Margaret McCaffrey’s website provides the source for this month’s content — for the second month in a row. It seems like we’re bingeing Margaret’s content! And why not.
In this latest post, Margaret talks about her experience of judging the American Writers Review literary contest last year on behalf of Elwood Writers. Click inside the post, above, to read all about it. You’ll also find details of this year’s AWR contest, whose theme is ‘The Truth Will Set You Free’.
Happy reading and writing. And if you do choose to take part in this year’s contest or submit to the anthology, break a leg! Or as they say in Australian theatrical circles, ‘Chookas!’
We’ve always had it in mind that a good rule of thumb is to create one blog post per month, at least. Of course we waver sometimes — often in January, that quieter month when the dust gently settles around us after the festive season. For March, though, there is no such dusty excuse. And so, with that in mind, on the last day of this month, by the skin of our teeth, we present our March despatch: a progress update, as it were.
I got in touch with the group members individually to see what they’ve been up to. Helen says she’s been writing new poetry, and was up on the mic at Chamber Poets earlier this month, reading new work aloud. Margaret is happy to report that she has been sticking to her 15 minutes of writing per day, as outlined in her blog post here. Onya, Margaret. Barry continues to work on his novel and says he’s enjoying catching up on his reading. He might also have used the word recalibrating — but he was in a busy sandwich shop, and it was tricky to hear, so what he meant is anyone’s guess!
And what of the group as a whole? Well, Elwood Writers remains busy with its work on the panel of editorial assistants for American Writers Review. Reminder: the anthology’s contest closes 1 July, general submissions a month later on 1 August. So there’s still bags of time to throw your hat in the ring.
The recent March equinox marked a subtle moment of transition. Whether you’re celebrating Easter, another tradition, or simply enjoying the season itself, we wish you all the very best.
Elwood Writers recently had its last meeting of the year: last Tuesday, 9 December — coincidentally five years to the day since our anthology Every Second Tuesday was launched by Lee Kofman at Readings. Half a decade’s worth of water has passed under the literary bridge since that glittering night. And how quickly the stream has flowed. Happy fifth birthday, Every Second Tuesday.
But let’s look back at the year just gone. A busy year, 2025, and one of some notable firsts and lasts.
Our first ever writing retreat occurred in February, at beautiful Daylesford and Hepburn Springs in Victoria’s spa country, on the land of the Dja Dja Wurrung people. This was very much a week of intense focus, and we loved it so much that we followed up with a second retreat in July!
Which brings us back to Tuesday 9 December, and our last fortnightly meeting of the year. Nothing remarkable there. Except this was Barry’s last formal meeting. After co-founding Elwood Writers with Jennifer Bryce in 2007, Barry is bidding a fond farewell to the group. Everything must change, it’s often said. Very best of luck to you, Barry. We’ll miss you in too many ways to name. Thank you so much for your camaraderie and invaluable contributions over the years. We can’t begin to say how much we appreciate the work you’ve put into this website — now I guess we’ll finally have to start reading the operating manual.
But, Barry’s not getting away quite that easily — he’ll remain ‘on the books’ as an Honorary Member of Elwood Writers. And who knows, there might be a radio collaboration in the works for the not-too-distant future.
So we begin to cast our thoughts towards 2026: a new chapter for all of us. What lies in store for this changed writing group, we wonder. Whatever happens, we think it’ll be well worth reading about. So make sure to keep watching this space.
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Wishing everyone a peaceful festive season. All the best for 2026.
Regretting that you didn’t enter this year’s American Writers Review literary contest? Or that you didn’t quite make the deadline? Well, we have some good news: If you’ve visited the San Fedele Press submissions page recently you’ll have noticed that the deadline for contest entries has been extended to August 7. That’s right – there’s still time to send off that poem, short story, non-fiction, or dramatic monologue, photograph, or artwork. In short, written work and imagery is invited. Full details are available in our July blog post, linked here. Or if you want to head straight to the submissions page, do that by clicking here.
Contest deadline: 11:59 PM on August 7 (US Eastern Time)
This month, Elwood Writers has turned 18 years old. What does this mean? That we’re now of age? Adult? What were we up till now? In any case, we’ll say ‘Happy Birthday’ to ourselves, quietly and without fanfare, before the month slips gently into July, before we stride fully into our 19th year.
And coming up in July, news of our second writing retreat.
The anthology is simultaneously accepting regular submissions – the window for this closes a month later, on September 1, 2025. Again, please familiarise yourself with the guidelines before submitting your work. See here for details.
Editor Donna Ferrara is seeking contributions in a wide range of categories, including visual art and photography – and, for the first time, drama/monologues.
For our new issue, we are seeking written work and imagery that springs from the moment when the best-laid schemes have turned to dust. The crash can be obvious, subtle, even not yet realized. The piece’s point of view could be disappointed or triumphant or oblivious. The moment of remorse could be immediate, in the future, or long in the past.
We’ve established a very productive relationship with San Fedele Press over the years, with our fiction, memoir and poetry appearing in a variety of their publications. International literary connections such as this are so important, and well worth nurturing, especially in these troubled times.
If you decide to enter the contest, and we hope you do, we look forward to receiving your work.
When I was a child, our mother used to read to my younger brother and me. By the time she had three more sons, she’d run out of steam; probably driven hoarse by my begging for more. There’s something magic about listening to a story that never loses favour. That’s why Tim McQueen’s program Cover to Cover (CTC) on Vision Australia Radio is a gift to his audience.
In October, Elwood Writers recorded our work for a CTC literary broadcast: Helen read her poetry and haiku, Barry his fiction noir, and I, a personal essay.
My story ‘Tommy’ is about a childhood friend who left Melbourne for London in the early seventies. His artistic dreams took him around the world before he settled back in England. His sudden death this year sparked memories for me of what he called our ‘naïve’ youth.
I worked on the memoir piece with the unstinting support of fellow Elwood Writers. When the opportunity came to record our work for an episode of Cover to Cover, I grabbed it with gusto. We have read almost annually for the program, but this time – perhaps because it was a ‘writers’ choice’ theme – I set about rehearsing properly. I practised by our local river, recording the story over and over while waiting for the birds and wood spirits to offer their free opinions. For me, parrots represent good omens, and a rare call from the lofty kookaburra can verge on the mystical.
Cover to Cover is popular with long haul drivers who may tire of the news cycle. Knowing there’d be listener scrutiny for our pieces sharpened my resolve to create flow and purpose in a way that simply leaving the words on the page might not have.
By the time of recording, I was as ready as I’d ever be. When the program aired, I returned to the river to listen and walk. I could hear in my voice unnecessary pauses, and a lisp I thought I’d left behind in childhood. But all in all, the reading – guided by Tommy’s effervescent spirit – made for a peaceful way to farewell my friend. Nothing one does will bring a person back, but shaping and chronicling days we had together can help.
Barry and Helen are masterful story tellers and literary performers. Now I’m a convert to the spoken word and an advocate for live readings being a part of a writer’s arsenal. I can’t recommend it highly enough. Consider it the gift of story to both listener and reader. Oh, and to writer too.
That sentence counts as January’s post – we’re feeling a bit lazy. No, just kidding. But January has always been a month off for the group. It’s a chance to gather our thoughts in readiness for what promises to be a dynamic twelve months ahead. The diary already looks busy, holding such delights as a writing retreat and planning a new radio gig. Perhaps there will even be a fresh look for the website. If you want to hear more, you’ll have to stay tuned.
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Here’s the podcast of last week’s episode of Vision Australia Radio’s Cover to Cover, a special edition of the weekly literary program featuring the work of Elwood Writers:
Elwood Writers presents: The Writers’ Choice
‘Elwood Writers Presents: The Writers’ Choice’ features memoir by Margaret, fiction by Barry, and poetry by Helen – all read by the writers themselves.
This episode can also be found over on Spotify, or wherever you choose to get your podcasts. If you’d rather access the recording via a sound file, we’ve got that covered – just click here.
Don’t forget, one of the best ways of supporting our work is to give it your time. So sit back, relax and enjoy being transported by our stories.
I was enjoying a Marie biscuit and strong lungo yesterday morning when a new blog post from Barry’s website popped into the Elwood Writers mailbox. In the post – linked over there👉– Barry writes about an upcoming episode of Vision Australia Radio’s weekly literary program Cover to Cover, featuring the work of Elwood Writers. We don’t yet have a broadcast date for the program, but it’ll be sometime after the material goes to Cover to Cover‘s producer/presenter Tim McQueen in early October.
Elwood Writers has been contributing stories to Cover to Cover since 2015, featuring in roughly one special episode each year. Our first program, appropriately titled ‘Starting Over’, was broadcast in episode 38 of Cover to Cover on 11 January 2015. If you fancy a bit of a blast from the past, you can listen to that or any of the episodes featuring our work by clicking here. We’re always grateful for the invaluable support of Tim and the Cover to Cover team, and everyone at Vision Australia Radio.
Until my coffee break was pleasantly interrupted by the happy ping of that email notification yesterday, October had felt a long, long way away. And now? Well it’s closing in, but is still six weeks away – and I remember the six-week school holidays used to go on and on and on. We’ll be sure to provide more info about the radio program between now and October. To stay in the loop, make sure you’re subscribed – it’s free, and means you’ll never miss any content.
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