A Writer's Reflection: My Two Residencies in 2022

After waiting two years with an interruption due to Covid lockdowns and WA border closures, I spent time as a writer-in-residence at Eramboo Artist Environment in Terrey Hills, Sydney. While I was there I conducted a Poetry Workshop in Ekphrastic Poetry. An ekphrastic poem is a vivid description of a scene or, more commonly, a work of art. Through the imaginative act of narrating and reflecting on the “action” of a painting or sculpture, the poet may amplify and expand its meaning. A notable example is “Ode on a Grecian Urn,” in which the poet John Keats speculates on the identity of the lovers who appear to dance and play music, simultaneously frozen in time and in perpetual motion.

                    I also met other artists in particular Julie Bartholomew, a Ceramic artist and                           educator. We were neighbours on either side of the studios and could talk to one                     another through the partioning.

My Writing Fellowship at The Katharine Susannah Writers Centre - October 2022 

 

I feel so lucky and extremely proud to have spent time at the KSP in my October Fellowship. Two weeks went quickly and in that time I completed a re-working of my MA novel (2009) renaming the fictional memoir *The Five Lives of Ms Bennett*. It was a huge effort to change the mixed tenses to all present tense. And although I haven’t changed the story, I feel that it reads better. Also using Text-to-Speech has been a marvellous editing tool. You’d be surprised how many errors and mistakes you can hear. Also during my time in the hills, I shopped in Mundaring, had a coffee at the Lazy Corner Café, shopped at Coles West Swan, walked the West Swan Railway track (5 times) went, oh shame, only two days swimming at the Bilgoman Aquatic Pool (October the weather was also cold).

I had a great time conducting my *Crime* Workshop – “So Why Not Turn to Crime”. Six participants were all into the crime genre and there was much discussion about dead bodies, murder, Agatha Christie, Hercule Poirot, editing, crime audio books and a great sharing of their writing exercise. I believe the writers went away feeling good about attending. We went over time so that’s a good indication.