OOTA Newsletter February 11, 2014
OOTA NEWS Perth Writers Groups at the Perth Writers Festival Queensland Poetry Festival 2014 Queensland Poetry Festival invites you to help them shape the 2014 festival, setting the stage alight with words from 29 - 31 August 2014 They are currently inviting proposals from poets, spoken word artists, and performers interested in being part of the 18th annual festival, spoken in one strange word. QPF looks forward to hearing from individuals and groups interested in performing or showcasing their work at the three-day festival. We are looking for submissions that embrace the wide possibilities of poetic expression - page poetry, readings, slam, spoken word, performance, music, ekphrastic poetry, collaborations, installations, cross-platform creations, and more. While all projects must have a relationship to poetic language, they encourage submissions from poets and artists wishing to explore the bounds of poetic performance and expression.
For submission guidelines and form visit: http://www.queenslandpoetryfestival.com /site/expressions-of-interest-open-now/
OOTA would love to see as many of our members there on Friday 21st or Saturday 22nd February. The FAWWA is involved and they are planning to give away a 'showbag' to anyone who is interested. As part of this promotion, they are sending out a call for poems and short stories to be included. Please send your submission to admin@fawwa.org.au by the 19th February. OOTA is still looking for volunteers to help man our table on both days, just 1-2 hours of your time is all we ask. We feel it’s better to have two people at each session, each day. You can have a natter to each other, and act as relief in anyone’s short absence. We will have the exact whereabouts of our stall closer to the day, so why not send us an email to help, or simply pop in to say hello. Kindly email us which day /time you can help. Friday & Saturday, 9-11, 11-1pm, 1-3pm, 3-5pm ootawriters@gmail.com
WRITING AT THE CENTRE
Friday 14th February is Poetry with Shane McCauley – 10.00am til noon. Love Poems? POETRY BITES: Friday, noon 14th February: Carolyn Abbs will be reading a few poems that came out of a 2013 FAWWA mentorship with Lucy Dougan, and forthcoming online chapbook, Different Hemispheres, with photographer Elizabeth Roberts. All welcome to hear Carolyn in the Fremantle Arts Centre Café.
Strokestown International Poetry Festival 2014
February at the Fellowship of Australian Writers WA
The Festival is taking place this year from the 2nd. to 4th. May. The closing date for entries is Friday February 28th.
February begins with our monthly Friday@Furphy's on the 14th. On Saturday the 15th, Judge Philip Mead, will announce the winners of the Tom Collins Poetry Prize at 1.30pm, followed at 3.00pm by the launch of a new book of poetry, Blue Wren Cantos, by Mark Tredinnick. The Book Length Project Group continues its successful run with a guest speaker at 10.00am Sunday 16th at Mattie Furphy House. The Fellowship is involved once again with the Perth Writers Festival, being part of stall run by a group of Perth writers organisations, on Friday 21st and Saturday 22nd. And on Sunday the 24th at 5.30pm we have the launch of Dare Me, a biography of Gerald Glaskin, by John Burbidge.
The 2014 Strokestown International Poetry Award, for poems in English on any subject not exceeding 70 lines is being judged by poets Paddy Bushe and Neil Astley, with a first prize fund of €2000. The Percy French Award for Comic Verse will be judged by the Strokestown Wit Committee. The emphasis this year will be very much on fun and the judges will be looking out for comic and witty verse for which a prize fund of €1,000 is being offered. There will also be other activities over the weekend including the ‘world famous’ Strokestown Pub Poetry Competition. An entry form can be found on our website and the entry fee per poem is €5 euro/ £5 sterling/ $5 US dollars and you can enter online or by post. Please visit www.strokestownpoetry.org for further details. We hope you will be able to be part of the festival this year & thank you for your support in the past. Our judges are eagerly awaiting your poems. Every good wish, Strokestown Poetry Committee
IT’S A PARTY!
Writers (FAWWA members) are invited to attend a party at 6.30pm on Thursday 20th February, at Mattie Furphy House to thank their past president for her many years of service and the great things Trisha has achieved with the Fellowship. Trisha is also celebrating finishing her PhD on the history of FAWWA from 1938 to 1980, and becoming Dr Kotai-Ewers. They 'd be delighted if as many of you could write if possible to share a few yarns in a knockout celebration. They want to crowd the room. Pat Johnson, Coordinator FAWWA admin@fawwa.org.au
Professor Glen Phillips advises: My next series of books for this year will be launched on 19th February at ECU Mt Lawley Library at 5pm as part of the ‘Earthing the World’ colloquium on the seam day, Wednesday 19th of February (see separate information below). Peter Bibby, President of the Fellowship of Australian Writers (WA) will launch my three newest books (Dryandra Dreaming, edited by John Ryan, A Suite of Rooms & Dugite Country) at 5pm with readings of a few poems. You are very welcome to resort to the Flying Scotsman Tavern (corner of Beaufort and Walcott streets) from 6pm or even stay on afterwards for supper across the street at the Planet Bookshop/Cafe (but better make a booking). There will of course be some free drinks and refreshments available during the launch. Note the launch is in the ground floor display area of the ECU Library, Mt Lawley Campus, Bradford St, where the launch will take place.
Collaborative Poetry Collection. Prole is starting an exciting new project. We are looking for three or four poets who have a pamphlet length collection ready to submit. The aim is to publish a full collection featuring these poets. As ever with Prole, style and subject matter are completely open, it’s quality that counts. As well as quality writing, we’re looking for poets who will actively promote the collection through readings, their websites, writing groups etc. Poetry is a hard sell, but it’s well worth the effort to get quality writing out there. If you think you have something that will interest us, please submit no more than 40 poems to submissionspoetry@prolebooks.co.uk including the poems in the body of the email. Please, no attachments. We are happy to include poems that have been previously published so long as the contributor is clear that they have retained rights to do so. We do not want previously published pamphlets. We are active editors and will work with poets in order to select or hone any chosen submission. Submissions should reach us by March 31st. Payment will be paid on a royalty basis. If we make a profit, our writers are paid. 50% of any profit will be retained by Prole, 50% will be shared equally between the contributors. http://www.prolebooks.co.uk/
Cafe Poetry Workshops with Jackson Leap or tiptoe out of your poetic comfort zone in a supportive group environment with a much-published poet as your guide. Pay as you feel. 10am-12:30 Saturdays fortnightly (Feb 15, Mar 1, 15 & 29, Apr 12) at Hubbles Yard Cafe, cnr George & Hubble Streets, East Fremantle. Come to one or several. Please book in advance. lostpoetjj@gmail.com proximitypoetry.com
2014 Henry Kendall Poetry Competition PRIZES: First: $500 Second: $200 Third: $100 ENTRY FEE: $20 for first poem (includes copy of anthology); $10 per additional poem; $15 postage paid for each additional anthology OPEN THEME: No set theme or poetry style MAX LINE LENGTH: 30 FONT: Times New Roman 12 point FORMAT: Word doc or PDF entry online, or hard copy postal entry. This year entries may be submitted via post or online; details here: http://centralcoastpoets.com.au/2014-henry-kendallpoetry-competition/ ENTRY CONDITIONS: OPENING DATE: 20th January 2014: CLOSING DATE: 28th February 2014
Hour of Writes is a new website designed to be a peaceful space - a blank piece of paper - in the busy online world, where you can find time to write down, share and structure your thoughts, in the context of a life which often has other priorities. The focus point is an hour-long writing competition each week (with a cash prize). Sometimes, when variables are controlled, the mind's creativity is able to flourish. It feels like freedom. Interested? We're currently asking other like-minded writers from all over the world to pre-register as founder members before the public launch of the site, and to help us with the testing phase: www.hourofwrites.com Write to us if you want to be involved! Hour of Writes is also producing a series of articles about creative writing, and how people relate creative writing practice to their private, work and social lives. Some of the material for these pieces comes from a big survey we're conducting, of writers and writing groups all over the world: https://www.surveymonkey.com/s/individualwriters
The Readings New Australian Writing Award First established in 2014, the award supports published Australian authors working in fiction, and recognises exciting and exceptional new contributions to local literature. The Award aims to increase the promotion and commercial success of books by Australian authors, earning them greater recognition from the wider community. About the Readings NAW Award The Readings New Australian Writing Award shortlist will be announced in October 2014, and will be published in the Readings Monthly. The winner of the Award will be announced in November 2014, and will be published in the Readings Monthly and Summer Reading Guide. Prize money for the winner of the Award in 2014 will be $4000. Enquiries should be directed to the editor of the Readings Monthly and Prize Manager, Belle Place, on belle.place@readings.com.au Eligibility & Entry Guidelines and more information at writingWA: http://www.writingwa.org/articles/TheReadings-New-Aus
GIGS February Voicebox @ The Fly Trap, Freo: Gail Willems, Kevin Gillam and Danijela Kambaskovic. They are thrilled to have Mandurah poet Gail Willems on stage this month. Gail has been published widely. Winner Poetry d’Amour 2013, her first poetry collection is Blood Ties and Crack-Fed Dreams. Kevin Gillam, a local favourite, will be reading new work. Danijela Kambaskovic is a guest of the Perth Writers' Festival and is inspired by Renaissance polymathy. Internal Monologues was published The Fly Trap is a cash only venue. See Voicebox on Facebook, or email poets.voicebox@gmail.com
POEM OF THE WEEK
Perth Poetry Club – 15th February: Features Derek Fenton @ the Moon Café, 323 William St Northbridge. 2pm – 4pm. CALENDAR
as fingers turn the limp page. Memory tracks its fragments, its thousand winds, shoals and creeks, collapsed shacks
FEBRUARY 2014 11-15 Feb Poetry d'Amour Perth 15 – Poetry Workshop with Mark Tredinnick 20-23 - Perth Writers Festival 24 - Voicebox with Gail Willems, Kevin Gillam and Danijela Kambaskovic. 28 – Australian Love Stories, Ed. Cate Kennedy MARCH 03 – Cordite, No theme III 13 – Castaways Poetry Prize 14 - The Ethel Webb Bundell Literary Awards Poetry & short story. 31 – Westerly for July Issue 31 - Ekphrastis Poetry Award APRIL 12-13 Nurture: A Workshop for Playwrights MAY 1– Elizabeth Jolley Short Story Prize
MEMBERS ACHIEVEMENTS Congratulations to Gail Willems. Her poem “Nefertiti’s Lament” has been published in the International “Writing Venture’s Anthology 2013”
GREEN PRAWN MAP in memory of my grandfather H.T. Adamson Morning before sunrise, sheets of dark air hang from nowhere in the sky. No stars there, only here is river. His line threads through a berley trail, a thread his life. There’s no wind in the world and darkness is a smell alive with itself. He flicks a torch, a paper map Hawkesbury River & District damp, opened out. No sound but a black chuckle
a white gap, mudflats – web over web lace-ball in brain’s meridian. This paper’s no map, what are its lines as flashlight conjures a code from a page of light, a spider’s a total blank? So he steers upstream now away from map-reason, no direction to take but hands and boat to the place where he will kill prawns, mesh and scoop in creek and bay and take his bait kicking green out from this translucent morning Flint & Steel shines behind him, light comes in from everywhere, prawns are peeled alive. Set rods, tips curve along tide, the prawns howl into the breeze, marking the page. He’s alone as he does this kind of work – his face hardened in sun, hands moving in and out of water and his life. Robert Adamson
ootawriters@gmail.com http://ootawriters.blogspot.com.au