Wednesday 19 December 2018

Wagga Wagga launch of fourW twenty-nine



The Wagga Wagga launch of fourW twenty-nine was held at the Wagga Wagga City Library on Saturday 17th November with a large crowd in attendance. They were entertained by the readings of published poetry and prose from the anthology by twelve local and visiting writers. This included regular contributors over the years as well as those being published for the first time.


We thank all the contributors, family, and friends attending the launch as well as the Wagga Wagga City Library staff for contributing to the success of the event and look forward to 2019 with the publication of the thirtieth edition of fourW. 


The winners of the 2018 Booranga Literary Prizes

Poetry: Andy Kissane - Sacrifice 

Prose: Dorothy Simmons - Opposable Thumbs

Scott Howie proposes a toast to fourW



fourW twenty-nine was launched by Scott Howie, Executive Director of Eastern Riverina Arts. Scott concluded his launch speech with these fine words as a toast to the twenty-ninth edition of the anthology.
"A book is permanent, a quest to stake out physical space is the world.  They are great objects to hold, to stack, to peruse, to rifle through the pages. So a toast. To all the words inked onto these pages. May you find eyes to read you, mouths to speak you, ears to hear you and imaginations to play in.  To fourW…"



Derek Motion


Joan Cahill

Jill Jones Residency




Jill Jones reading at Museum of the Riverina

Poet, Jill Jones was in residency at Booranga in September and during that time conducted a writing workshop at Booranga as well as a public reading at the Historic Council Chambers in Wagga Wagga. Jill read a wide variety of poems from her previously published books as well as works in progress.

The workshop was very popular with poets travelling from as far away as Albury to attend and learn new skills from Jill. 

Jill's residency provided a bonus for Wagga poet, Claire Baker, when she was able to have a one-on-one mentoring session at Booranga with Jill.





A Dilemma Solved
by Claire Baker

Grandmotherly duties at my youngest grandson’s birthday or attend a writing workshop with Jill Jones – a predicament that could lead to only one outcome. But I’d been so looking forward to meeting Jill and flexing my writing skills under her guidance, especially after reading a recent anthology published by the Poetry Union which Jill co-edited.

Then I scrolled down the reminder email sent by Kathryn, Booranga’s Creative Director, prior to the workshop – for financial members the chance to have a consultancy with Jill. The answer to my dilemma if I was lucky enough to be given the nod. And I was.

I’ve been working on a small collection of poems inspired by “The Elsewhere” travelling exhibition, curated by Dr Sam Bowker, and was wondering if I’d achieved a variety of theme and cohesion within the poems. I don’t know about other writers, but sometimes I’m too close to the words on the page and start to doubt what I’ve written.

Being able to discuss these works with Jill, in the hour or so we spent at Booranga, helped me to re-focus on each piece so that their individuality could shine. Jill provided me with some pertinent suggestions and opened my mind to possibilities that improve the poems while referencing various artworks in the exhibition. Jill treated me as an equal, even though she has been published many times, which made me feel that my efforts were worthwhile.

I’m still working on these poems and enjoying the process. I would encourage any writer who is a financial member of Booranga to apply for a consultancy from the writer in residence when the opportunity arises.

Oh, and the birthday party was a lot of fun too!

Jill Jones and Claire Baker at Booranga



Workshop

Workshop

Workshop






Monday 17 December 2018

Glebe launch of fourW twenty-nine

David Gilbey


The Sydney launch of fourW twenty-nine was held at Gleebooks, Glebe on Saturday 24th November. 

We thank all the contributors, family, and friends who attended the launch as well as the staff at Gleebooks for contributing to the success of the event and look forward to 2019 with the publication of the thirtieth edition of fourW. 




The winners of the 2018 Booranga Literary Prizes

Poetry: Andy Kissane - Sacrifice 

Prose: Dorothy Simmons - Opposable Thumbs



fourW twenty-nine was launched by Joan Phillip, retired academic, poet, and short story writer.


Joan Phillip and granddaughter Katrina
(excerpt from Joan's launch speech)

"I need a breath — to do justice to the achievements, the place of, our fourW journal in its creative landscape is challenging. I shall begin by with homage to David, who has nurtured, supported its development over these 29 years. As David always acknowledges he has stalwart support from the executive committees, editorial committees, Sandra Treble who administers Booranga with such competence, and now Kathryn Halliwell, who soothed me when David was away and I was regretting a double booking for this afternoon. But David is the abiding energy in the achievement of the Journal, which had its beginning in his commitment to community writing and art...

As I have re-read, skimmed, our collecting issues I know I cannot mention everyone, but names repeat, echo, play like arpeggios in a suite – such a wealth of voices, voices which appear across the scope of our literary journals and competitions. Where could I start, perhaps with Dorothy Simmons – I vividly remember her reading “Dumping”– I did not need to re-read it — There is Virely Dunning, Derek Motion, who leaves me in awe; Mark O’Flynn, whose writings I have presented to my classes, as I have Andy Kissane’s. Andy’s interview for Spineless Wonders is a great introduction to study of the short story. Students loved the idea of a good short story being a “kick in the guts”. It is also a joy to find contributions from two past students, Robyn Young, during her CSU undergraduate days and Sally Denshire who became a colleague but was once my student at North Sydney Girls when I was in my first years of teaching.

Sally’s writings segue to fourW twenty-nine, her meditation, “Reading the Moths” is so light, with intensive visualizations of the beauty of the moths in “the eucalypt air”, epitomizing the power of words to show us a world anew, to make us pause.

Of course, I cannot introduce this outstanding issue, which delves and deciphers so many critical issues of our times, without acknowledging that its fine achievements are in spite of straitened circumstances, the withdrawal of CSU support, not just from fourW, but from Arts in general. There is such blindness to the value of imagination, or artistic endeavours, it is heartbreaking in its blindness. All those who have worked for this journal over the years are to be congratulated for sustaining writers in these gloomy times. 

Thank goodness for David’s introducing the issue with Dickens’ famous words...it was the age of wisdom, it was the age of foolishness ...it was the spring of hope, it was the winter of despair ...The qualities of the writings in this journal have always belonged with wisdom and hope, with light, never more so than now."

Andy Kissane reading his Booranga Prize winning poem 'Sacrifice'


Tracie Miller, Bev Smith, David Gilbey, Steve Sharman

Bev Smith and Kathryn Halliwell