Category Archives: Meetings

News about NWG Inc gatherings and committee meetings

NWG Inc at Old Government House

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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 in 2026

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First gathering for 2026 – Saturday, 14 February 3-5pm
At WestWords Western Sydney Centre for Writing.
41 Hunter Street (Red brick house, corner Marsden St.) Close to Parramatta station.
Image above: Mihaela Cristescu.

We start 2026 with a presentation of works published online  in the 2025 Pop Up Zine – prose, poetry and images. The images will be shown on a ppt. Writers are invited to read from one of their 2025 pieces. Most are on the theme How Things Change. Contributors writing on an ‘open theme will also take their turn at the mic. 
This event is the wrap up of our 2025 Creative Project supported by the Australian Cultural Fund.

We will add a short open mic for writers not involved in PUZ 2025 and we will dream up a new theme for Pop Up Zine 2026

Reminder: Entry is $5 (to help us cover insurance) but free for first time attendees, under 16’s and financial members. Children may attend with a responsible adult but cannot participate in the program.

March Gathering: 14 March 3-5 pm at WestWords. We will be preparing for ZineWest Entries, in a session of workshops which can be useful for seeking publication in general. 

 

NWG Inc AGM 9 November 2024

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NWG Inc’s AGM date has changed to Saturday 9 November, 5:20 pm at the WoolPack following ZineWestWORD at WestWords 41 Hunter St, 3-5pm. The Woolpack is a short walk from WestWords down Marsden St to George St. Buy your own drinks, snacks or dinner! 

NWG Inc Feb 2024

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The NWG Inc team arrived at WestWords for their first 2024 monthly meeting. Many thanks to WestWords Director, Michael Campbell, for onboarding us. We ran a workshop on the topic of how and why gatekeepers pick our work / or not …  Our task was to a) choose which of three well written, intriguing poems should take the last space in a new anthology, and b) to reach a team decision. A common challenge for editors with limited places.

At the open mic comp on the topic of Valentine, Ruth Wyer, by a tight margin, won Yumna Kassab’s novel Australiana. Additonal awards: Siham Chamoun won Ambiguous Loss, a  NWG Inc Anthology, Danielle Catherine won Avant La Lettre, a bilingual Romanian / English Anthology published by Mihaela Cristescu which includes writers from Western Sydney, and C.A. Broadribb won Lunar  Inheritance by Lachlan Brown. Next meeting: Sat 9 March, 3-5pm 41 Hunter Street, Parramatta.  Read three of the works in our Pop Up Zine 2024.

 

Open Mic – Valentine Theme

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Blast from the past at 211 Church Street (UNE Sydney) with Sue Chamoun, Luke Carman, Sue Crawford and Carol Amos. Will be great to return in 2023!
Photo: Mihaela Cristescu

First gathering for 2023 with NEW Writers’ Group Inc Saturday 4 Feb, 3-5 pm UNE Sydney 211 Church Street Parramatta – enter at ground floor reception, let them know you are attending our event, then head upstairs to sign in. Entry $5. Free for financial members.

Program!
Introductions; Updates on our calendar and key projects for 2023; Open Mic

OPEN MIC details:

  • Valentine theme – your interpretation
  • Light deep comic ironic (but not crude thanks)
  • No props, no music, solo only, English only
  • Time limit strictly 3 mins max
  • Your original work
  • Book award 

Note re Venue: 
We do not use the kitchen or student/staff equipment.
Guests at UNE premises are allowed only bottled water on site and no food.
(We sometimes go for a drink/snack afterwards.)
Wheelchair access. There is a wheelchair lift near main entrance and internal lift.
NB Some scooters might be too large. Please contact us at least three days beforehand at re options.

COVID: Please comply with social distancing requests. Do not attend if feeling unwell or testing positive.

New to us? You are most welcome but suggest you check our About page to see our charter and other information.

 

Onsite in Parramatta

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Carol Amos, President of NEW Writers’ Group Inc, welcomed us to our first onsite Parramatta gathering in two years of Covid on Saturday, 26 March. We lined up outside for the group photo (inside it’s masks on always) and a kind passerby took this shot with Mihaela’s camera. Special thanks to UNE Sydney at Parramatta for this ideal venue. Kudos to Eric and Chris for tech support with Sue, Carol and the Cartwrights for ideas on Dialogue, and everyone for turning up on an unpredictably rainy day.  

GATHERINGS UNE Sydney at 28 George Street Parramatta
Queries:

Saturdays 3-5pm: Sign in 2:50-3:05 Ground floor entrance 
April 9, May 14, June 11,
July 9, August 13, Sept 10, Nov 12
Attendance: $5 for onsite gatherings
Free for financial members and carers
Please wear well fitted masks.

Carol Amos getting ready
Rainy arrival
Mihaela Cristescu Signing us in
Peter Cartwright

NWG Inc in 2022

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Photo: Mihaela Cristescu

NEW Writers’ Group Inc will soon be back at work!  In January the committee will draw up a calendar for 2022. No onsite venue yet, but the following events and projects are decided:

  • Our first gathering will be on Zoom in February, date to be confirmed.
  • ZineWest will open for entries from 1st March and be launched in October.
  • Romanian/Australian Anthology (Stay a While) launch is 12 March at the State Library of NSW. 
  • Writing projects for our regular anthologists and other Western Sydney creatives are being discussed.
  • The FB page Writing Parramatta will continue. We have a backlog of Q&A’s to post and will seek more from local artists and writers.
  • Gatherings – whether on zoom or onsite – will be held at least once a month for open mic, workshops and tutorials.
  • In the monthly sessions we plan to include short Q&A’s with individual writers.
  • We will run additional sessions with a specific focus – details to come. 

Editors’ Workshop 27th Feb, 2021

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You are a member of a panel selecting work for a new journal…
This workshop puts a simple question:
Three good pieces. One space left. Which piece will your panel publish?

Click on this download for the WORKSHOP SHEET which includes the three pieces.

We will also recap a few points from Felicity Castagna’s 13th Feb workshop on the form and shape of our writing. Plus Open Mic – 2 mins max of your original work. (NB don’t bring pieces intended for ZW21 – editors might be present.

Saturday, 27th February, 2021, 3-5 pm Zoom.  Email us at to request a Zoom Link. 

Mihaela Cristescu

 

Corona Cancellations

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New Writers Group Inc will carry on – on-line! If you attend the Parramatta gatherings please note we are not meeting again in March or April. We will review May and later dates in accordance with subsequent advice. We plan to publish some work in a pop-up online zine. Details soon. 

Welcome to NWG Inc 2019

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Our first gathering will be held at our marvellous venue, UNE Sydney, 211 Church Street, Parramatta, on Saturday, 9th February, 3-5 pm.

Tutorial on CHARACTERISATION plus our annual Valentine’s Spoken Word Competition (book prizes). This year we want to smile, chuckle or roll in the aisles. So bonus points for humour. You have three minutes. Must be your original work! All welcome. $2 entry Fin Members free.

The next gathering is 23rd February same time and venue as above. There will be an Open Mic but first up the Editors’ Workshop – where you take the role of an editor working in a small team. The team has to make tough decisions about good pieces because space in your literary magazine is running out. Which pieces will you pick, and why? Discuss your findings. For more dates, see “About” – and keep up with latest news on our FB Group.