Book Nooks: Outback Writers’ Centre
Each Tuesday we will ask emerging writers and their collectives to share with us, what it is they do. From critique circles to small-presses, writing sessions to literary booze-ups, we profile all of the wonderful opportunities for writers to find support networks and platforms for their work.
This week, Val Clark from the Outback Writer’s Centre from let’s us know what’s what on the Western Plains of NSW.
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The Outback Writers’ Centre (OWC) is, at present, a volunteer organisation based in Dubbo. Over the last three years the committee has rethought what it is to be a Writers’ Centre and developed a mission statement and a strategy that aims to build a vibrant, sustainable, writing community in not just Dubbo but the Western Plains.
For many years the OWC has successfully run a monthly meeting at the Macquarie Library, Dubbo. Gathering on the 1st Saturday of the month from 10am-1pm members give readings of their poetry and prose, fiction and non fiction, discuss their work, share their interests in writing and receive encouragement. After morning tea we discuss work to 300 words on the theme of the month and run a short, skills based, workshop. This group is particularly valuable to new writers, providing skill, encouragement, feedback and publishing opportunities through our newsletter.
The Authors’ Critique Group is a new initiative. Also held in the library but on the 2nd Thursday of the month from 5.30-7pm. Writers submit their work and access that of other writers via email. The plan is to read other writers’ work – up to 15 pages – before we meet and come to the meeting prepared with well thought out comments.
Last year we received a Country Arts Support grant for Regional Arts NSW and ran a very successful weekend of workshops with Melaina Faranda.
We encourage our members to participate in literary competitions, particularly the Macquarie Library’s Boldrewood Literary Awards http://www.mrl.nsw.gov.au/WhatsOn/rolf-boldrewood.
We are a small group, but our members are new and emerging writers, award winning prose writers, poets and playwrites, published and self published authors, journalists, editors, storytellers, freelances, and teachers.
We stay connected with out members through our quarterly newsletter. We provide up to date information about what we are doing on our eblasts and diverse information for the wider community on our Facebook page.
Like our Facebook page or contact Val Clark: [email protected] to find out more and be put on our eblast list. Visitors are always welcome to ‘come and try’ us.
Also if you’re looking for a place of your own to write, on Saturday June 22nd from 10.30am-1.30 in the Macquarie Library conference room, Writers Bloc in conjunction with the Outback Writers’ Centre, will be running a “Write Now” event for writers in Dubbo. To RSVP and for more info checkout our meetup page: http://www.meetup.com/WritersBlocSydney/events/120254102/
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Val Clark is passionate about facilitating creativity and building a sustainable, vibrant community for writers in the Dubbo region. She is secretary of both the Outback Writers’ Centre and Dubbo Artz. She is also the Dubbo coordinator of the Short + Sweet festival of 10 Minute Plays to be held in September.”