If you missed out on purchasing a copy of Ink 4 at the Centenary Lunch on 10 September, it’s not too late! To order Ink 4, click here: https://www.trybooking.com/DCQVM. To save on postage, come along to the October workshop and/or literary event and pick it up.
Ink 4 is an anthology of four years of prize-winning fiction, creative non-fiction and poetry, published to celebrate the Centenary of the Society of Women Writers NSW Inc.
Pricing – $20.00 or $16.65 for two to four books, plus postage or collect in person at an SWW event.
For orders of more than one book, please email Amanda to discuss postage or delivery options.
Please note:
- Due to the Library’s extensive renovations, these events will be held in the Michael Crouch room, on Level 1, instead of in the Dixson Room. Level 1 is accessible by lift or stairs at both ends of the building.
- The cafe has been temporarily relocated to the Dixson Room – it is open for coffee etc but limited food is available.
Please book for the Workshop and/or Literary Event by Monday 10 November.
Workshop
Time: 10:15 am to 12:00 pm
Place: Michael Crouch Room, State Library of NSW
Cost: Members $40, non-members $55
Christine Sykes: From Page to Stage
The workshop will draw on Christine’s experience undertaking a scriptwriting and playwright program. This led to the adaptation of her novel The Tap Cats of the Sunshine Coast into a play. The play was performed by Stanwell Park Arts Theatre (SPAT) in April/May 2025 to packed houses. Christine was also involved as co-producer.
She will provide insights into the process and challenges of developing a script, including reducing the story to its primary elements, removing characters and sub-plots and editing dialogue.
Christine has three published books – two novels and a memoir.
Published in 2023, The Tap Cats of the Sunshine Coast, was inspired by her own and her aunt’s experience taking up tap dancing in retirement.
The Changing Room (2019) was based on her experiences as a volunteer at the non-profit Dress for Success. Being raised in Cabramatta provided the basis for her memoir, Gough and Me: My Journey from Cabramatta to China and Beyond (2022). Both The Changing Room and Gough and Me won awards from the Society of Women Writers NSW.
Christine also has short stories and poems in several anthologies and runs writing workshops. She participated in the SCWC Playwright’s Program and Screenwriting Programs.
She is a former senior public servant and community worker.
Literary Event
Time: 1:00 pm to 2:30 pm
Place: Michael Crouch Room, State Library of NSW
Cost: Members $25, non-members $40
Member Spotlight
Fae Morris: Healing Through History and Writing
Stories not known or remembered when shown can re-enchant our lives through historical writing. A portal to healing. I first started writing in 1979 in outback NSW, in the town of Wilcannia. I met Bobbie Hardy at an Historical Society meeting. She was travelling through the town and asked me to collect the stories of older women in the town. I did that and found a history of great interest. One of a thriving district. Of afghans, camels, huge sheep stations, wool, paddle steamers and the mighty Darling River. A rich social life unlike the sad violent tormented town I lived in for two years. Another side.
I have written 5 books. The last is Rhodesia, for my granddaughter Chelle. It’s her great-grandmother’s story, one of abandonment and resilience.
Guest Speaker
Jean Kent: A Poet’s path from County Queensland to Paris
The path from falling in love with poetry to being a published poet can be long and unpredictable. Growing up in small towns in rural Queensland, Jean Kent never expected that it would be part of her future. She initially wrote fiction, and although her first poems appeared in literary magazines while she was studying for an Arts Degree at the University of Qld in 1970, it wasn’t until 1990 that her first poetry collection was published.
In this talk, Jean will recall some of the road bumps and highlights of her path, and how it led her to Paris and her collection, Paris Light, a celebration of the City of Light with illustrations by her husband, Martin. She will also talk about her book, The Shadow Box, a novella-length sequence of poems based upon her grandparents’ experiences during and shortly after WWI.
Jean was born in Chinchilla, Qld, and now lives in Lake Macquarie, NSW. She has published ten books of poetry: the most recent are Paris Light (PSP, 2024) and The Shadow Box (PSP, 2023). Her first book, Verandahs (Hale & Iremonger, 1990), won the Anne Elder Award and the Dame Mary Gilmore Prize and was short-listed for the NSW Premier’s Prize. Her third book, The Satin Bowerbird (Hale & Iremonger, 1998), won the Wesley Michel Wright Prize. Her awards for individual poems include the National Library Prize, Josephine Ulrick Prize, Somerset Prize, Dorothy Porter Prize and runner-up for the Newcastle Prize. She has also received several writing grants from the Australia Council, including Overseas Residencies in Paris in 1994 and 2011. As well as occasionally teaching creative writing, Jean has worked as an educational psychologist and as a counsellor in TAFE colleges.
Book and pay:
Members, you can book for yourself and a friend at member pricing, if purchased at the same time.
Workshop: Members $40, non-members $55
If you have a Workshop Voucher, please email Julie Thorndyke, Workshop Coordinator, to advise your intention to attend.
Literary event: Members $25, non-members $40
Discount for full program (Workshop and Literary Event) when booked together:
Members $60, non-members $85
By Credit card: https://www.trybooking.com/DCRVU
or by Direct debit:
The Society of Women Writers NSW Inc
BSB: 062 018
Account: 00950433
Code: VM
Email Amanda and include
your name, receipt number and date of event
Zoom ($10) will be available for this function – please click here to book: https://www.trybooking.com/DCRVF