Andrew McMillan Memorial Retreat
Thanks to everyone who applied for the Andrew McMillan Memorial Retreat in Larrimah.
This year there were 12 applications from around Australia, and one from New Zealand!
After deliberations by the selection panel, Alice Springs poet Laurie May was chosen as the successful applicant.
Laurie May is working on the memoir of an Alice Springs poet and storyteller.
The annual retreat will be offered again in 2020, thanks to the McMillan Trust.
Poetry Workshop for Arrernte Women
Penny Drysdale is coming back to Alice Springs to help us finish our poetry collection, ‘Arelhekene Angkentye – Women’s Talk’. We will be looking at the poetry we have written this year and getting it ready to publish. (more…)
Save the Date | NTWF 2020
In 2020 NT Writers Festival returns to Darwin, Larrakia lands also known as Garrmalang. (more…)
2019 Survey
Please click the following link to complete our survey for 2019 (you don’t have to be a member!). It will only take a few minutes and helps us to provide the best services and programs for the Northern Territory community, as well as get your valuable feedback on where we can add more value in the future!
Darwin Poetry Slam champion!
Congratulations to Piper Mules for winning the Darwin heat of the NT Poetry Slam!
She will join the winner from the Alice Springs competition (27 August) at the national finals in Sydney, with a chance to be crowned Australian Poetry Slam champion 2019. Piper put in an excellent performance at the heats on Sunday, delivering two well-chosen and thought-provoking poems with a flawless and engaging style. Well done to all those who took part, the quality of poetry on offer and huge turnout made it a special event for everyone involved.
Thank you to Laurie May for her excellent MC skills and coming all the way up from Alice to run the show, thank you to Nigel Foster for his excellent workshop to help us prepare for the event and thank you to the Wild Words team for hosting (and especially Fred van’t Sand for agreeing to be the sacrificial poet).
See you all next time!
Click here to watch Piper in action (Wild Words Facebook page)
Click here to check out the NT Poetry Slam website for more info on the finals
Top Five @ Darwin Heat
- Piper Mules
- Clare Bizley / Adelle Sefton-Rowston (same score)
- Kingsley Gittins
- Kaye Aldenhoven
NT Literary Award winners!
The winners of the NT Literary Awards have been announced! Congratulations to everyone who entered! Thanks to the Northern Territory Library for running these awards, which are beloved of the NT writing community, and thanks to the sponsors who support the event.
Browns Mart Theatre Award
One More Hour, Mary Anne Butler
Charles Darwin University Creative Non-Fiction Award
Still Flossing, Roland Bull
Charles Darwin University Essay Award
The Effects of Online Sexual Activity on Adolescent Development and its Implications for Northern Territory Middle and Secondary Schools, Jacob Fajzullin
Flash Fiction Award
The Colours of an Arm, Lee Frank
Kath Manzie Youth Award
A Liar’s Colour, Elisha Pettit
NT Writers’ Centre Poetry Award
Lyapirtneme/No return, Susan Fielding
Zip Print Short Story Award
Centring, Glen Hunting
The winning and shortlisted works are available free in printed form at the Library or online at https://bit.ly/2JCQhxx.
For more information about the Awards and past winners, please visit https://ntl.nt.gov.au/northern-territory-literary-awards-past-winners.
Quotes from Minister for Tourism, Sport and Culture, Lauren Moss:
“Storytelling has always played an important role in the Northern Territory, providing an important vehicle for Territorians to share experiences and ideas, to make sense of our world and each other, to entertain and enlighten.
“The Awards are an opportunity to acknowledge and showcase the depth and breadth of writing talent across the Territory and to celebrate our vital and vibrant writing community.
“There was a vast range of ideas and writing styles evidenced in this year’s submissions, reflecting the uniqueness of our writing community and indicating a healthy future for Territory writing and storytelling. Congratulations to the 2019 winners.”
Quote from Glen Hunting, winner of the Zip Print Short Story Award:
“I’d like to pay tribute to anyone who entered in any of the categories within the Northern Territory Literary Awards. You are all striving, as all writers do, to convey your truths in ways that give pleasure and insight, and that expand and enrich the human experience. This is worthy and necessary for all of us.”
Quote from Jacob Fajzullin, winner of the Charles Darwin University Essay Award:
“I’m thrilled to be awarded the Charles Darwin University Essay Award at the 2019 Northern Territory Literary Awards.”
Quote from Lee Frank, winner of the Flash Fiction Award:
“I first won a literary opportunity in 1986 and 30 years later still grateful the NT have an initiative that supports writers.”
The Finalists were:
This year they received over 230 submissions, across 7 categories, from around the NT including: Yuendumu, Yulara, Tennant Creek, Alice Springs & Darwin. It’s great to see so many of our members on the list, highlighting the breadth of talent in our writing community. Well done to everyone who took part, and to those in the final- good luck!
Browns Mart Theatre Award
Not all dreams wear capes, Thomas Midena
One More Hour, Mary Anne Butler
The Mission, Kristy Schubert
Charles Darwin University Creative Non-Fiction Award
On Eagles’ Wings, Stephen Enciso
Still Flossing, Roland Bull
The Birds, James Murray
Charles Darwin University Essay Award
Bush Court: Rough justice at courts in remote Indigenous communities, Julian Murphy
Greater Expectations: prison writing and its effect on prison transformation, Adelle Sefton-Rowston
The Effects of Online Sexual Activity on Adolescent Development and its Implications for Northern Territory Middle and Secondary Schools, Jacob Fajzullin
Flash Fiction Award
Being Aunty May, Romany Maunder
Shared Risk, Liz Bennett
The Colours of an Arm, Lee Frank
The Masked Lapwing, Worthington Smelling
Kath Manzie Youth Award
A Liar’s Colour, Elisha Pettit
A Meal, Fleur Liveris
red bees / blue sea, Leila Heinrich
NT Writers’ Centre Poetry Award
‘Forgotten’ history, Meg Mooney
Lyapirtneme/No return, Susan Fielding
Melting snow, Carol Maxwell
nightcliff, Penny Drysdale
Sick of Her Flowers Trilogy, Catherine Parsons
What doctors think about when they close their eyes, Johanna Bell
Zip Print Short Story Award
Centring, Glen Hunting
Going the Distance, Barbara Eather
Sam, Stephen Enciso
2019 Andrew McMillan Emerging Writer’s Residency
Thanks for a great festival in rainy Alice Springs!
It’s a wrap! Heartfelt thanks to the writers & storytellers who participated in the NT Writers’ Festival 2019. Your words resound in the air still. May the conversations shared and connections made sow the seeds of inspiration to bring forth new writing. Thank you to the Arrernte dancers and songmen; the musicians who carried the conversation beyond words; the readers, the interpreters, the facilitators and MCs – you have together made an unforgettable festival. (more…)
Q&A: Self-publishing your novel
Are you planning on self-publishing your novel? Perhaps you already have and want some advice on maximising its potential? Join local self-published authors Mel A Rowe and Sean Guy for an informal Q&A discussing the process: from finding a good editor and the importance of beta readers, to formatting correctly for online and print, all the way to navigating and developing your ‘Author Platform’ in this increasingly social media based world. They’re here to help. (more…)
New members on NTWC board
The NTWC AGM was held on Tuesday, April 23.
With the election of the board, we gained two new board members. (more…)
Borderlands – call for submissions
Are you a storyteller living in the Northern Territory? Or a storyteller with a legacy connection to the Territory?
Borderlands is open for submissions for its first online edition and, in partnership with Westerly, a special Northern Territory feature of six pieces to be published in Westerly’s November 2019 print edition. All submissions to Borderlands that meet Westerly’s submission guidelines will be considered for both the Borderlands online edition, to be published in September 2019, and the Westerly feature. (more…)
Arrernte Women’s Poetry
Across February and March, the Akeyulerre Healing Centre and NT Writers’ Centre paired up with poet Penny Drysdale to work with a group of Arrernte women who are writing poetry. (more…)
AGM, 23 April 2019
This is notice that the Annual General Meeting of the NT Writers’ Centre will be held on Tuesdsay, 23 April at 5.30pm. (more…)
February Graphic Novel Club
NT Writers’ Centre has been working with a group of exceptional young, Alice Springs-based graphic novelists.
Lauren Boyle, Declan Miller, Alyssa Mason and Seraphina Newberry are working to complete manuscripts to be published by Gestalt Publishing and the Indigenous Literacy Foundation (ILF).
They are so thrilled about this opportunity and so are we!
(more…)
Katherine Writers’ and Readers’ Festival
KATHERINE WORKSHOPS
Write Off! the Katherine Writers’ Festival being run by the Katherine Region of Writers, in partnership with Katherine Regional Arts and with sponsorship from the NTWC, is fast approaching!
In support of the festival, the NTWC will hold two workshops in Katherine over the weekend of June 1-2. One on writing for comedy with Amy Hetherington, and one with playwright Alana Valentine so keep an eye on our website for more news!
For info about other events going on for this weekend, email toni.coutts@bigpond.com or albalea7@bigpond.com
