NWG Inc's Blog

Only the ingenious writer can make something original and meaningful on this topic! So why haven’t you sent in your masterpieces: ironic, sincere, quirky, rather adult, childish and emotional, we’ll read them all. And we hope you can come and read your pieces at the mic on

Saturday, 11th Feb, 3-5pm
Mars Hill Cafe, upstairs
331 Church St Parramatta
NSW Australia

DEADLINE FOR ALL YOU HOLIDAY SLACKERS IS 5TH FEB – but that’s it, no more leash. Send 1-3 entries to our main yahoo address

PS sadly there is an eligibility issue: we need to know you! As a gatherer, a fin member, or a brand new newcomer who can show up on the day:)
Plus you need to be 16 years or over
Prize: a book

The NWG Inc committee will be busy planning this weekend for an exciting year of writing! Our regular gatherings for writers will continue to fall on the 2nd and 4th Saturdays of the month between February and November – all at the hub of Western Sydney culture: Mars Hill Cafe!
First Gathering of the Year
Saturday, 11th Feb, 3-5pm
Upstairs at Mars Hill Cafe, 331 Church St Parramatta

Come and read your original writing (any genre!) share writing news, help with a workshop, join in a writing exercise…

New to the Group? all writers 16 years and over are welcome, no entry fee.
Any enquiries contact us at our NWG Inc Yahoo address

DID YOU REGULARS FORGET ABOUT THE “LOVE” COMPETITION??? A book to the writer of the best/most original poem, shortshort story, or cartoon/comic loosely based on that provoking invention called Valentine’s Day.
Eligibility: Financial members, regular gatherers or anybody willing to turn up in person and read it on 11th Feb, see time/venue details above.
Due Date: extended to 1st February. Send to email address above in Word doc. Good luck!!

Copies of our latest members’ anthology have arrived from the printers and are available at $10 each.Poems and stories by 26 writers, colour cover, perfect bound, 76 pages.You can pick up your copies at our last gathering for 2011 at
Mars Hill Cafe, 331 Church St, Parramatta Saturday, 10th December 3-5pm
(Please see post below for more event details of our last 2011 gathering)

If you would like to receive your copies by mail postage will apply. Contact us at NWG Inc’s Yahoo Address

Please note that the advertised visit of Felicity Castagna for our last gathering in 2011,the 10th December, has been postponed to 2012. However the day will still be busy with a summer exercise, a draft comedy routine from a member who shall not be named, and as many readings from the NWG Inc Anthology 2011 as there are writers who wish to read.
Thereafter, around five 0′clock, we gallop down the road for our annual group Italian, pay your own way!
Gathering: 10th December 3-5 pm
Mars Hill Cafe (upstairs)
331 Church St Parramatta
All welcome, if you’re new that’s fine, come along! (16 years and over)

DON’T forget though, we also meet 26th November also at Mars Hill Cafe, 3-5 pm for readings, news and some discussion and teaching on blogs and the relevance or otherwise of social networks in the writer’s life…

PS WE will soon have a free blog for our latest Ezine works. It will be linked to the earlier webpages covering ZineWest 2006-2010

Former member Cas Van Loon passed away on 1st October, 2011 after a long illness. We extend our sympathy to his wife Helen and all his family.

If you ever met Cas at a writer’s group or a poetry festival, you will remember him. Cas had a robust, individual style which shone full of love and admiration for the Australian bush. He often included some little homily with his latest poem posted on his blog which he most regularly updated. Cas was not a couch poet – he travelled widely in his retirement and his experiences on the road were the material for his creations. You can see his own short bio on his blog
Clogs Over Aussie plus poetry posted since 2007 until shortly before his final illness.

Thanks to all those who made the 15th October a great day and evening for ZineWest ’11.

See on our Picasa site, two albums
ZW11 Print Zine Launch at Parramatta Heritage Centre
ZW11 WORD at Mars Hill Café

2.
We’ll be posting up on NWG Inc’s Ezine the winning poems and stories from ZW11 soon.

3.
NWG Inc’s last events for 2011
All at Mars Hill Café, 331 Church St Parramatta, 3-5 pm

Saturday, 12th November: Our usual gathering (news/readings) including *AGM
Saturday, 26th November: Our usual gathering with several workshops
Saturday, 10th December: Guest writer Felicity Castagna and NWG Inc Anthology readings

4.
2011 Breakup Dinner
Sat 10th December, see above, will be the last gathering for the year (it was added to the calendar so ignore your printed version). After the gathering we will scamper down Church Street for early tea, probably Italian… All welcome but you have to pay for your dinner/drinks!

The NEW Writers’ Group Inc AGM will be held during a regular gathering on Saturday, 12th November at around 3:30 pm at Mars Hill Cafe, 331 Church St Parramatta. Please note that only financial members may stand for nomination, move or second a nomination. We usually take nominations from the floor, however a Nomination Form is available, please note it must reach Carol Amos by 5th November. All welcome!

The ZineWest 11 launch was opened by the Hon. Nathan Rees, MP, NSW shadow minister for the Police and Emergency Services and shadow minister for the Arts, and attended by special guest Zelda Baravykas, Expression Sessions. Our judge Fiona Wright, Publications Officer for ZW co-sponsor, the Writing and Society Research Group (UWS) was unexpectedly unable to attend but ZW Editor Sue Crawford conveyed her decisions regarding the first three places and the commendations.

Before listing the awards, it’s worth reflecting upon the general quality and diversity of writing that appears in ZineWest. We can only publish a percentage of works offered, and wish to congratulate all the entrants on their creativity and ideas. This year the Editor gave an encouragement certificate for the first time. Some entrants show both creative maturity and well-honed technical skills; their entries are the most likely to be published and considered for awards. However for those writers still with a little way to go in clarity and polish, it’s important to cheer their bravery. The writers’ attempts to get something quite deep and layered, or something tangled and dense, something beautiful or worrying, onto the paper and out into the world is a fascinating process to witness. Writers and readers alike know how hard it is to put significant stories and thoughts into words, to communicate what matters to us. Well done all.

And a final word about ZW WORD held in the evening: what a wonderful way to finish celebrating ZineWest for 2011. All the writers presenting had something fascinating to say, and they were all completely different. Each of our guest musicians, Desley Taylor, Jim Shipstone and Stewart Peters gave us spades of story in their original songs. Long live variety, humour and heart in Western Sydney! All awards listed below.

Print zine Launch
First Place and Best Poem
George Toseski: $400 (NWG Inc/Writing and Society Research Group)
Second Place
Liz Rule: Books from Giramondo Publishing (Writing and Society Research Group)
Third Place and Best Prose
Arna Radovich: Book from Giramondo Publishing (Writing and Society Research Group)
Commendation certificates:
Bronwyn Lovell, Neil Murphy, Maryam Tayyaba

Editor’s Award (NWG Inc)
Jason Gray: Book – Small Indiscretions by Felicity Castagna (NWG Inc/Expression Sessions)
Encouragement certificate:
Siham Youssef

ZineWest WORD (Evening Spoken Word/Western Fringe Music at Mars Hill Café)
Book awards (NWG Inc and Expressions Sessions)
ZW entrants Spoken Word was won by Lara Taylor
Open Mic was also won by Lara Taylor! Runner-up was Gavin Hawke.

ZW WORD isn’t just for ZW entrants.
We invite members of the public to compete in an Open Mic competition for a book prize and a spot in our EZine which is archived by the National Library.
Some Rules apply:
Please use your original material, preferably not work you’ve read many times before:))
Only solo presentations. English only please so judges can make fair comparisons.
No props, no musical instruments.
You need to be 16 years or over!
The gig will be underway by 8:30 pm so register at 8:00 pm for the Open Mic.
Music will be by Western Fringe Songwriters’ Network!
Date: Saturday, 15th October, 2011
Where: Mars Hill Cafe, 331 Church St Parramatta (upstairs)
Time: 8:30 – 10:30 pm

LATEST NEWS: JIM SHIPSTONE WILL BE PERFORMING WITH STEWART PETERS AND DESLEY TAYLOR!!

More info see previous post re ZW WORD and the Launch of ZineWest 11.

The print zine ZineWest ’11 will be launched by the Hon. Nathan Rees MP, member for Toongabbie, NSW shadow minister for the Arts

Our musicians at the evening event, ZW WORD will be presented by Western Fringe Songwriters’ Network. They are: Stewart Peters and Desley Taylor
See event details below!

SATURDAY 15TH OCTOBER

PRINT ZINE LAUNCH – ZINEWEST ’11
12:30 pm food/drink
1:15 – 3:15 pm
Readings, Prizes, Judge’s comments
Parramatta Heritage Centre 346 Church Street, Parramatta

Followed in the evening by
ZW WORD Spoken Word/Music Night
Two Spoken Word Comps – book prizes
• ZW11 entrants
• OPEN MIC – register at 8:00 pm
Music by Western Fringe Songwriters’ Network

8:00 pm for 8:30 – 10:30 pm
FREE ENTRY but gold coin donation for our musicians appreciated!
Mars Hill Café (upstairs)331 Church St Parramatta