Tag: Every Second Tuesday

A Farewell to 2021

As we reflect on this particularly challenging year, when it seemed we were stymied in many aspects of our lives, we’re surprised by how much we have in fact achieved, both individually and as Elwood Writers, without actually meeting face-to-face.

We’ve attended online seminars, and taken part in literary festivals, panel discussions and readings; we’ve worked on first drafts of manuscripts, achieved publication in a variety of journals and anthologies in Australia and overseas, contributed guest blog posts, judged short-story competitions, and formed relationships with other writers’ groups here and in the US. And throughout the year, our anthology Every Second Tuesday has been selling from a number of independent bookstores and online platforms.

In spite of all that life and the pandemic might have thrown at us, we’ve kept on writing. Putting one word in front of another. We think it’s important to celebrate this.

We look forward to continuing to share our news and progress throughout 2022. In the meantime, we’d like to wish everyone a safe and peaceful holiday season. Here’s to another new year filled with the joy of reading and writing.

Take good care,

Elwood Writers

‘How to Maintain a Thriving Writers Group’, by Barry Lee Thompson

Barry has written the October guest post on Lee Kofman’s blog The Writing Life, over on Lee’s website.

‘How to Maintain a Thriving Writers Group’ offers practical tips to anyone thinking of starting a group, or for those who want to inject momentum into an existing group, or shore up their solidarity, or what have you. Maybe you’re curious about how we work. Or you might want to compare the group to your own experiences. There’s plenty in the post to think about. While you’re there, it’s worth checking out the rest of Lee’s website. Have a wander, linger a while.

Thanks to Barry for writing about Elwood Writers. And thanks to Lee for welcoming us to her blog.

Happy reading and writing to everyone!

Back in March …

Back in March, Helen read a selection of work from the Elwood Writers anthology Every Second Tuesday, on Castlemaine’s 94.9 MAINfm program The Quiet Carriage. The four pieces were: ‘Ironing’ by Margaret McCaffrey; ‘On a Sunday Morning’ by Jennifer Bryce; ‘Deluge’ and ‘Stark against the sky’ by Helen McDonald.

In case you missed the original broadcast, the recording can be found here. The Elwood Writers segment kicks in around the 33-minute mark, though we’d recommend listening to the entire show. If at any time you fancy another listen, the sound file will soon be accessible within the podcasts and recordings area of this website.

The Quiet Carriage is MAINfm’s dedicated literature show all about books and authors, hosted by Paul J Laverty every Friday at 1:00pm. More details including listening info is available here.

Thanks to Paul and the station for supporting our work so enthusiastically, and to Helen for reading it so beautifully.

Happy listening!

Elwood Writers

Special offer: Every Second Tuesday

It’s come to our attention that Book Depository is currently discounting Every Second Tuesday in every country they service. For example, in Australia they’re offering the book at A$20.24, which represents a saving of A$1.76 on their cover price. Factor in their free delivery worldwide, and it’s a great opportunity to get your hands on a copy of the anthology. So don’t miss out. Check it out here. You can alter the currency to whatever’s appropriate to your location, at the drop-down near the top right of the page .

The mix in Every Second Tuesday is eclectic, the stories and poems deliciously delightful, crammed full of the unexpected and perfect for those with only a small window of time to indulge in their gentle obsession of reading the written word.

Janet Mawdesley, Blue Wolf Reviews

There are memories of childhood, recollected experiences, and overseas travel, the tense facing up to teenage thieves with knives, to a baby suddenly slipping over the side of a boat. There is the sharing of the pleasure found in the ordinary task of ironing, to the threatening suspense of ‘The interrupter’. All in all there is an amazing variety of snippets of life contained in this slim volume that make for compelling reading.

Helen Eddy, ReadPlus

Happy shopping and even happier reading!

More reviews of Every Second Tuesday

Every Second Tuesday | Elwood Writers

Since we last posted, more reviews of Every Second Tuesday have come to light.

Bruce Gillespie’s write-up of the anthology can be found on page 12 of SF Commentary No. 105, March 2021. You can read Bruce’s take on the stories here.

Over on BookBub, Ann McCauley has listed the book as a recommended title. Take a look at Ann’s comments here. You might have to be a member of the BookBub community to access that link, but you can also go here for the review.

Thanks so much to Ann and Bruce. We’re always tremendously grateful to anyone who reads the anthology, or who’s placed it in their reading pile on the bedside table. Remember, the best way to support writers is to read their work, or share it, or tell others about it. If you still haven’t got your very own copy of Every Second Tuesday, find out how you can get your hands on one here.

Happy reading and writing,

Elwood Writers

ReadPlus Recommends

There are memories of childhood, recollected experiences, and overseas travel, the tense facing up to teenage thieves with knives, to a baby suddenly slipping over the side of a boat. There is the sharing of the pleasure found in the ordinary task of ironing, to the threatening suspense of ‘The interrupter’. All in all there is an amazing variety of snippets of life contained in this slim volume that make for compelling reading.

Helen Eddy, ReadPlus

On the heels of the recent Blue Wolf review of Every Second Tuesday comes a recommendation from ReadPlus. You can access their full write-up here.

ReadPlus is a resource for librarians, teachers and parents. Read about their work here.

The Quiet Carriage | 94.9 MAINfm

Tune in to The Quiet Carriage on Castlemaine’s 94.9 MAINfm at 1:00pm tomorrow to hear Helen McDonald of Elwood Writers reading from our anthology Every Second Tuesday. Helen will be reading stories and poetry including … well, we don’t want to spoil the surprise, so you’ll have to listen in to find out.

Hear the program on the radio, or online, or wait for the podcast to appear on Spotify. We’ll share the podcast on this website as soon as it’s available.

For listening info, program details, and more about the work of MAINfm, check out the following link:
94.9 MAINfm | Castlemaine and Mount Alexander Radio | » The Quiet Carriage

The Quiet Carriage is hosted by Paul J Laverty every Friday from 1 to 2:00pm. All aboard!

Art Inspires Art

Helen McDonald reflects on how art forms enhance each other:

“I’ve always been interested in the way that one creative process influences another. When I was writing my poem ‘Stark against the sky’ the third stanza wasn’t working for me – the words on the page didn’t capture what I was trying to say. I struggled, then left it alone for a while.  Sometime after I went to a musical concert and was mesmerized by a beautiful new composition by composer Alice Humphries – Salt. Her work is inspired by her personal connection to and love of the sea. And as I listened my third stanza wrote itself.

‘I want to float on waves
of roiling love and not
be pebble-sucked
and churned beneath the watery depths’

Months later I walked into an art gallery, and there, right in front of me, was the exact twisted tree I had imagined in the first stanza of ‘Stark against the sky’ – a perfect miniature lithograph by artist Robyn Leeder. I bought it on the spot and it hangs in my study above my poem – a visual impression of my written words. Music, poetry and art melded into one.

Give thanks for the artists – without them we would all be soul-starved.”

You can read Helen’s ‘Stark against the sky’ and other works by Elwood Writers in our new anthology Every Second Tuesday, available now in paperback from Readings online bookshop (in Australia), or from Book Depository (for overseas buyers). The ebook is available from all the main ebook platforms, including Kindle.

That Was the Week That Was

A quick summary of last week’s Elwood Writers events:

Wednesday saw Lee Kofman launch Every Second Tuesday. This online event was hosted by Readings, and included a Q&A where Elwood Writers talked about the group and the anthology.

On Thursday, Jennifer and Barry discussed Every Second Tuesday with David McLean on 3CR’s Published…Or Not.

Friday’s special edition of Cover to Cover on Vision Australia Radio featured readings of stories from the anthology. The program was repeated on Sunday.

For more information on how to pick up a copy of Every Second Tuesday, please click here.