Please note: these are partnership events with Connected Libraries and only available for residents living in the City of Casey.
Each workshop is free and bookable via the Connected Libraries website.
Writing Character in Fiction with Katerina Gibson
Saturday 1 March, 10:30am – 1pm
In this workshop students will be given a crash course in writing character in fiction, with particular attention to constructing character through voice. Using prompts, writing exercises and reading samples we will explore how character is formed and what character is, how characters shape each other and the narrative, and the ability to be surprised by our characters, ultimately dissecting how writing character in fiction can be a used as a tool for expanding our perspective, and forming a deeper understanding of the world around us.
You Will Learn:
~ What character is
~ How characters are formed through each other
~ How voice shapes the narrative
~ The anti-plot – how characters shape the narrative
~ The surprise perspective, letting characters be themselves.
Please bring a pen and notepad or whatever you feel most comfortable writing on.
Suggested Reading Texts:
~ Jennifer Egan: A Visit From The Goon Squad
~ Jonathan Franzen: Crossroads
~ Bernardine Evaristo: Girl Woman Other
About Your Tutor:
Katerina Gibson is a writer and bookseller living in Naarm. Her debut collection Women I Know won the 2023 Christina Stead Prize for Fiction, the Steele Rudd Award. Her stories have appeared in HEAT, Granta, Overland, The Griffith Review, the Lifted Brow, Meanjin, and New Australian Fiction, among other places. Her debut novel The Temperature came out in 2024.
Zine-making Workshop For All Ages with Tegan Webb
Saturday 5 April, 10:30am – 1pm
Come discover the unique joy and revolutionary power of zines! Zines are self-published works, handmade and photocopied to share information, creativity, underrepresented voices and so much more. In this workshop, writer and zinemaker Tegan (she/they) will give a brief intro to zines and zine culture, share zines from her decade-spanning collection and take you through how to make your own 8-page zine to take home with you.
You Will Learn:
~ What a zine is! Participants will be given an intro into what zines are, with various examples from Tegan’s own decade-spanning collection.
~ Why zines are important; a brief introduction to how zines played an important part in historical cultural movements; eg. the Harlem renaissance ‘Little Magazines’, 1930’s – 1960s science fiction fanzines, punk zines of the 70s and 80s, the 90s riot grrrl movement.
~ Why we should care about zines now; why zines are still a relevant and important form of publishing now, particularly in the face of the corporate internet.
~ Some zine making techniques; participants will learn how to make an 8-page zine out of a A3 or A4 piece of paper, and then have space and guidance to use art supplies and collage materials to start making their own zines.
~ About the Zine community; how participants can get involved in the zine community eg. Sticky Institute, Festival of the Photocopier zine fair.
About Your Tutor:
Tegan Webb (she/they) is a writer, zine and digital art maker from Naarm. Her work explores themes of connection and creativity in various forms such as zines, games and interactive fiction. They are currently working on a collection of short stories about robots, a bunch of other digital experiments, and at a public library to pay their bills.