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In this week's issue of Pen & Pixel, we are delighted to publish October's winning Right Left Write entry, What I Remember by Scott Hoffman. Read below!
Thank you to our special guest judge for the month, Geneve Flynn, who commented the following on the winning story: "the experience of fear is nuanced and written with wonderful finesse: for example, the missing chunks of time and memory, the sudden plunge from safety and calm to thrumming, choking terror, and the focus on small, disparate details..."
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If you want to learn more about the craft of a great horror short, don't forget you'll also be able to catch Geneve talking all things horror writing alongside fellow authors on the panel Don’t Be Scared - Writing Horror Fiction at GenreCon 2023 - included in your General Admission ticket.
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October's winning Right Left Write entry (Horror)
Here is what I remember. The immense boil of water that preceded the dark girth of the shark as it came up between us and rolled, one eye blankly gazing, a fin the size of a boogie board trailing, and a smear of white water remaining after it went under again. We were only metres apart so we both saw it. I can remember Steve swearing and me looking up from the smooth ocean’s surface, benign and friendly only seconds before at his white face. Then there is a gap of memory, of sensory inputs before sound returns and side by side Steve and I are paddling towards the shore with my harsh breathing in my ears... read more...
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Full-day hybrid workshop
When: 10:30am, Thursday 17 November
Price: $130 in-person / $55 online
Whether you're a beginner or simply would like a refresher course in creative writing, this informative and hands-on writing workshop will re-ignite your inspiration to write.
Opportunities available for immediate feedback on your writing during the day from Taryn.
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Longform live stream course
When: Six Tuesday evenings through Jan - May
Price: $450 (member rate)
Finished a first draft and wondering where to next? This popular, intensive four-month course will guide you through the steps, strategies and tools for completing a structural edit of your WIP.
Limited places remaining.
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Check out our website for bookings and more workshops and courses. |
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In Conversation with Author Allen C. Jones - MidnightSun Publishing
When: 6:30pm - 8:00pm, Wednesday 9 November
Where: Books@Stones, Logan Rd, Greenslopes
Award-winning Norwegian author Allen C. Jones will be in conversation with Queensland Writers Centre Vice Chair Lara Cain Gray, to launch his debut novel, the post-apocalyptic Her Death Was Also Water.
Logan Central Library - Podcasting Tips and Tricks to Get You Started with Josh Donellan
When: 5:30pm - 7:30pm, Tuesday 15 November
Where: Logan Central Library
Learn the basics of telling your story and how to make it interesting for your listener, plus other valuable skills including scripting and interviewing people to recording, using microphones, editing and noise reduction and fades. Successful podcaster J.M. (Josh) Donellan shares his knowledge, tips and tricks to get you started in this Queensland Writers Centre workshop.
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State Library - 20 Years Strong showcase tour
When: 10:00am - 10:30am, Friday 18 November
Where: kuril dhagun, Level 1, State Library of Queensland
Come along on a tour of 20 Years Strong, State Library's latest showcase in kuril dhagun, celebrating 20 years of Indigenous Knowledge Centres. In this free tour you will hear stories and insights about the showcase from a State Library of Queensland staff member.
Cairns Tropical Writers Festival 2023
When: 24-26 February 2023
Where: Pullman Cairns International Hotel
The Cairns Tropical Writers Festival brings together stories from the region and Australian authors and storytellers who have published or performed locally, nationally and internationally. The 2023 schedule has just been announced and tickets will go on sale soon.
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Our November genre prompt for the Right Left Write flash fiction competition is Memoir.
Whether you want to tell a life story or craft some fiction on the theme, submissions of short work (max. 500 words) close 30 November - submit now.
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Community news & Member Milestones
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Congratulations to the shortlisted writers on the State Library of Queensland's Young Writers Award: Callum Brockett for the story Once/Now, Maxwell Freedman for The Sea Behind My Eyelids, Ellie Kaddatz for Back Burning, and Sasha Vucicevic for Six. Each of these finalists now receive membership with Queensland Writers Centre.
Soni Laugesen has become the 2022 Logan Poet Laureate for her poem I have Resilience, at least I think I do.
Majeeda Cox, writing as M. N. Cox, has published her debut novel, the paranormal mystery novel The Strange Brew.
Writers Olivia De Zilva (for the piece A Bigger Splash!) and Jing Cramb (for the piece The Baby) have been named on the shortlist for the 2022 Deborah Cass Prize for Writing.
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Brittany Riley was announced as the winner of the Berry Writers Festival + South Coast Writers Centre flash fiction competition in Berry NSW in October at the festival's opening celebration. Her story, titled Every Angle of Her, will be published in the 2022 SCWC Anthology of Writing.
Pantera Press has acquired Kylie Kaden's fifth novel, the domestic thriller After The Smoke Clears. It is set to be launched in May 2023.
Sandy Curtis has been commissioned to write fortnightly columns for Starts at 60's online publication, with recent contributions including Wasting a scammers time, Battling the bank, and The unexpected journey of grief.
Terrie Ferman’s poem Anniversary Gifts will appear in Brushstrokes III, the anthology compiled from the 2022 Ros Spencer Poetry Contest conducted by WA Poets Inc.
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We currently have too many Member Milestones to print! If you've submitted recently check back soon - and if you have achievements to share, keep on sending them in using the submissions form. |
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Competitions & opportunities
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Applications open: 14 November 2022 - 17 January 2023
Queensland Writers Centre’s Adaptable: Turning the Page to Screen returns in 2022/23 for a fifth year of forging creative connections between the literary and screen communities.
Successful applicants to the Program are given the opportunity to pitch published and/or publication-ready novels, short stories, biographies, and non-fiction works with potential for screen adaptation to producers, showrunners, and screenwriters at Gold Coast Film Festival in 2023. Application guidelines are available now.
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Graduate Job Opportunity - Varuna & Blue Mountains Writers Festival
Closes: 17 November
Varuna, The National Writers' House is seeking applications to fill the position of Programs Administrator, a full-time role based in Katoomba NSW supporting the delivery of Varuna and the annual Blue Mountains Writers Festival's programs.
Griffith Review Online: 2023 Contributor Pitches
Closes: 2 December
Griffith Review is getting a digital reboot and to celebrate, the publication is seeking three regular online contributors in 2023, who will each write four non-fiction pieces (of 800–1,000 words each) across the year. Applicants submit an author statement, four article pitches and a writing sample.
Boundless Indigenous Writer’s Mentorship Program
Closes: 12 December
Presented by Writing NSW and Text Publishing. The mentorship is awarded annually, pairing a senior Indigenous writer with an unpublished Indigenous writer working on a piece of fiction or non-fiction for a structured year-long mentorship. The intention of the program is to support the writer to develop their manuscript and to facilitate a pathway to publication.
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The Dorothy Hewett Award for an Unpublished Manuscript
Closes: 30 November
Open to all writers who have completed a manuscript and are seeking publication. The work must be fiction, narrative nonfiction or poetry, inclusive of hybrid genres such as verse novels or memoir. Winner receives a cash prize of $10,000, courtesy of Copyright Agency, and will be offered a publishing contract by UWA Publishing.
Calanthe Collective Prize for Unpublished Poetry
Applications open: 1 January - 31 March 2023
Competition organised in association with Griffith University and Brisbane poet Jena Woodhouse. Entries accepted on an open theme of poems up to 50 lines. Multiple entries accepted. Two categories: Under 18 for high school aged people, and an Open category for poets who are yet to have a book or chapbook published. Winners in category receive cash prizes and are published online by Calanthe Press.
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GenreCon 2023 Volunteer Opportunities
GenreCon 2023: Forbidden Doors is calling out for volunteers to help assist with the events of the conference. If you’re keen to help out or would like to experience the behind-the-scenes of running GenreCon, reach out at genrecon@qldwriters.org.au for more information and to sign on.
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Thanks to Allen & Unwin, we have copies to giveaway of The Trouble with the Two-Headed Hydra: Miss Mary-Kate Martin's Guide to Monsters 2, by Karen Foxlee & Freda Chiu.
Miss Mary-Kate Martin might be anxious, but she's not scared of monsters. Travelling the globe with her famous archaeologist mother, Mary-Kate helps solve legendary problems in this fun fantasy adventure suitable for fans of the Travelling Bookshop or the Magnolia Moon series.
Fill in the entry form for your chance to win.
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Queensland Writers Centre membership
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