Street Musicians – Launch

Romanian/Australian Anthology

Experiment Farm Cottage, Parramatta

11 March 2023, 11:30am – 1:30 pm

Launched by Luke Carman

Readings, Live Music, Refreshments

Free Entry

Street Musicians is Volume 7 of Mihaela Cristescu’s bilingual anthology series for Romanian and Australian writers, illustrated by Luminita Serbanescu and edited by Mihaela Cristescu and S.E. Crawford. The anthologies are first published and launched in Romania and then launched in Australia. Due to renovations at the State Library of NSW, which has hosted past launches, we will welcome you to the historic venue, Experiment Farm Cottage, at 9 Ruse Street, Harris Park, in Parramatta, NSW. 

This Romanian/Australian annual series is supported by NEW Writers’ Group Incorporated which is based in Parramatta. Many Western Sydney writers have contributed to one or more volumes, together with Romanian writers from Romania, Australia and other countries.
See also Code-Mixing Poetry on FB or our Rom/Aus page on this website for updates.

NB. This is a smaller venue than at the State Library so please RSVP  or to Mihaela via Code-Mixing Poetry by 12 February. 

 

 

 

Vale Thomas Thorpe

It is with sadness we advise that our friend and colleague Thomas Thorpe has passed away, shortly after his wife Jennifer. To the family we extend our deepest sympathies.

Our poet colleague, Romanian Australian Loredana Tudor-Tomescu, knew Thomas through the literary group Poetry at Sydney Mechanics’ School of Arts. This led to Thomas becoming a contributor to Mihaela Cristescu’s Romanian/Australian Anthologies along with several other SMSA members.

 

Distance prevented Thomas from readily attending NEW Writers’ Group Inc’s meetings, however on one memorable occasion (before the pandemic halted onsite celebrations) he came via three sets of transport to a NWG Inc Anthology dinner in Parramatta – to our delight.

Thomas had a wonderful reading voice, and we wish we had heard more. He was ever keen to promote and support other writers, bringing to poetry conviction, warmth and understanding.

Here is the brief description of himself that Thomas wrote for one of the Romanian/Australian anthologies – Between Dusk and Dawn.

Born and grew up in England.  A geographer by training. Officer in Royal Air Force. A ‘ten quid Pom’, arrived in Australia by ship in 1962. One of the foundation staff of Australian Catholic University. A lover of poetry since school days, who occasionally puts pen to paper.’

 A poem by Thomas Thorpe will be included in Street Musicians, the 7th edition of Mihaela Cristescu’s Romanian/Australian bi-lingual anthologies, by permission of his family.

 Video link of Thomas Thorpe  reading at Romanian Rhythm in Sydney, State Library of NSW, 2016

 

NWG Inc February / March Events

Saturday 12 Feb 3-4:30 pm

Valentine’s Day Spoken Word Val’s Rules:
2 mins of your original take on love/romance – the joy the despair the mundane. Solo, no music, no props, no intros, English only. You lose marks for unnecessary swearing and going over time.
Book award!  

 

 

We’ll also swap news on our latest reading and writing and discuss the NWG Inc’s 2022 calendar before wrapping up with Open Mic: your original work any topic, 2 mins max.
Zoom Link:
 

 

1st March ZineWest 2022 Writing Entries open – entry form available soon.


Saturday 12 March 11:30 am
Launch of Stay A While, 6th edition of Mihaela Cristescu’s Romanian /Australian bi-lingual anthologies. State Library of NSW. 

 

Saturday 26 March, 3-4:30 pm Writing Exercise and discussion plus Open Mic. Details to come.

 

Second City

Second CitySECOND CITY
is a collection of essays by Western Sydney writers published by the Sydney Review of Books, from the Writing and Society Research Centre at Western Sydney University, and edited by Luke Carman and Catriona Menzies-Pike.

In the introductory essay, On Agon in The Area, Luke Carman speaks of the tides of critical interest in literature from the Western suburbs of Sydney, what we judge as cliche, what is received as memorable, and the people who help fund the future riches of talent. Among the new and diverse voices of Western Sydney,

…other unexpected outbreaks in the literary landscape occur on a regular basis; the postmodern poet Mihaela Cristescu, for instance, continues to publish her never-ending Romanian-Australian series of anthologies, marrying the English works of writers from Western Sydney, to Romanian writers in a truly unexpected poly-lingual bond, celebrated every year at the State Library, with all the fanfare and passionate solemnity of an offer to Apollo.”  

Mihaela Cristescu (Secretary NWG Inc) is at Code-Mixing Poetry. Her latest Rom/Aus anthology is 9000 Miles Away co-edited by S.E Crawford and supported by NEW Writers Group Inc and the State Library of NSW. Her latest poetry collection is The Way You Dare – See Luke Carman’s Review

 

 

Luke Carman at UNE Sydney

Group photo: Luke Carman creative writing workshop at UNE Sydney, 6th July, 2019

Luke Carman talked about his latest book Intimate Antipathies, Giramondo Publishing. He used samples of writing from five local writers to give individual feedback and to motivate the group to “see again” what more they can bring to their work. Luke is writing judge of ZineWest and every year helps launch the Romanian/Australian Anthologies of our NWG Inc Secretary Mihaela Cristescu – who we can thank for the photos. Below are some random pics… And thanks to our venue UNE Sydney !

English works for Romanian/Australian Anthology

English works for the bi-lingual anthology Between Dusk and Dawn: We have received a good quota of entries in English from our talented colleagues in Western Sydney. We now invite writers from NSW or elsewhere in Australia to contribute short poems (up to approx 60 lines) and stories (up to approx 800 words). Due date is 10th January, 2018.  Diverse responses to the theme Between Dusk and Dawn are welcome. If the writer holds copyright, recently published works are eligible.
This is the third in a series produced by Mihaela Cristescu. The second in this series (On the Wallaby Track) will be launched on 24th March at the NSW State Library.
PermissionForm_BetweenD&D

Mihaela Cristescu (centre) Carol Amos (left) and Sue Crawford

Between Dusk and Dawn

UNE FutureCampus students are invited to offer short short prose (max approx 800 words or poetry (max approx 60 lines including spaces) to NEW Writers Group Inc for Mihaela Cristescu’s third Romanian/Australian anthology.  Western Sydney writers are also eligible to enter – use the contact form below.