Launch of Sandfire by Sunline Press: Poets Flora Smith, Rose van Son & Chris Konrad

Dear Members, Poets, Friends! Now that the plum pudding has settled and the turkey is all gone, here’s an invitation for you to the 14th January book launch of Sandfire, published by Sunline Press. Sandfire is a poetry collection by Flora Smith, Rose van Son and Christopher Konrad. We would love to see all our OOTA members there, and of course if you would kindly RSVP to Roland at Sunline Press (or Flora @ florabl@iinet.net.au) they would be better able to judge numbers at the launch. Event:...

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OOTA Christmas Party Slide Show

On Friday, 16th December 2011 we celebrated Christmas under a shady gazebo and the towering plane trees at the Fremantle Arts Centre. Julie Watts our Vice-President welcomed members to the Christmas Party and thanked them for attending. All in all it was a great day with food, wine and readings by our members. Steve Finch from dotdotdash also spoke about their latest promotion called Subscribeathon as well as the idea of subscribers becoming gold members to receive other benefits. Over 40 writers...

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Merry Christmas from the OOTA Team - Christmas Party Update

Wishing a Merry Christmas & a Happy New Year to all our members. We hope you can make it to our last function for the year! OOTA will celebrate Christmas this year on Friday, 16th December at noon in the leafy grounds of the Fremantle Arts Centre. Amongst the festivities there will be readings by Gail Willems, Renee Schipp, Helen Trengrove, Carol Milner, Carolyn Abbs and Julie Watts. Bring a plate, a bottle of your choice of poison and your good Christmas cheer! The committee decided...

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Last Prose Writing Class at the FAC for 2011

Our last prose workshop for the year on Friday, 16th December, 2011 is ‘Writing Exercises & Readings of your work'. The first hour will focus on the sensory elements of sight/sound, esp. in Edgar Allan Poe’s story The Tell Tale Heart. 2nd Hour is readings of your work. Anyone who has written during the year in any of the “series” based classes is welcome to come along. Depending on numbers writers are given 5-8 minutes each in the readings. If you want comments from other writers please print out enough copies to hand out. Not really for “Poets”...

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Peter Bishop visits OOTA at the FAC

Mohammed comes to the mountain: Peter Bishop comes to lunch at OOTA. With only two weeks of the OOTA year to go, there is still a great deal happening. This Friday, 9th December, we will be joined at lunch by Peter Bishop, who is currently in residence at Mattie Furphy House. Peter Bishop was Creative Director of Varuna for 17 years, and is about to launch an independent program, The Writer Conversation, which will work with writers at keeping focused on projects and looking for opportunities...

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Congratulations to Susan Siddall!

Congratulations to Susan Siddall for the recent publication of the first of her memoirs, Is the Chimney Really Burning? Susan is an OOTA member and has been an attendee at Friday's Prose Class & also Bruce Russell's Master Classes. We sincerely wish her we...

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Six Essentials for a Great Writing Masterclass

What you should get from a Masterclass or in other words *beware of Windbags!* There are murmurings in the Perth writing community that the oft-touted "Masterclasses" - especially during the Perth Writers Festival - fail to live up to their espoused title. Marsha Durham, author, academic and linguist, has an excellent article on her blog 'Writing Companion' where she details exactly what writers should expect to get from a "Masterclass". If you don't receive all of the quantifiable benefits, then you are wasting your time, and your money. See...

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Helen Hagemann is back at the Fremantle Arts Centre with a class on "Australian Short Fiction".

Writing at the Centre Helen is back at the FAC for the final two classes in 2011 [2/12 & 16/12/11]  The upcoming Friday Prose class on 2nd December will look at "Australian Short Fiction".  Texts used to stimulate writing exercises will be Peter Cowan's The Red-backed Spiders, Patrick White's Clay, Barbara Baynton's The Chosen Vessel and Cate Kennedy's short story Sleepers.  10.00am til noon, Room 9, Fremantle Arts Centre, 1 Finnerty Street, Fremantle.  $20...

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The First Facebook Short Story Writing Competition

The Writing Lab is proud to announce that they are hosting Australia’s first Facebook Short Story Competition. With a super-tight word count, public votes deciding the winner, and everyone’s favourite object of desire as 1st prize, this should be lots of fun. So get scribbling, get your friends to like your story – and good luck! Find out more here...

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2012 Saturday Poetry Classes at the Grove, Cottesloe

Saturday Poetry Workshops were successful at the Grove Library in 2011 and OOTA will again offer this after-hours course in 2012. Tutor, Helen Hagemann. It will consist of fortnightly Saturday Poetry Workshops for casual participants. Each Workshop will introduce contemporary poetry for those poets wanting to write contemporary poetry.   Participation in the Workshops will cover the study of poems, discussion and several writing exercises. In a recent survey the consensus was that...

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Creative Writing at the Fremantle Arts Centre

Final Prose Class in Creative Non-Fiction, this Friday 18th November with Rosemary Stevens. Learn ‘Creative Non-Fiction’ by using such fictional devices as scene setting, dialogue and the use of sensuous detail. 10.00am – noon. Casual class, no booking required. Cost $20/$25 (non-OOTA). For more details click here....

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Videos of the Australian Poetry Symposium

Take a look at the videos of the Australian Poetry Symposium, Newcastle October 2011. Papers read by Lucy Dougan, Jaya Savage, Martin Langford. Some insightful and controversial discussions from Peter Minter and Michael Shark...

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Novel Manuscript Development Opportunity

The Australian Literature Review is seeking expressions of interest for a 20 week novel manuscript development program beginning mid Feb 2012. (If there is enough demand for the program by mid Jan the program will go ahead in one or several Australian locations.)More here...

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Liana Christensen's Book Launch Pics

A large crowd enjoyed Liana Christensen's book launch of Deadly Beautiful on Saturday 5th November at Mattie Furphy House, Swanbourne. You can also go to Flickr to view larger slide show. Photography by Meredi Ort...

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Amanda Curtin's Judge's report for Spilt Ink Competiton

Creative non-fiction is sometimes thought to be a ‘new’ genre of writing, but it’s been around for a while in the form of travel writing, memoir, some feature journalism and the kind of biography in which the biographer steps into the story and inhabits that space between the objective and the subjective. Think Helen Garner, Inga Clendinnen. Go even further back and think Truman Capote with In Cold Blood. Two of my favourite examples of the genre, Janet Malcolm’s The Silent Woman and Hanifa Deen’s Broken Bangles, both date back to the 1990s. What’s...

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Our AGM & Results of the Spilt Ink Competition

Our sincere thanks to all standing members on the committee who were voted in for 2012. Helen Hagemann: President, Julie Watts: Vice-President, Leanne Searle: Treasurer, Lucas North: Secretary, Carolyn Abbs: Membership Coordinator, Rose van Son: Agenda Coordinator - Shoma Mitra: Network Tuesday Editor, Committee members: Josephine Clarke, Lucy Czerwiec and Helen Trengrove.Thanks also to Lucy for photographs and a special thank-you to all the members who attended. You can read the President's report...

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All welcome to Liana Christensen's book launch of Deadly Beautiful

You are warmly invited to the celebration of Deadly Beautiful by Liana Joy Christensen. To be launched by renowned wildlife photographer Jiri Lochman. Join us at 4.00 pm on Saturday November 5th 2011, Mattie Furphy Centre for Creative Imagining, Adjacent to FAWWA, Tom Collins House 88 Wood Street, Swanbourne. RSVP by November 1st to Liana.Christensen@uwa.edu....

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Helen is Back from the Land of the Leprechauns!

Return of Saturday Poetry for 2012 The Grove Library has offered its support to OOTA writers for our fortnightly Saturday Poetry Class for 2012. Once again this class will be held in the Flax room from 1.30pm to 3.30pm each Saturday fortnight. The class is a drop-in-style, no booking required. Saturday Poetry is suitable for community writers/ OOTA regulars, part-timers and casual attendees. So you can go off on holidays when you choose and we will still be there when you get back! For those of you who are interested in attending I would be...

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Publishing Opportunity for S/F/Fantasy, Horror Writers

Twelfth Planet Press Novel Manuscript Submission Month – January 2012Twelfth Planet Press is looking to develop a new line of dynamic, original genre novels. Twelfth Planet Press novels will push boundaries to question, inspire, engage and challenge. We are specifically looking to acquire material outside that which is typically considered by mainstream publishers.We are looking for science fiction, fantasy, horror and crime. We will consider borderline literary, new weird, steampunk, space opera, hard science fiction, soft science fiction, urban...

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Manuscript Monday: An Opportunity to Pitch Your Book

Manuscript Monday is a new initiative which is part of Pan Macmillan Australia's manuscript submission process. If you’ve ever dreamed of getting published, and have a story you’d like to pitch, here’s your chance to have it read by a publisher. No more navigating the slush pile! Every Monday we will accept submissions between 10am and 4pm that are sent electronically and comply with the guidelines. Check it out here...

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Launch of Roland Leach's New Poetry Collection

OOTA members are invited to the launch of My Father's Pigs by Roland Leach.The collection will be launched by Professor Dennis Haskell, Chair of the AustraliaCouncil Literature Board, On Friday, 23rd September 2011, 6pm Drama Foyer -Presbyterian Ladies' College Please RSVP by Friday 9th September*Phone Roland on 93833256 or Email rleach@plc.wa.edu...

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An Opportunity for our Members

Do you need help with your writing? Often attending class or sending work off to various markets or competitions can be a daunting thing. OUR MEMBER KATHRYN LEE is prepared to help. Kathryn would like your response, so no matter what the circumstance please send her a quick email or your thoughts on the idea of this supportive group. OOTA writers sought for a regular Saturday writing group: Seeking OOTA members interested in forming a writing group to do a writing exercise together and provide one another with feedback on writing under development....

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OOTA Writers read at Spring Poetry Festival

2011 Sunline Press Poets Muster at The Bodhi Tree Sunday August 28th, 1.30–3.00pm, features Andrew Burke, Vivienne Glance, Jennifer Kornberger, Roland Leach, Shane McCauley and Annamaria Weldon reading new and published poems, and introducing the latest Sunline Press Poet, Mags Webster reading from her new collection The Weather of Tongues. This event is part of the 2011 WA Poetry Festival. Sunday August 28th -1.30–3.00pm @ The Bodhi Tree Bookstore 416-418 Oxford Street Mt Hawthorn 6016 Tel: 9444 9884 OTHER SPRING POETRY GIGS The Fringe Gallery,...

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OOTA & DOT DOT DASH LAUNCH PHOTOS

What a great day. Steve Finch is AMAZING! Our thanks go to the Fremantle Arts Centre for providing an excellent and professional venue. Big hugs to Susan O'Brien for her photography on the day. Thanks also to our OOTA gang who supplied the food! And to everyone who came along, read, mingled and --- did you join OO...

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OOTA invites members/writers to dotdotdash launch

OOTA is hosting a launch of the latest volume of dotdotdash #7 on Saturday, August 20th, 2pm in Room 15 of the Fremantle Arts Centre dotdotdash is the new membership journal for OOTA members. As a part of your membership, you will receive 3 issues a year. Join us for a very special celebration on Saturday week, where you can meet the dotdotdash team and hear work from the August issue. Readers include: Clayton Lin, Kath Greville, Michael Collins, Pat Johnson, and OOTA members Josephine...

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Launch of The Weather of Tongues by Mags Webster

The Weather of Tongues by Mags Webster from H2 Design on Vimeo. "Photographs by Meredi Ortega (OOTA) and Music by www.pacdv.com/sound...

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Caitlyn's Farewell

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You are invited to Mags Webster's Book Launch

OOTA proudly announces the release of Mags Webster's first collection of poetry, The Weather of Tongues. Mags is a long standing member of OOTA, a regular at poetry & prose classes and has served on committee. We congratulate Mags on her publication by Sunline Press. All OOTA members are invited to help celebrate her latest success! Join us at the Gallows Gallery, 53 Glyde Street, Mosman Park. Saturday 6th August at 2.30pm. Click on image for larger vi...

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Mags Webster's new collection: The Weather of Tongues

THE WEATHER OF TONGUES by Mags Webster ‘… you’ve scoped me like landscape and I await/ the brushstrokes of your breath, the weather of tongues …’ ‘Strange Vernacular’, The Weather of Tongues Land, language, distance, the music of love, its darkness and its mystery – all these themes are woven into a new poetry collection called The Weather of Tongues, by Perth-based writer and OOTA member, Mags Webster. The Weather of Tongues is published by Sunline Press, and will be launched by poet Kevin...

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New Prose Series with Nandi Chinna at the FAC

Four Hills and a Cloud - Writing on Walking Poet Wallace Stevens writes:‘In my room, the world is beyond my understanding;But when I walk I see that it consists of three or fourhills and a cloud’ (Stevens, 1955, p. 57). In these workshops, writers will investigate the practice of walking as a creative tool. From Basho to Wordsworth, Janet Cardiff to Richard Long, many artists and writers have used the practice of walking to inform their creativity. Participants will undertake short walks and will be instructed in the practice of ‘reading’ the environment...

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FREMANTLE PRESS POETRY MONTH

Celebrate the launch of three new poetry collections with an evening of live music and performance poetry, featuring: TRACY RYAN – MICHAEL HEALD – KEVIN GILLAM – ANDREW LANSDOWN – LIANA JOY CHRISTENSEN – AMANDA JOY – JOHN CHARLES RYAN – CAITLYN MALING Thursday 7 July, 6pm for a 6.30pm start Fremantle Arts Centre 1 Finnerty Street Fremantle RSVP: admin@fremantlepress.com.au OR ring: 08 943063...

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Our congratulations to Mary on the publication of 'Beyond Borders'

Beyond Borders by Mary Nakashiba (aka Jarzabkowski) is a major achievement by one of our members. This is a memoir of cultural significance. It is a story of the personal struggle of a multicultural family (Australian/Japanese), and the punitive actions of a government during the war years in Australia. Mary's story is worth knowing and worth reading. Factually written in beautiful prose, she portrays the harsh reality of the times with stoicism and humour. The reader will not be disappointed. Mary's...

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Announcing our Creative Non-Fiction Competition for WA Writers!

2011 SPILT INK COMPETITION - Submissions now open! Each year OOTA conducts a writing competition for its sole membership. In alternate years we have run a Poetry, then a Prose Competition. However, this year our competition is "Creative Non-Fiction." Note: Guidelines are to be strictly observed otherwise your entry will not be accepted. Download our pdf (in landscape) entry form here or our .doc entry form (in landscape) here or simply click on image, then print.  What is...

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e-launch of Par écrit: poetry of the feminine & The Joyous Lake by Helen Hagemann

Open publication - Free publishing - More australian Helen Hagemann announces the publication of her 2 new e-books Par écrit: poetry of the feminine and The Joyous Lake. Helen's poetry will take you down a nature trail to rivers, lakes, ponds and more. Par écrit: poetry of the feminine is poetry concerned with life's journey and all things female. You can read her work leisurely on Helen's website or check out ISSUU - a great way to publish - for free! http://members.iinet.net.au/~helen.hagemann http://issuu.com/evangelyne/docs/par_ecrith...

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Annamaria Weldon announces an artistic collaboration: Bush Journal

Bush Journal - words, drawings, sound; a collaborative installation by writer Annamaria Weldon and Carolyn Marks, artist & sculptor. Opens this weekend Saturday 28th May 2011 at INQB8. Mandurah's inaugural exhibition. Details of the exhibition, venue, dates, etc. here ...

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Exciting New Creative Writing Classes at the Fremantle Arts Centre

WRITING AT THE CENTREFriday's Prose class brings you five new series of creative writing with new tutors. Our 1st Series "Releasing the Writer Within" was a huge success and so it's a big thank you to writers who attended who made it so. We now offer the 2nd Series - sui generis with Lucas North 3rd Series - Four Hills & a Cloud with Nandi Chinna 4th Series - Writing Children's Literature with Andrew Lansdown 5th Series - Writing Longer Fiction with Bruce Russell 6th Series - Creative Non-Fiction with Rosemary Stevens We hope you will continue...

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Interesting Article in the West & Some Opportunities for You!

Never Judge an Essay by its Coverby DONNA WARD - The West Australian May 10, 2011 "My vision takes into account the great sweep of the country from all points of the compass. What events happened in 2011 that made our essayists set forth on their journey to understanding? How do our essayists help us think about our lives," says ABC Radio personality, Ramona Koval when I asked her what she was looking for as the selecting editor for Best Australian Essays 2011. Award winning author Cate Kennedy says what is thoughtfully crafted catches her attention...

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Speculative Fiction Opportunity

2011 Eureka Street/Reader's Feast AwardThe 2011 Eureka Street/Reader's Feast Award has the theme 'Australia 2031', inviting speculative fiction or non-fiction that imagines what life will be like in Australia, 20 years into the future. Entries should be no longer than 2000 words and first prize is $5000, sponsored by Reader's Feast Bookstores in Melbourne as part of its Crime and Justice Festival. The Margaret Dooley Young Writers Award for ethical writing (under-30s age category) is also open. Full submission details for both awards are available...

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Opportunity from the Melbourne Poets Union

The Melbourne Poets Union is inviting POETRY SUBMISSIONS for TEA, WINE AND COFFEE... ANTHOLOGYedited by Sue Stanford Tea, wine and coffee are widely enjoyed forms of stimulation, comfort and perhaps addiction. The three occupy slightly different but extremely interesting positions in Australian culture. The anthology will be a book of 46+ pages. It is open to submissions from MPU members and non-members. All poems touching on the three beverages will be considered, but selection criteria include: 1) the poems should be of high standard...

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An Advanced Easter Notice

The Friday Prose Class and Saturday Poetry at the Grove Library will be cancelled due to the Easter Holidays.  Please make a note in your diary - Friday 22nd April - no class at the Fremantle Arts Centre. And Saturday 23rd April - no Saturday Poetry at the Grove Library, (both venues are closed). These classes will resume again on Friday 6th May and Saturday 7th May. Many thanks, Helen Hagema...

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Indigo's Last Hurrah Saturday 5th March 2011

It was certainly a praiseworthy night at the launch of indigo's final volume #6. Our special thanks to Meredi Ortega for her excellent phot...

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OOTA's Farewell Lunch for Donna Ward

Over thirty members attended Donna Ward's farewell on Friday, 25th February in the leafy (but warm) cafe courtyard at the Fremantle Arts Centre. Many writers have been published in indigo due to the efforts of Donna and they attended her luncheon to show their appreciation and support. Bruce and Donna say au revoir OOTA takes this opportunity to wish her well in a return trip to her hometown, Melbourne, and hopes that she has many more successes in her future endeavours be they personal, writing...

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An OOTA Luncheon with Donna Ward

Donna Ward is leaving WA to live in Melbourne. To wish her luck in her new life Over East, and to acknowledge all that she has done for OOTA and West Australian writers, OOTA invites all members to join us in an informal farewell lunch in the Fremantle Arts Centre Café at 12 noon, on Friday 25th of February. We will order our lunch as per usual, but please RSVP by Monday, 21st February, to Josephine Clarke, j.sephine.c@gmail.com so that we can reserve you a se...

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New Series of Writing Workshops at the FAC

RELEASING THE WRITER WITHINHelen Hagemann introduces Releasing the Writer Within into her prose classes. Six workshops commencing 11th February – 6th May (fortnightly) will cover the teachings & philosophy of Natalie Goldberg - author of Writing Down the Bones & Wild Mind. Workshop #1 – 11th February An introduction into Natalie Goldberg’s Philosophy on Writing Practice/ Enlightenment/Releasing the Imagination/ Making that kamikaze leap. Workshop #2 – 25th February Dredging stuff from your mind, and being the judge of your own private...

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