Claire Baker On a Winning Streak

On a Winning Streak

by Claire Baker

After the upheaval of 2016, my New Year’s resolution was to focus on my writing. Various competitions and opportunities for publication were included in the first Booranga Newsletter for 2017, and I decided that the Jugiong Writers’ Festival would be my first poetry submission. And it paid off, in more ways than one. I was delighted to win the Adult Open Section with my poem “Dinner with Family”. As a surprising bonus I also won the raffle ($100 to spend at the Curator’s Corner, at Jugiong). But that wasn’t all. At lunch, I started chatting to some friendly people, and realised that one was a distant cousin from Young that I didn’t know I had…small world!

Claire Baker

One of the organisers of the Jugiong Writers’ Festival emailed me a little while later and suggested I might like to submit my poem to the editor of Award Winning Australian Writing 2017 (published by Melbourne Books), as this publication was calling for entries. My poem made it through the selection process, and I was thrilled to be included. It is great to be in such a publication alongside some past writers-in-residence of Booranga Writers’ Centre too. 

Armed with a bit more confidence in my writing ability, I decided to have a go at obtaining one of the five places at the Strictly Poetry Writing week to be held at Varuna, the National Writers’ House in Katoomba, under the facilitation of Vanessa Kirkpatrick. An expression of interest, publication history and ten current poems were required, and I spent a week assembling this information. The stars must be aligned for me this year, because my application was successful. What a luxury – a week thinking, discussing, studying, and writing poetry in the Blue Mountains. I feel truly blessed.

        

Varuna Writers' House

Sometimes it pays to take a chance and put yourself out there. Even if you are a bit hesitant and unsure of the quality of your work, you’ll never know what other people think if you don’t show them, either during workshops, family and friends, or places that hold writing competitions. I hope my experiences encourage others to have a go and take that chance.

Thank you to my writing friends at Booranga Writers’ Centre for the stimulating workshops that are so necessary for improving and developing my writing skills, and the encouragement and enjoyment expressed at my successes this year. 

Varuna, Claire and Me 

by Joan Cahill   

    

Who would have thought back in 2008 when I was awarded a Litlink Residency at Varuna, The National Writers’ House in Katoomba, that this week, the years would seemingly evaporate?

 I was chosen as one of the five writers for that magical week of writing and critique, and today, my friend and fellow writer, Claire Baker, telephoned me with the news that she had been accepted to take up a week of  residency in October this year. The excitement in her voice, her questions and enthusiasm, brought back delightful memories.

 Varuna is a creative retreat and writers’ network for Australian stories and ideas.  They ‘support bringing rigour and commitment to the writing craft; building a respectful and inclusive community; valuing of heritage and place; and making writing and creativity matter’. Varuna is assisted by the Commonwealth Government through the Australia Council for the Arts and by the New South Wales Government, Arts NSW.

Joan at Varuna

 It took me some years to produce the culmination of my work and my first collection of poetry ‘Buddha’s Left Foot’ was launched just last year and included some of the poems I wrote during that week. Recalling our stimulating discussion evenings with the group in front of a roaring fire, I felt a little frisson of yearning for that turning point in my writing life and Peter Bishop’s mentorship.

 Congratulations Claire. May you continue to aim high and we look forward to your first collection of poetry.  

Photos by Joan Cahill