Fledgling season
Your latest update from Words of a Feather đ
Itâs fledgling season here in Wurundjeri Country (Melbourne). I returned a few days ago, and in my intercontinental haze, Iâve been walking with my dog each day to ground myself. Melbourne is a funny place for that; a place that famously doesnât know what to do with itself weather-wise. Through 20-degree temperature swings, wind, rain, thunderstorms, and steaming heat, the little birds learn to fly. I think of all those mechanics, all that risk, all that trust. When we write, there is much of that. The page is the sky and our pens are our wings. What we write - that is us.
Thank you so much for your messages of support following our last newsletter! I have loved hearing news about young writers we havenât seen in a while, receiving messages of excitement to join us in the new year, and seeing enrolments start to come in. This next chapter of our story feels good already.
More information about our upcoming programs - including a special offering for adult writers to help you ease peacefully into the new year - is below.
I canât wait to write with you again soon. Merry Christmas! (Getting in early :))
P.S. Please note our new email is hello@wordsofafeather.co. If you have any questions or news youâd like to share, please feel free to say hello!
Coming upâŚđ
đ Woafie Writers Gathering - Reflection (Online)
28 December 2023 - Online (Free/Pay as you feel)
Join us for a peaceful reflective writing session to see out this year and ease into a new one. All welcome! No prior writing experience is required.
* This writing session is designed for adults.
RSVP here
đ Summer Story Camp
22 - 25 January 2024 - In-person (Balwyn North, VIC)
27 January 2024 - Online
Join us in the studio for creative writing workshops to help your inner storyteller shine! Story Camps are held in the school holidays at our Balwyn North studio (Melbourne). We will be running a series of workshops for young writers (7 - 14 years old) throughout the week.
View the program and book your place today!
đ Writing Mentorships
Online and in-person options, various times, available now
Book your own time to write with an experienced writer and mentor, and weâll tailor a program just for you! These sessions can be designed for one writer, or shared by up to three writers to make your own private group.
Writing Mentorships are held online, for all ages, 7+.
In-person options may be available by request.
Meet your Mentors
Enquire about a Mentorship
âď¸ Creative Writing Workshops for Kids & Teens
Online from February 7, 2024 (Based in Melbourne, AET)
These weekly workshops are for highly motivated young writers who are eager to write, learn new skills, and find inspiration in a variety of prompts and engaging discussions each week. Join us casually, or save when you book for the 8-week term!
Kids - Wednesdays 4 - 5pm
Teens - Saturdays 11am - 12pm
*new* In-person starting soon in Oradea, Romania!
We have recently welcomed Livia CreČ, a Romanian writer who studied in Paris, to our team. From February 2024, Livia will be leading workshops for young people in her hometown of Oradea.
Express your interest here
đ Creative Writing Workshops for Adults
Online and in-person options, starting February 6, 2024
Welcome to our new Woafie Writers Gatherings. Each week, we meet to show up for ourselves as writers, for our creative practice, and for the stories we have to share.Â
Woafie Writers Gatherings - In-Person (Melbourne)
Woafie Writers Gatherings - Online
â¨Highlights & Opportunitiesâ¨
Songwriting competition for young writers (13 - 19 years old)
Closing date: January 22, 2024
Since the early utterances of human language, weâve been putting words to musicâbelting anthems of change, humming hymns of hope, crooning lyrics of love. Songs serve as a historical record, passing information down through the generations; they tell stories, evoke emotion, even deliver lessons. This competition, held by Write the World, invites you to write a song of your ownâand record it if youâd like!
Read more
Weekly writing workshops in Paris with Le Phare Collectif
Registrations are now open for the next semester of weekly in-person workshops in Paris. I can attest to how wonderful and inspiring these are! Natalia Armenia, a French-Peruvian writer, offers these workshops in English, French, and Spanish.
Read more
Para no volver by Amanda Quintero Aguerrevere
Launched in November 2023.
Based on real events that occurred in Venezuela, this book fictionalises the testimony of five characters who face the reality of a country in transformation during the years known as the âBolivian Revolutionâ. These characters recount the consequences of the TascĂłn List, the harsh reality of generalised express kidnappings, the expansion of drug trafficking and illegal mining in the Amazon region, the role of the Intelligence Service (SEBIN), as well as the wear and tear caused by the economic crisis that led an entire generation to migrate.
Congratulations to Le Phare writer Amanda on the publication of her book!
If you can read Spanish, you can purchase this book here.
(Or you can eagerly await the English translation like me :))
