Welcome!
Hi, and welcome to the First Tuesday newsletter for April.
I've just returned from nine days of retreating, reflecting and writing in our fabulous South-West. These moments away from the routine are truly are a gift, and I'm grateful for others who made this possible: Cate, Amanda and Carol who organised the Inspire Collective Retreat (24-26 March); Natasha Lester who taught us so much on her writing retreat (1-2 April); other retreat participants; my husband for his support and temporary single-parenting; friends with a holiday home, and others I re-connected with after many years.
I'm still thinking about my time away - and the potential impact on my daily and weekly rhythms if I put into practice some of what I learned and discovered (and at times re-discovered).
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One of the conversations occurring at both the Inspire Collective Retreat and Natasha Lester's writing retreat was about the importance of letting go of perfection if we are ever to begin (or continue) pursuing our creative passions and dreams. I was reminded of the words of a student I mentored at 12 Buckets several years ago. One day, she said to me:
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I think we have something to learn from this youngster (at 12 Buckets it's called reverse mentoring). The artwork on the quote is by another student, also aged 11 at the time she created it, and developed from experimenting with mixing colours.
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Nurturing Your Creativity
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Whether you've always dreamed of creating but never quite got started, or you made a tentative start but were met with ridicule, or you've published a string of best sellers, self-doubt seems to be a common experience among the creative people I know. I hope you can take the advice of my young student and dare to take the next step - whatever that might be for you.
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I'm sure you've heard the saying 'six degrees of separation' - the idea that we are linked to every other person by six (or fewer) connections. Have you ever tried it to discover if you know somebody who knows somebody who knows a celebrity, or has a bushranger in their family tree, or is related to royalty?
Now there's a literary version, which is a lot of fun to play, whether on a blog or just in your own head. Check out my latest blog post if you want to see how it works in practice (this month's Six Degrees began with Room by Emma Donoghue) - and play along!
Read more ...
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History in the City - Wednesday 5 April (2.00-3.30 pm)
I've been invited tto talk about the history of the War Widows' Guild at April's meeting of History in the City, which is run by the Royal Western Australian Historical Society. It meets at Cityplace Conference Room at the top of the escalator at the Perth Railway Station. Cost is $5, which includes afternoon tea.
Words With Wine - Thursday 27 April 2017 (6.30-7.30 pm)
On Thursday 27 April, I'll be speaking at South Perth Library, about the remarkable group women who banded together to overcome their grief to find meaning & purpose in life through the War Widow's Guild. The event is free to attend, but bookings essential (9474 0800).
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For Family Historians
Introduction to Writing Your Family History
Last year, I ran a series of Writing Your Family History workshops at the Willagee Community Centre, and I've been asked to re-run the course in Term Two this year. Please pass on the information to anyone you think would benefit from these five practical workshops on how to turn those years of family information and photos into a story to be treasured and passed along.
Date: Fortnightly Fridays: 28/4, 12/5, 26/5, 9/6 and 23/6
Time: 9:30-11:30am
Venue: Willagee Community Centre
Cost: $20 per session or $100 for the course.
Bookings: Call the Willagee Community Centre on 9364 0848.
NB: If you attended the 2016 course, this is a repeat; however, I'm exploring the idea of an ongoing monthly group that will be a mix of teaching and critiquing, beginning in Term 3. Let me know if this is something that interests you.
Family History at University of Tasmania
Last month, I mentioned I was undertaking a unit of study in the Diploma of Family History at UTAS. I'm learning a lot!
If you think you have convicts in your family tree, you might be interested in the next unit, which is 'Convict Ancestors' and also available as part of a HECS scholarship deal. This unit begins on 24 April 2017.
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For Young Writers
KSP Press Club
With the school holidays fast approaching, check out the KSP Writers' Centre's one day holiday program on Tuesday 18 April. I ran this program in January and will do so again in July, but this time you'll be guided by writer and teacher, Guy Salvidge. Read more ...
Writing Competitions
With a little more time and thinking space for a couple of weeks, you might also like to spend time writing or drawing for one of the competitions with deadlines approaching over the next month or two. These include:
- Children's and Young Adult Writers and Illustrators Hatchlings Competition (closing date: 30 April)
- 2017 South Perth Young Writers Award (closing date: 6 May)
- Shaun Tan Art Award (closing date: 22 May)
Further details and links to these and other writing opportunities, can be found on my blog.
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MAD Links
MAD stands for 'making a difference', something I believe we all have the capacity to do regardless of our background or circumstances. Here's a few stories of people who are quite MAD:
- Tim Winton recently wrote a piece about why grassroots organisations like 12 Buckets are so important, in which he wrote: "Teaching is about relationships. Human contact. We learn by being noticed and heard by others. We learn and grow when we are valued."
- This Welcome to Country app allows you to discover the Indigenous history of where you stay.
- After fleeing his country because of "problems with the government", Mohammed Reza has become an entrepreneur in Australia by opening Shiraz IceCream, which sells freshly made Iranian-inspired sweets, ice cream and juice.
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What's on your Bedside Table?
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As I've mentioned before, I'm supposed to have been reading only books already on my bookshelf. The first challenge - the TBR Dare - finished on 1 April. I started March reasonably well (All that I Am by Anna Funder and Walking Free by Munjed Al Muderis, and yes it's a library book, but I've renewed it so many times, I figured it counted).
I confess City of Thorns by Ben Rawlence is new, but I 'justified' it as research for my current work-in-progress. I also 'had' to buy new novels by Natasha Lester and Sara Foster after hearing them in conversation in Busselton last week (but haven't started reading them yet, so still fulfil the requirements of the challenge). It paid off, though, because I won the raffle - more books and a wonderfully literary-themed tote bag.
What's on your bedside table - either something you're currently reading or hope to read soon?
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Over to You
Whether it's a question about writing, a comment about reading or a suggestion of how we can support one other to live more authentic lives, I'd love to hear from you!
I look forward to chatting with you soon, and hope to hear you've been making space for your creativity, in whatever form it takes.
Melinda
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