OOTA Spilt Ink Winners Tickled Pink

Andrew Burke judged a top array of OOTA poets in the Spilt Ink Competition.

1st Prize went to Flora Smith for Fifth Generation (to be published in indigo #5)

2nd Prize went to Kevin Gillam, What the Living Do and 3rd Prize Mags Webster Prognosis. Highly Commended - Molly Hall Orange, Cecily Scutt Laboratory Class & Flora Smith Midnight House. The Commendeds were Jo Clarke Snake, Annamaria Weldon Light and Dark, Rose van Son Dinner after the Synagogue, Janice Withers A Fat, Lying Thief, Dick Alderson Old Spoon & Kevin Gillam Gliss. Congratulations to all! Special thanks must go to our MC Bruce Russell and to Josephine Clarke for her wonderful effort and great choice of venue at the X-Way Cafe. We also thank Meredi Ortega and Coral Carter for the photographs. You can read Andrew Burke's judge's report here at his wonderful poetry resource High Spirits

A Win for Australian Authors!!

THE BIG CHAINS LOSE

At the National Press Club today, Melbourne University Press publisher Louise Adler lauded the government's decision to keep import restrictions as a great move that would protect local publishers and authors.
She described the price of books as a “non issue”.
“This is an important win. This is a historic win,” she told the National Press Club.
Read the true facts here...

OOTA's New Committee 09-10

This year's AGM was a bright and breezy occasion with those in attendance pictured. Members of the new committee, Flora Smith, Bruce Russell, Jean Hudson, Sue Siddall, Julie Watts and Rose Van Son read their work to an appreciative audience, while Josephine Clarke officiated the AGM. Thanks were shown with a gift of flowers and book voucher for the wonderful effort Jo Clarke has given to OOTA in her 3 year tenure as President. She has worked tirelessly at the steerage, stating that OOTA is a vibrant machine, always moving forward in strength, success and tenacity. It is thanks to her, all the hard work & to the 08-09 committee that we are a strong force in the writing community. New committee for 09-10 is Helen Hagemann (President), Flora Smith (Vice-President), Leanne Searle (Treasurer), Jean Hudson (Secretary), Carolyn Abbs (Membership Administrator). Committee members, Annie Otness, Bruce Russell, Josephine Clarke (Network Tuesday), Julie Watts, Lucas North, Rose Van Son and Sue Siddall.



Our Proud 2010 Committee









OOTA writers at the AGM








Our sincere thanks to Helen Brett for the photographs!

Writers' Work to Sway on High Seas

Annamaria Weldon and Year 9 Perth Modern Students at the A sheds (photo by David Dare Parker)

On Monday 19th October, OOTA poet Annamaria Weldon read at The Red Room's Fremantle launch of 'Sea Things'. As pictured, talented year 9 students from Perth Modern also read their poems that will contribute to the program. These poems about the sea are being collected from all around Australia and carried from port to port on various ships to be opened and read onboard at their final destination (see posting 6/10). Anna's poem My lover, the sea is now travelling on the high seas in the duffle bag and also in the cloud via The Red Room Company's website, where she's linked with other poets and their poems. Here...

Indigo #4 Launched!

Plenty of OOTA writers in this edition of indigo #4. The journal was launched on Thursday 22nd October by Jon Doust. There's a colourful panache of creative non-fiction/ short stories, poetry and reviews for you to indulge in. Congratulations to Rosie Barter, Helen Hagemann, Paula Jones, Chris Konrad, Lucas North, Shane McCauley, Meredi Ortega, Rachel Robertson, Bruce Russell, Cecily Scutt, Rosemary Stevens, and Annamaria Weldon. Thanks go to our photographer Meredi Ortega.

Launch Photos

OOTA Writers - Write on Target

Leanne Searle, Rosie Barter and Carrie Abbs with Master tutor Bruce Russell


Leanne Searle, Rosie Barter and Carrie Abbs celebrate the successful conclusion of Bruce Russell's 2009 Master Class. The class's purpose was to coach, encourage and support participants in developing their book-length writing projects. The classes were held fortnightly for three hours over an enjoyable year of intense editing and close attention to detail, as well as broader discussions about structural concerns. Most time was spent poring over chapters that had been shared previously by email. Carrie has now completed her historical novel, which is based partly on her own family history. Rosie's memoir of her grandfather Zac is well advanced and Leanne is about to head off to the UK for further research on her historical novel, set in her local area of Rockingham. Good luck to all three! Bruce's next Master Class will kick off in February 2010. Interested writers should contact him on brucer@iinet.net.au or go to his website here...

Sea Things - Poetry Opportunity

Project: Sea Things

A public poetry project for the island-continent. Upload your poems and stories of the sea!

Imagine a duffle bag of poems making a journey from five Australian ports. Imagine those poems being opened up on board, and their readers jotting down an observation or illustration that happened as they read.

The Sea Things national literary project will see four newly commissioned poems and poems from you, the public, making a journey along eastern and western coastlines onboard a mix of private, commercial and naval vessels. Upload poems here...