Information, inspiration and insights into the writing life
Want the chance to meet other writers in the Writers Victoria community?
To have a say in who runs your peak body?
Go in the draw for a free book?
Whatever your motivation, Writers Victoria is delighted to welcome members to our Annual General Meeting for the 2020 Calendar Year, to be held on Wednesday 21 April 2021 at 6pm (via Zoom).
Meeting Agenda
Writers Victoria is pleased to announce that applications for Round 6 of the Neilma Sidney Literary Travel Fund will open on 1 April 2021.
On Wednesday 3 March, in front of a large audience at Adelaide Writers’ Week, Mandy Sayer was announced as winner of the 2021 Hazel Rowley Literary Fellowship.
Mandy Sayer was awarded $15,000 for her proposed biography of Australian silent filmmakers the McDonagh sisters, Paulette, Isabelle, and Phyllis. Between 1926 and 1933 the three sisters wrote, produced and directed the films, while one of them acted in the main roles.
Dear Writers Victoria community,
As you are no doubt aware, the Victorian Government has announced new coronavirus (COVID-19) restrictions and we are committed to safe practices for our staff, members and wider community.
The restrictions have been introduced after a Hotel Quarantine worker at the Grand Hyatt Hotel tested positive to coronavirus (COVID-19).
The Hazel Rowley Literary Committee and Writers Victoria are pleased to announce seven writers have been shortlisted for the 2021 Hazel Rowley Literary Fellowship, worth $15,000.
“The shortlist reflects an exciting and diverse range of subjects both contemporary and historic, including artists, filmmakers, actors and writers,” said Della Rowley, Hazel’s sister. “This year, more than any other, it is vital to support writers. Given the impact of COVID-19, priority has been given to writers researching and writing within Australia.
The year is 2018:
<Jumble of words; sounds of mumbling>
Me, replying from across the large oak table, ‘Yes, at Digital Writers Festival.’
<laughter erupting> ‘We just said that!’ they answered back and gave me a what’s-wrong-with-you look.
‘Sorry, I can’t hear well,’ I replied in a sheepish tone, and pointed to one of my ears.
My eyes panned the cavernous lobby with high ceiling.
High ceiling, lots of echoing, I could barely hear.
Whenever a catastrophe happens, we all try to find ways to explain its occurrence to ease our mind and help us accept drastic consequences. My sudden loss of vision during my trip to Vietnam shocked people and inevitably I became a target for many quirky comments and advice.
My sister and brother showed their concern by bombarding me with their wisdom. “You always do too much. You never rest, so your body just collapsed.”
“I went to the gym three times a week. I was very fit before this happened.”
“Why do you have a scar?”
She leaned forward, prodding my stomach.
It wasn’t the first time my daughter had asked about my shape or the myriad ridges etched upon the skin by the surgeon’s scalpel. She would repeatedly insist on answers, needing to know her mother. There was a presumptuousness to her questioning and touch that I loved.
Like before, I told her the story of my birth, the deformities across my digestive system and the ongoing impact.
