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ONLINE: Writeability Goes Local: Our Own Voices – Mornington Peninsula

Date:

With:

Jax Jacki Brown, Jessica Walton and Anna Spargo-Ryan

Rating:

ALL

Summary:

'Our Own Voices' explores how language, writing and telling our own stories helps transform ways of thinking about the self, disability and community. It is the introduction to The Writers Group and should be attended if you are planning to take part in the Writers Group. The Writeability Goes Local: Mornington Peninsula Writers Group is scheduled to run for eight sessions over the coming months. Writers with disability at all levels of experience are invited to attend.

Two images of white women – one has short red hair and glasses and sits smiling in a wheelchair, the other is smiling broadly off camera with her short blonde hair pinned back from her face.

Jax Jacki Brown and Jessica Walton

Details

Come and be part of the launch of Writeability Goes Local at Mornington Peninsula.

Explore how language, writing and telling our own stories helps transform ways of thinking about the self, disability and community.
Developed by people with disability, this event encourages you to share your stories through Own Voices writing and includes readings and inclusive writing activities led by experienced writing tutors.


 

Who is it for?


This forum is for writers and aspiring writers with disability in the Mornington Peninsula, and their allies. When we say that Writeability is a program for people with disability, we mean that it's for anyone who experiences barriers as a result of their particular impairment or condition (such as the lack of physical access, communication barriers, discrimination or other people’s attitudes).
This includes (but isn't limited to) people with sensory or physical impairments, hidden impairments, ongoing medical conditions, intellectual impairments, learning difficulties or mental health conditions. If you self-identify as a person with disability, or as someone who experiences barriers as a result of your condition, then this opportunity is for you.

 

Program


By bridging the gap between mainstream arts and disability communities, the Own Voices Forum will use writing to break down barriers to social inclusion and give people with disability the skills and opportunity to tell their stories their way.

 

  • 1.45pm – Zoom link open – meet and greet.
  • 2pm - Own Voices – Why does it matter?
  • 2.20pm - Telling our stories: Readings from Writeability
  • 2.40pm – Introducing local mentor Anna Spargo Ryan.
  • 3pm - Writing Workshops. Develop creative and professional writing skills and share your stories with Jax Jacki Brown, Jessica Walton and Anna Spargo-Ryan
  • 3.45pm - Q&A; Invitation to register for the program. 

 

About Jax Jacki Brown

Jax Jacki Brown (they/them) is a disability and LGBTIQA+ rights activist, writer, and educator. Jax has written for Junkee, Daily Life, The Feminist Observer, Writers Victoria, ABC’s Ramp Up, Hot Chicks with Big Brains and Archer Magazine. Jax is published in the following anthologies: 'Queer Disability Anthology' (2015), 'QueerStories: Reflections on Lives Well Lived from Some of Australia's Finest LGBTIQA+ Writers' (2018), 'Kindred: 12 Queer #LoveOzYA Stories' (2019), 'Growing up Queer in Australia' (2019) and the forthcoming 'We’ve got this: parenting and disability anthology' (2022). Jax is interested in how we can build resilience, pride and community for people with disabilities.

 

About Jessica Walton

Jessica Walton is the author of 'Introducing Teddy', a gentle story about a transgender teddy bear. She wrote it after realising that the picture books on her kids’ shelves didn’t reflect the diversity of her family. Jess is the author of graphic novel 'Stars In Their Eyes' which will be published by Fremantle Press in late 2021. She has two short stories for teens and kids published in Australian anthologies 'Funny Bones' (Allen and Unwin 2019) and 'Meet Me at the Intersection' (Fremantle Press 2018). In 2017 Jess completed a Writeability Fellowship with Writers Victoria focused on poetry about disability, cancer and pain. In 2020 she completed a Publishability Fellowship, which continues this work. Jess has had poems published in a few anthologies, magazines and journals. She also has a patreon where she shares her poetry directly with patrons. Jess co-wrote an episode of 'Get Krack!n' focused on disability, which aired on the ABC in February 2019.

 

About Anna Spargo-Ryan

Anna was born in Adelaide and now lives in in Melbourne. Her short work has been published by the Guardian, The Big Issue, ELLE, Good Weekend, Meanjin, The Saturday Paper, The Lifted Brow, Overland, Kill Your Darlings, Daily Life, The Age, the ABC and many other places. She is the author of two novels: 'The Paper House' and 'The Gulf', and she has a nonfiction book forthcoming from Picador. Anna is also the Nonfiction Editor for ISLAND Magazine. Anna was the inaugural winner of The Horne Prize for her essay “The Suicide Gene”, and in 2018 was grateful to be supported by the Victorian Government through Creative Victoria as part of their Creators’ Fund. Anna is also a PhD candidate at Deakin University, writing about memory, time, mental illness and self-making.

 


More about Writeability Goes Local


This nine-month creative writing program is funded by Mornington Peninsula Shire and is a collaboration with Writers Victoria and Peninsula Writers Club. It aims to reduce the disadvantages that disabled writers can face due to social isolation, remoteness from city-based programs, the expense of professional development and the assumption that people with disability need other people to tell their stories.

 

Following the forum, Writeability Goes Local: Mornington Peninsula will include workshops and author talks for people with disability interested in writing and building their writing skills for creativity and enjoyment. To take part, register for the Mornington Peninsula Writeability Writers Group here, or email Lyndel to register your interest. 

 

 

Cancellation Policy

Venue:

Online
Australia

Contact:

Phone: 03 90947837
Email: [email protected]

Registration for this event ended on 22 May 2021 - 4:00
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