Here at Elwood Writers we usually like to publish one blog post per month, at least. But we’ve been so busy putting together our new program for Cover to Cover on Vision Australia Radio, among other things, that we missed September. Oh well, consider this September’s post, an interesting piece from Barry about the joys of writing. Or the pain of writing. Or both. Maybe sometimes it’s just easier to read. So, happy reading.
EW
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.
EW
Barry Lee Thompson is no stranger to the writing retreat. He wrote an essay for US-based journal Working Writer about his experiences of retreats in the Blue Mountains of NSW and on the Indonesian island of Bali. Barry’s blog post below includes a link to the July/August edition of the journal, as well as details of how to subscribe to Working Writer. If you’ve ever wondered what happens on a writing retreat, or what doesn’t happen, then please dive right in and find out.
After reading all about it, Elwood Writers is more than ever in the mood for our very own group retreat. We’ve discussed it once or twice during our fortnightly meetings, with great enthusiasm, but so far haven’t been able to finalise a plan. We will definitely make it happen, one of these days. Maybe next year, even. It’s high on our agenda. In the meantime, there’s always Barry’s article to transport us without having to leave the considerable comfort of our very warm and cosy armchairs …
Happy reading,
EW
We enjoyed this short piece that Barry published on his blog a few days ago – so we thought we’d share it here on the Elwood Writers blog.
Happy reading,
EW
Here, better late than never, is my contribution to the Elwood Writers ‘Currents’ series, where members of the group talk about what they’re currently working on. Jenny started the ball rolling with her post from 17 July 2022, followed by Helen on 2 November of that year.
Initially I wanted my second book to be a linked collection of four novellas, each exploring an aspect of life after dark. There are some people for whom daytime spaces can be alienating, even suffocating – for them the night can be a source of ease, and it’s that ease that interests me. But as I began to write the stories, the lines between them blurred, they began to overlap, and I came to realise that it might be more useful to think of the work as a novel.
I’ve been constructing the novel piece by piece, building a narrative from smaller stories and vignettes – writing in the spaces, elaborating, moving parts around, solving problems of place, structure, tense and point of view as I go. I might think, here’s a pertinent episode: how do I fit it in? It’s an absorbing project.
In an Elwood Writers workshop in 2022 I set myself a goal of having an entire draft ready by the end of 2023. A lot happened for the group last year, and the months sped by faster than I had anticipated. So I adjusted the goal to the end of this year. Which is already in sight. Or maybe it’s ages away, depending on your attitude. But whether looming or distant, I enjoy having a deadline of some kind in mind – it keeps me on my toes. And there’s always room for adjustments.
On Saturday 2 December, Margaret McCaffrey hosted a small literary gathering at her home – she’d invited fellow Elwood Writers Helen McDonald and Barry Lee Thompson to join her, and to read short pieces of their work. Margaret wanted to dedicate the afternoon’s event to Elwood Writers co-founder Jennifer Bryce, who died earlier this year.
Mindful of the health and safety of her guests, Margaret kept the numbers low (and the windows open) – the event was lively and entertaining, and copies of the new edition of 20 Artists, featuring all three members of Elwood Writers, were available, hot off the press, having only been released the day before.
The readings included poetry and haiku from Helen, short fiction from Barry, and memoir from Margaret herself. Tony Thomas was invited to read from Jennifer’s body of work, and he presented a short piece from her trove of oboe-themed stories, as well as an extract from Lily Campbell’s Secret, Jenny’s debut novel. The only thing missing was Jenny, but it felt as if she were there, watching, smiling; at times, if you listened carefully, you’d swear you could hear the sounds of her beloved oboe …
At this week’s Elwood Writers meeting, the final of 2023, it was agreed that the event had been a success, and more importantly had rounded off the year in a hugely positive way. Thank you to Margaret for asking us along, and for inviting us to read from our individual work. It was clear that a lot of thought and preparation went in to the very elegant afternoon – it shone through and was much appreciated.
It’s given us a taste for public readings again, and we discussed how we might take that forward. The last Elwood Writers public soiree was held at St Kilda Library on 25 August 2018, over five years ago. Where does the time go! Perhaps it’s time to start thinking about another event in the not-too-distant future. Anyway, we’re sure to return to this topic when we reconvene in February for our first meeting of 2024.
The holidays might have begun for Elwood Writers, but this isn’t our last blog post of the year. There are one or two more to follow before 2023 is out.
For now, have a peaceful weekend.
EW
Within these pages, you’ll find a rich tapestry of short stories, satire, touching poetry, local snapshots, heartfelt memories, and even contemplative spiritual prose. These stories reveal the profound roots of creativity, which run deep within our community.
20 Artists | Handwritten Issue One
We were delighted to be approached earlier this year by 20 Artists in Melbourne, Victoria, to contribute to their first ever literary edition of the magazine. This issue is their fourth publication – previous magazines have featured visual arts and photography. 20 Artists is supported by the City of Port Phillip Cultural Development Fund.
This is a wonderful way to cap off the year for Elwood Writers, and we’re thrilled to be included in this beautiful publication.
More information on the 20 Artists project, including biographies of the contributors, will be available soon at the 20 Artists website, here.
Happy reading!
EW
Congratulations to Barry, with two stories in the latest issue of American Writers Review from San Fedele Press. Elwood Writers has a formidable history of contributing work to AWR, and we’re thrilled that the group continues to be represented in this year’s issue.
We had the pleasure of sighting Barry’s contributor copy at the last Elwood Writers workshop, and I think we all agreed that San Fedele Press have outdone themselves – it really is a beautiful book, containing wonderfully compelling stories and artwork. Info about how to get your hands on a copy can be found in Barry’s blog post, linked just over to the left.
Happy reading!
EW
Elwood Writers is always interested in literary provenance, and this, from Barry, provides some clues and insights into how his short story ‘The Americans’ came to fruition:
‘The Americans’ – the fourth story in Broken Rules and Other Stories – is an homage to the annual summer holidays I used to take with my parents when I was growing up. We would spend two weeks every year in a seaside location, usually in the UK. For many years Bournemouth, on the south […]
The story behind ‘The Americans’ — Barry Lee Thompson
We enjoyed reading this, Barry’s latest blog post, where he discusses the inspiration behind his short story ‘The Americans’, the fourth of the seventeen tales in his collection Broken Rules and Other Stories.
Elwood Writers met yesterday for its regular fortnightly workshop, and Barry reminded us that he’s exploring the background to each story from the book in turn, which means the next under the microscope will be ‘Gray’. We look forward to hearing how this one came about.
If you’d like to read all four posts so far in this series, you’ll find them together at this link here.
Happy reading.
EW
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