New book ahead for local writers’ group

A NEW anthology is in the pipeline after the writers of Bannockburn’s Golden Pens – Write Side Up group secured a $7000 grant.

Members share a love of creative writing and regularly meet to turn that passion into published prose and poetry.

The group is one of nine to receive a Community Strengthening Grant through the Golden Plains Shire Council.

Golden Pens – Write Side Up member Wendy Spall said the grant will enable them to produce and professionally print their fourth anthology which they plan to launch next July.

The group meets fortnightly at the Bannockburn Library and has already produced three anthologies featuring members’ work.

“We’ve got a couple of really dynamic members with us now who’re keen to get things going,” Ms Spall said.

“We’ve had the idea of a new book on the cards for a while now. We heard about the council grants and we thought, ‘why not?’

“A couple of us met with council and they encouraged us to give it a go.”

Ms Spall said they were initially going to call their new anthology Golden Harvest but are now considering alternative names.

And for the first time the group will run a workshop with pupils from Bannockburn’s St Mary MacKillop Catholic Primary School, inviting the children to also submit work for potential inclusion in the new anthology.

“We will run the workshop for grades 5 and 6,” Ms Spall said.

“They are going to submit some stories and we are going to pick three of the best and include them in the book.

“We also have a local illustrator and author, Marley Betts, who will be doing illustrations for the book.

“Our members have got prose and poetry in the pipeline already submitted, so it’s just a matter of putting it together and we will be having a launch event.”

Ms Spall said the group is very welcoming of new members with interested people always welcome to roll up for the fortnightly 1.30pm Thursday session at the library.

More information about the group is available by emailing [email protected].