• Home
  • Thunderbolt Prize for Crime Writing
  • Illustration Prize for Children's Picture Book Publishing
  • Varuna-NEWC Fellowship
  • About
    • SPARK
    • Our Board
    • Our Sponsors
  • Membership
  • Contact Us
  • 2024 Archive
    • 2024 Illustration Prize for Children's Picture Book Publishing
    • 2024 Thunderbolt Prize for Crime Writing >
      • 2024 Thunderbolt Judges
      • 2024 Thunderbolt Winning submissions
    • Writing for the Primary Education Market
    • Story to Script Course
    • Writing and Illustrating for Children
    • Riveted Press Pitch Sessions
    • Grow Big Little Seed
    • Crafting Memoir
  • 2023 Archive
    • 2023 Thunderbolt winners >
      • 2023 Thunderbolt Judges
      • 2023 Thunderbolt winning submissions
    • 2023 Illustration Prize for children's picture book publishing
    • Varuna Fellowship 2023
  • 2022 Archive
    • 2022 Summer Micro Grants >
      • 2022 Summer micro grants_Mary McMillan >
        • 2022 Summer micro grants_Kerry Moran
    • 2022 Illustration Prize for children's picture book illustration
    • 2022 Thunderbolt winners >
      • 2022 Thunderbolt Prize winning submissions
      • 2022 Thunderbolt Prize Judges Reports
    • 2022 Varuna-NEWC Fellowship
  • 2021 Archive
    • 2021 Illustration Prize Winners
    • Varuna Fellowship 2021
    • Thunderbolt Prize 2021 >
      • Thunderbolt Prize 2021 Judges Reports
    • 2021 Summer Micro Grants >
      • 2021 Summer micro grants_Trish >
        • Beetle Hunt Stories
      • 2021 Summer micro grants_James
      • 2021 Summer Micro Grants_Fiona
  • 2020 Archive
    • Thunderbolt Prize 2020 >
      • Thunderbolt Prize 2020 Judges Reports
      • Thunderbolt Prize 2020_Winning submissions
    • Illustration Prize 2020 Winners
    • Varuna Fellowship 2020
    • 2020 Historical Novel Prize
  • Blog
  • Resources
    • Inside Story Book
    • By The Book video series
    • Stories Connect
New England Writers' Centre

Small, suprising things

8/10/2022

 
by Lydia Roberts
​A NICHE publisher making “small, surprising things” has just been launched by NEWC chair, Sophie Masson, and illustrator, Lorena Carrington.

Pardalote Press will publish unusual projects by the pair, who have set up a crowdfunding campaign to help establish their tiny press, which within the first two days of the campaign had already well overshot its original funding goal of $2,500.
Picture
Picture

Read More

from Aspirational, to professional

7/12/2022

 
by Lydia Roberts
It was a rare scoop when university student Sharnee Rawson landed the role of co-editing Inside Story: the wonderful world of writing, illustrating and publishing children's books.

Published by United Publishers of Armidale (a collaboration between two New England-based boutique publishers, Christmas Press and Little Pink Dog Books), and the New England Writers’ Centre, Inside Story is a one-of-a-kind resource for anyone wanting to know more about the children's publishing industry.​
Picture
Sharnee, at work on Inside Story
It is aimed at aspiring young creatives, such as Sharnee, who want to write, illustrate, or edit children’s books and is filled with tips, advice and anecdotes from professionals such as Sophie Masson, Kathy Creamer, Beatty Alvarez and Peter Creamer.

“I had always been eager for involvement in [NEWC], so I was ecstatic when I was hired as an editor for Inside Story,” Sharnee says.

Read More

Turning the page on editing

11/18/2021

 
By Lydia Roberts
SUCCESSFUL SEGUE: Editor Anna Thomson is also a published writer.
​EVER get stuck into a good story, only to find your mind drifting after a few chapters because you can’t understand the characters?

Armidale editor Anna Thomson found she couldn’t “fall into” the story with some works she edited, even though the plot was well written and constructed.

Her solution was to write her own novel and, thanks to the inaugural Varuna-New England Writers' Centre fellowship, she spent a week working on Bloodwood.
​
“Having an entire week to work uninterrupted on the manuscript was just what I, and it, needed,” Thomson said.
Anna Thompson was the winner of the 2019 Inaugural Varuna-NEWC Fellowship
Picture

Read More

Drawing Inspiration From A Prize-Winning Author

9/1/2021

 
by Lydia Roberts
Yumna Kassab's words of encouragement to budding authors
PictureYumna Kassab is a past-winner of the Thunderbolt Prize for Crime Writing (Poetry)
​IT COULD take just 15 minutes a day to turn your dreams into tomorrow's bestseller.
​
That's the advice from writer Yumna Kassab, a past-winner of the Thunderbolt Prize for Crime Writing (Poetry).

Kassab, from Western Sydney, wrote her Australiana stories while living and working in Tamworth.

Her first book of short stories, The House of Youssef, was listed for prizes including the NSW Premier's Literary Award and The Stella Prize, so Kassab understands the process behind writing.

"Write for 15 minutes a day," she says.

"Don’t throw the writing out. Don’t tear it up. The writing will add up and when you come back to it later, even if it seems average, you’ll start to notice a progression.


Read More

In the Spotlight Fiona McDonald

9/20/2018

 
by Becky Holland
Picture
Fiona left school in year 11 and did a variety of jobs. In 1985 to 1990 she attended the Julian Ashton Art School in Sydney. Founded in 1890, it is the oldest continuous fine art school in Australia and is still operating today in assisting artists achieve their dreams. Over the years, Fiona has thought of herself mostly as a visual artist doing black and white pen drawings,  but also gouache colour pictures.

Most recently, Fiona took an opportunity to be part of Stuff of Tales. Each writer or artist is paired up with a museum in the New England area and conducts workshops. Fiona had the chance to explore Saumarez Homestead with the view to select an item from the collection to become the basis of a story.


Read More

Interview with John Charles Ryan

9/7/2018

 
By Becky Holland
Picture
How do you begin a poem?

For me, a poem begins with an inspired, though fleeting, thought or impression that I realize I must write down promptly, or risk losing. I tend to begin poems outside, in contact with the earth—with a notebook, leaning against a tree or smelling a plant—but I usually finish poems indoors, in insulated comfort, and occasionally a long while after I initiated them. I’m fascinated by language, and particularly by archaic and scientific terminology, so poems can be prompted by odd words. On a much different note, a poem sometimes begins with a broiling sense of indignation that I feel I should set free.


Read More

In the spotlight Trish Donald

8/24/2018

 
By Becky Holland
Picture
Trish Donald is a previous board member of the New England Writers’ Centre. Her artwork regularly makes an appearance in the newsletter.

In 2018 Trish launched her first book with Little Pink Dog Books who were looking for emerging authors and illustrators. 

Little Pink Dog Books liked some of her monster drawings and asked if she would write and illustrate a book where those monsters were Worry Monsters - manifestations of a child's anxiety. They asked if the child could overcome her Worry Monsters by using mindful breathing, that would help young children cope with their anxiety.

It aligned with Trish’s desire to help parents and children connect through books, and so began "Tissy Woo and the Worry Monsters".


Read More

    Author

    The NEWC Board

    Archives

    June 2024
    March 2024
    September 2023
    August 2022
    July 2022
    April 2022
    November 2021
    September 2021
    October 2018
    September 2018
    August 2018

    Categories

    All
    2018
    2021
    2022
    2023
    2024
    Competitions
    Festival
    Illustration
    Inspiration
    Poetry
    Symposium
    Thunderbolt
    Varuna
    Workshop
    Writing

Home
​About
Membership
​Contact Us
Blog
Resources
Board
We acknowledge the Traditional Custodians of the lands on which the New England Writers' Centre is situated and pay our respects to Aboriginal Elders past, present and emerging.
  • Home
  • Thunderbolt Prize for Crime Writing
  • Illustration Prize for Children's Picture Book Publishing
  • Varuna-NEWC Fellowship
  • About
    • SPARK
    • Our Board
    • Our Sponsors
  • Membership
  • Contact Us
  • 2024 Archive
    • 2024 Illustration Prize for Children's Picture Book Publishing
    • 2024 Thunderbolt Prize for Crime Writing >
      • 2024 Thunderbolt Judges
      • 2024 Thunderbolt Winning submissions
    • Writing for the Primary Education Market
    • Story to Script Course
    • Writing and Illustrating for Children
    • Riveted Press Pitch Sessions
    • Grow Big Little Seed
    • Crafting Memoir
  • 2023 Archive
    • 2023 Thunderbolt winners >
      • 2023 Thunderbolt Judges
      • 2023 Thunderbolt winning submissions
    • 2023 Illustration Prize for children's picture book publishing
    • Varuna Fellowship 2023
  • 2022 Archive
    • 2022 Summer Micro Grants >
      • 2022 Summer micro grants_Mary McMillan >
        • 2022 Summer micro grants_Kerry Moran
    • 2022 Illustration Prize for children's picture book illustration
    • 2022 Thunderbolt winners >
      • 2022 Thunderbolt Prize winning submissions
      • 2022 Thunderbolt Prize Judges Reports
    • 2022 Varuna-NEWC Fellowship
  • 2021 Archive
    • 2021 Illustration Prize Winners
    • Varuna Fellowship 2021
    • Thunderbolt Prize 2021 >
      • Thunderbolt Prize 2021 Judges Reports
    • 2021 Summer Micro Grants >
      • 2021 Summer micro grants_Trish >
        • Beetle Hunt Stories
      • 2021 Summer micro grants_James
      • 2021 Summer Micro Grants_Fiona
  • 2020 Archive
    • Thunderbolt Prize 2020 >
      • Thunderbolt Prize 2020 Judges Reports
      • Thunderbolt Prize 2020_Winning submissions
    • Illustration Prize 2020 Winners
    • Varuna Fellowship 2020
    • 2020 Historical Novel Prize
  • Blog
  • Resources
    • Inside Story Book
    • By The Book video series
    • Stories Connect