Category Archives: Creative Writing

ZineWest 2026 Awards

Posted on by
Reply

Writing Judge: Dr Luke Carman

1st prize won by K T Major for UNTOLD $400 Cosponsored by the Writing and Society Research Centre, WSU  and NWG Inc donors

2nd Prize won by S L Jones for Temporarily Untranslated –
Book Award – Swallow by Alexandria Burnham

3rd Prize won by Nicole Lenoir-Jourdan for Puffers  – Book Award
Bound by Samantha W. L. Lee

Highly Commended – Book awards – Editions of HEAT
Myra A. for Overcome (Best Poem)
Nelson Groom for Little Coogee 
Zoe Gangell for My Fashion that she wore   

Art Judge: Maria Constantinescu
Best Image: Michaela Simoni for Bird on Tree (see front cover)
$100 – NWG Inc donors
Runners up: Dannielle Viera for Gaze and Sarah Cupitt for Fractured Chrysalis
Book Awards Editions of HEAT

Editors’ Awards – Book awards – Editions of HEAT
Kristof Mikes-Liu for A Person Stumbles  on Infinity
Peter Cartwright for The Gate
Jessi McDowell for Rice Cooker Song

 

NWG Inc September Updates

Posted on by
Reply

SEPTEMBER CALENDAR
ZineWest 2026 Launch – 20th Edition:
Readings, judges reports, awards, raffle & door prizes plus cake!
12 September 11:30am for Noon start – wrap up around 2pm.
Entry $10; Free for under 16’s and carers.
Zines $15; Contributors’ 1st copy $10.
Venue: University of New England’s Parramatta campus –
28 George Street Parramatta 1st floor
Presented as part of Parramatta’s Lit! 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Day and Night a Narrative Photography Discourse for Writers.
 A partnership between Artist Photographer Luminita Lenuta & Poet Mihaela Cristescu
Old Government House – Upstairs bedroom (via downstairs back door)
26 September 2026 11:am-2pm  Presented as part of Parramatta’s Lit!
See Code-mixing Poetry (FB) for more info.
May be an image of text

NWG Inc Gathering at Old Government House 
26 September “Welcome Room” 1:30 – 3:30pm  PLEASE NOTE NEW HOURS 
We will have an open mic and make plans for creating our upcoming digital anthology
NB This event will overlap with Day and Night (see above).
Image of WestWords Executive Director Michael Campbell, onboarding our team for our our first event at Old Govenrment House. 

ZineWest 2026 Launch 12 September

Posted on by
2

ZineWest Launch: Saturday, 12th September at University of New England Parramatta Campus,28 George Street, Parramatta.
11:30 am for Noon – 2:00pm or earlier (bump out 2:30pm)
Entry: $10, Free for under 16’s and carers.
Zines:$15; Contributors 1st copy: $10
Readings; Judges’ comments and awards
Door prize and raffle draws
Cake!
This event is part of Parramatta’ Lit! Check out the other events!


NWG Inc at Old Government House

Posted on by
Reply

Saturday 8th August  3-5 pm will be our first gathering at Old Government House.
We are delighted to be in such a significant Parramatta venue.

We will hold our gatherings in specific spaces as arranged between WestWords and OGH.

 

There will need to be some onboarding  on 8th August, but we still aim to do the following once settled in.

Writers can bring 10 copies of one page of their writing – a short piece or excerpt and we can group together to give some feedback. Writers bringing work are most welcome to also act as reviewers.  The approach is positive and the writer is not told how to write!  But they can often pick up on ways of strengthening their work by listening to readers’ various  responses. 

If you’d like to read at the mic – please keep it to around two minutes.

Topic is Specificity (following our discussion on POV in July).

GETTING TO OLD GOVERNMENT HOUSE IN PARRAMATTA PARK

Old Government House is located in Parramatta Park, Parramatta NSW.

By public transport: Old Government House is an easy walk from Parramatta and Westmead train stations. For ferry services, catch the Rivercat ferry and alight at Charles Street wharf – from there it’s a short walk along the riverside.

If you are on foot, the best entry points to Parramatta Park are the George Street or Pitt Street gates on the east, Queens Road gate or Park Avenue to the west.

By car: Drive into Parramatta Park and follow the loop around the park until you reach Old Government House. There is limited parking available in Parramatta Park.

Re car parking – We suggest you google for the nearest public carparks and check what is the best price and convenience for you. Westfield Parramatta offers a good deal to their  members btw.
 
 

 

NWG Inc NEWS July 2026

Posted on by
Reply

VENUE UPDATE:

Our gathering on Saturday 25th July, 3-5 pm,
will be at 41 Hunter Street Parramatta not
at Old Government House as we first thought.

We will move to Old  Government House for our monthly events from 8th August.  NB by 1st August, you will find WestWords admin  at the Caretakers Cottage, Experiment Farm which like Parramatta Park is a delightful location.

 

PUBLISHING NEWS: At last, Expression 2025 has been lodged at the National Library of Australia – see via TROVE.  Pdfs of the first five are are also on this site .

Pop Up Zine 2026 (most of which will appear in Expression 6) has the theme of Distance – interpreted widely we hope.  A collection of ZineWest 2026 writing will also feature. Please note that this publication is only open to invited writers with Western Sydney connections. Due 27 September.  Pop Up Zine_ Distance_EntryForm

Pop Up Zine 2026 Image entries entry form available soon.

ZineWest 2026 print publication List. (Art work will be announced in August.)Launch 12 September 11:30am for Noon start. UNE Parramatta Campus, 28 George St Parramatta. More details soon, meanwhile …

ZINEWEST PUBLICATION LIST 2026.

(NB Additional entrants will contribute to a digital publication)

Myra A. – Overcome

C.A. Broadribb – Don’t Read This Story

Peter Cartwright – The Gate

Sarah Cupitt – I Said Desire Bleeds

Marie Dustmann – Last Walk in the Rain Forest

Edie – High Heels

Norm Fairbairn – Irvine’s Foot

Zoe Gangell – My Fashion that She Wore

Nelson Groom – Little Coogee

Jondarr – Conquered

S L Jones – Temporarily Untranslated

Gregory Kenny – Reflection

Artelle Lenthall – Unquestionable

Nicole Lenoir-Jourdan – Puffers

Jessie McDowell – Rice Cooker Song

KT Major – Untold

Kristof Mikes-Liu – A person Stumbles on Infinity

Adriana Mucea -Happiness

Renata Mueller – Homespun Cloth

C E. Mutya – The White City

K.L. Quah – What will you do the day before the world ends

Charnel Rizk – She Hugs the Trees

Niko Satria – The Observatory

Dannielle Viera – Off the Market

Rosanna Yahya – Photographer

Dona Samson Zappone – New Dark Forest

 

ZineWest 2026 Art

Posted on by
Reply

We are now open for art entries!
Artwork in ZineWest is a great addition to this zine for local writers. Please see below for info and the entry form.
Entries due 21 June. NB If you did not get an update re this due date – and were relying on a 19 July date, please let us know, and we will give you to 19 July.

Western Sydney visual artists – we are looking for images suited to our A5 publication – ZineWest 2026. Entries due 21 June 2026 – this year is ZineWest’s 20th edition.

We publish around 30 new writers and 10 visual artists, 16 years and over, who live, work or study in Western Sydney or are connected to a Western Sydney arts organisation. We will also offer online publication for entries that we cannot find space for in the print zine.

Best Image awards: 1st $100; Runners up: book awards. Sponsored by private donors.
Information and Entry form Here!

 

Open mic 9 May 2026

Posted on by
3



Saturday, 9 May at WestWords
41 Hunter Street, Parramatta
Open Mic plus invited readers
3-5 pm.

Saturday 9th May we welcome you to an open mic – share a short piece or excerpt of your own writing. 2mins max preferred.At WestWords 

Special invitation also to writers who contributed to DIALOGUES, Mihaela Cristescu’s tenth and final edition of her Romanian and Australian Anthology of Contemporary Poetry and Prose. We would love to hear you read from your work considering the limited time for reading at the Awards event on 2 May

 

Haiku & other brief Lit

Posted on by
1

What we can acheive in very short writing. Elegance? Clarity? Action?

NEW Writers Group Inc invites you to join us at WestWords, Western Sydney Centre for Writing on Saturday,11 April, 3-5pm, 41 Hunter Street, Parramatta (corner Marsden St).

We ask for $5 entry to help us with our insurance.
Free entry for first visit, financial members and under 16’s. 
Bring some paper and pen.

 

NWG Inc news

Posted on by
Reply

Writers and artists on Saturday, 14th February, at our first gathering in 2026, at  WestWords  see more below ….!

NEXT Gathering – Saturday14 March, 3-5 pm at
WestWords – Western Sydney Centre for writers, 41 Hunter Street, Parramatta.

Preparing our work for publication: This is an annual event! We discuss how we prepare our work so we can learn from each other. We read some short works (already published by NWG Inc) and express what we think about the writers’ intentions, style and skills with an open mind. We also ask do we have any suggestions for the writers’ ongoing success. We try hard to not impose our own taste or style or genre on the writer.  This workshop might help your ZineWest Entry! Entry forms will be available from 15 March.

….. On Saturday, 14th February, at our first gathering in 2026, at  WestWords, we heard great stories and poems by Western Sydney writers who contributed to our Pop Up Zine 2025 – or who joined us for the open mic. Plus beautiful and intriguing images from local visual artists. This was the final event in our 2025 Creative Project supported by the Australian Cultural Fund which made 2025 such a successful year for NEW Writers Group Inc.

 

AGM 2025 NWG Inc

Posted on by
Reply

NWG Inc AGM 8 November at WestWords

Our 2025 committee was reinstated to serve in 2026. Best news is we have an official treasurer again – Carol Amos – who is also President. All committee positions are listed in our About page. Thanks to our returning officer Kanchana Thirunavukkarasu (KT) and financial members who attended to approve the process.  Note: We hope to add a new committee member in the new year.

Mihaela Cristescu, Kanchana Thirunavukkarasu and THE TROPICS 888 presented C.A. Broadribb’s skit Genes versus Souls, see above. We also held a first reading of the prologue of a new play by Greg Kenny, a member of  our ‘Long Writers’ group.