“Once you have that first draft you have something to work with, you’re not facing a blank page and pulling ideas out of the air. Once you have a bunch of ideas on the page in front of you, you’re ready to shape, expand and trim them to achieve the effects you want.”

‘The story is very much about friendship, and it’s been an interesting parallel that the people I’ve met while writing it have helped me understand what community truly is.’

‘Playing with quicksilver is what poets do. Like children gently prodding the mercury and marvelling at the weightlessness of what appears heavy, the fleetness of what should be slow, the formation of one from what was many, poets do not feel the danger their material conceals …’

“Family history certainly helps us to develop empathy and understanding. Knowing what shaped our ancestors helps us understand what has shaped each of us.”

Fill your August with these wonderful writing events. There’s a range of events to brighten your month, including panel discussions, poetry readings, book launches, live theatre and more!

Take a look at what we’ve read in July – a middle grade First Nations story, a postmodern reimagining of a classic, a book told from a painting’s perspective and more!

“It’s about becoming attentive, slowing the mind to create space for a poem to breathe. I am in dialogue with mystery, time, and with space.”

‘By exposing all members to memoir, poetry, screenplay, historical fiction, even musicals etc, our constructive criticism allows all members to develop skills outside their comfort zones owing to the diversity of genres canvassed.’

The best communities are the ones that recognise they are a small part of a really large ecosystem that they can never control.