Do people ask you how your writing is going? I’m sure we all get asked that. Who knows what the right answer is. One acquaintance of mine enquired further: ‘But are you penning or writing?’ he said. I didn't know the difference. ‘Well,’ he replied, ‘ C. (his partner) tells me she's been writing during … Continue reading Writing or Penning?
Tag: Elwood Writers
The Writing Group
As you might know, my writing group, Elwood Writers, is an active and committed cohort of four,. Member, Barry Lee Thompson, recently wrote about the group on The Writing Life, a blog hosted by Lee Kofman. Lee is the author of fiction and non-fiction books, and a superlative teacher - among other talents - of … Continue reading The Writing Group
Why Writings and Musings?
I wrote this post for the Elwood Writers blog in October 2021 - view here. The post is in answer to Helen McDonald's questions to us about why we write our individual blogs, and who our intended audience is. Why I Write my Blog I set up the Writings and Musings blog because I wanted to have … Continue reading Why Writings and Musings?
Queensland Literary Awards, Barry’s collection shortlisted
We at Elwood Writers are excited to announce that Broken Rules and Other Stories by Barry Lee Thompson has been shortlisted for the 2021 University of Southern Queensland Steele Rudd Award. To see the shortlisted authors and judges comments, click here. Barry has been a founding member of Elwood Writers since 2007. He is the recipient … Continue reading Queensland Literary Awards, Barry’s collection shortlisted
Read All About It
Elwood Writers (EW) is pleased to announce that our anthology Every Second Tuesday is profiled on BookBub. You can read all about it here, including a 5 star review from author Ann McCauley. Ann has also listed the book as a recommended title. You might have to be a member of the BookBub community to access the link, … Continue reading Read All About It
The Interface between Memoir and Fiction
At the launch of Every Second Tuesday, author Lee Kofman observed that certain of the Elwood Writers stories in the anthology exhibited a ‘fascinating’ interface between memoir and fiction. This reflects, I believe, a growing field of writers who are mixing the two genres. Blending them, however, can be a challenge. Debate rages about where … Continue reading The Interface between Memoir and Fiction
Ethics in Memoir
As part of Elwood Writers online anthology launch, host Lee Kofman had prepared a question for me on the ethics of writing about one's family. ‘Margaret, your memoirs in this collection feature various family members. What are your main ethical challenges when you write about others and how do you deal with them?’ The launch … Continue reading Ethics in Memoir
Broken Rules and Other Stories, update — Barry Lee Thompson
Barry's book Broken Rules will be released by Transit Lounge on 1st September. Barry is a friend and colleague from Elwood Writers and this is his first collection of short stories. Some early reviews have appeared. There’s a write-up in Westerly, here, and one from The Age and Sydney Morning Herald, here. The book’s release … Continue reading Broken Rules and Other Stories, update — Barry Lee Thompson
Upcoming Anthology from Elwood Writers
‘But if a book has brought you from one place to another, so that you see something you didn’t see before, you’ve arrived at another point.’ James Baldwin, The Paris Review 1984. My writing group, Elwood Writers, is to release its anthology in November of this year. Every Second Tuesday is a collection of fiction, … Continue reading Upcoming Anthology from Elwood Writers
It’s Back to School for Elwood Writers
The Elwood Writers will feature on the ‘Back to School’ edition of Cover to Cover for Vision Australia Radio on Friday 26 January 2018. Our group has collaborated with producer and presenter, Tim McQueen, to compile a program comprising poetry, fiction and memoir on multifaceted notions of school. I look forward to sharing my two … Continue reading It’s Back to School for Elwood Writers