accessed here.

The stories are also collected in a dedicated section of our new anthology Every Second Tuesday, available soon from selected bookstores including Readings. Every Second Tuesday will be launched on 9 December by local author Lee Kofman at an online Q&A and celebration through Readings. Details are on the Readings events page, here. Tickets are free, and booking is necessary to receive the Zoom link on the day of the launch. We’d love to have you there, and hope you can join us.

So whether listening or reading is your preference, please enjoy our Armistice Day stories, each a reminder of a time when guns across the world fell silent and peace prevailed.

Book Launch Invitation

We are delighted to have the Elwood Writers group – Jennifer Bryce, Margaret McCaffrey, Helen McDonald and Barry Lee Thompson – join us online to discuss Every Second Tuesday. A new anthology of poetry, fiction and memoir, this kaleidoscope of stories spans the globe from the trenches of France in World War One to a dystopian Australia, via contemporary Harlem and the streets of northern England. The Elwood Writers will chat about their book and their group with award-winning local author Lee Kofman.
Elwood Writers in conversation | Wed 9 Dec 2020 at 6:30pm
from the Readings events page

It’s coming! Our anthology Every Second Tuesday is about to hit the shelves, and we’d love you to join us online as Lee Kofman launches the book with Readings on Wednesday 9 December at 6:30pm (AEST). This is a free event, though booking is required in order to receive the meeting link on the day of the event.

Every Second Tuesday | Stories by Elwood Writers

As it’s an online event, geography is no bar to attending. There are no limits to how many people can come along, so feel free to share this invitation far and wide. And if you’re unable to make it on the day, book a ticket anyway to automatically receive a recording to watch at your leisure.

Here’s the event details again: Elwood Writers in conversation | Wed 9 Dec 2020 at 6:30pm. Booking info is on that page, or this link takes you straight to the booking page. It’s free, and it’s online.

So wherever in the world you might be, we hope you’re able to celebrate with us in some way. We guarantee it’ll be a night to remember.

Helen Published in Creatrix #50

Congratulations to Helen whose two poems ‘Gasp’ and ‘Carry the Truth’ have been selected for inclusion in Creatrix #50, the online poetry journal of the WA Poets Inc. You can find Helen’s poems here.

Earlier this year, when poets could still meet, perform and share their work in person (remember those times?), she was awarded Poet of the Month at Chamber Poets, held in regional Victoria, for her poem ‘Unsaid’. The judge was poet and author Kevin Brophy, Professor of Creative Writing at the University of Melbourne.

Don’t ever let it be said that a mere world-wide pandemic can hold back Elwood Writers!

Meet the Author

And finally in today’s trio of dispatches to mark the release of Broken Rules, here’s a recent post from Margaret’s blog where she shares a Q&A Barry did with In Their Own Write.

WRITINGS AND MUSINGS OF MARGARET MCCAFFREY

Barry Lee Thompson, member of Elwood Writers, has a guest interview in relation to his newly released book, Broken Rules and Other Stories. The interview features on the website, ‘In Their Own Write’.

Barry talks about his writing process. For him there is no such thing as writer’s block. If he gets stuck, he works on something different for a while, dipping in and out of stories.

‘I don’t sit down for lengthy periods in front of a page, but dip in and out through the day. Writing is a series of problems. I walk a lot, and think a lot, and sit and daydream, and ideas and solutions arrive in those moments.’

Barry addresses other topics pertinent to writers, but today let’s just look at what to do if we get stuck on something. Dabble with another piece, for instance, try something new, go for a walk. Let…

View original post 35 more words

Book launch invitation

Here’s the info on Barry’s online book event for Monday 14 September. We’re looking forward to attending.

Barry Lee Thompson

Join me on Monday 14 September at 6:30pm when I’ll be chatting about my new book with fellow Transit Lounge author Catherine de Saint Phalle. This is an online event with Readings, and free to attend, though booking is required to get the Zoom link on the day. Details and booking info can be found here.

Just a reminder that the book’s official release is next week but it’s now in stock at Readings and available from the Transit Lounge website.

Happy reading. See you soon.

View original post

Reasons to be cheerful

Congratulations to Barry on yesterday’s official release of Broken Rules. Definitely a cause for celebration. That dolphin had the right idea.
We’ll post some info on an upcoming online launch event shortly.

Barry Lee Thompson

Supported by the Victorian Government through Creative Victoria, and by Varuna, the National Writers’ House.

The sun’s shining. I saw a seal or dolphin splashing about in the Maribyrnong River this morning. It’s the first day of spring and I’ve been smelling jasmine in the local laneways for days now, even through the fabric of my facemask. And it’s publication day. Yippee! Broken Rules is officially released.

View original post

Every Second Tuesday, update

The publication of Every Second Tuesday, an anthology of our writing from over the last ten years, is being held back until early November. By that time we anticipate seeing a little more stability in the literary landscape as new and exciting models of delivery are embraced.

In the meantime, here’s a peek at the book’s back cover:

And before the anthology arrives, we have the release of Barry’s collection of fiction to look forward to. Broken Rules and Other Stories is coming out on 1 September. More information is available at the Transit Lounge website, here.

So please stay tuned – there’s a lot happening this year, and we’ll be providing plenty more updates along the way.

Happy reading and writing.

Upcoming Anthology from Elwood Writers

‘Writers are fortunate to be able to pursue their ideas through story.’ They certainly are! This post about the upcoming anthology from Elwood Writers is from Margaret’s website. Thanks, Margaret.

WRITINGS AND MUSINGS OF MARGARET MCCAFFREY

‘But if a book has brought you from one place to another, so that you see something you didn’t see before, you’ve arrived at another point.’ James Baldwin, The Paris Review 1984.

My writing group, Elwood Writers, is to release its anthology in November of this year. Every Second Tuesday is a collection of fiction, memoir and poetry drawn from work we have produced, published and recorded over the last ten years. You’ll learn more about it in the coming months here, and at the Elwood Writers website.

In editing my stories for the collection, I started thinking about James Baldwin’s quote. When you write, you might start off at one place – with one idea in mind – and by the end find yourself in a completely different spot – often unexpectedly.

Writing helps me refine my thinking. I make connections that I hadn’t seen before…

View original post 131 more words