Rotorua Writers Group Memoir Writing Workshop

QuickWrite Writers’ Forum, City Focus, Saturday March 9th

QuickWrite Writers’ Forum, City Focus, Saturday March 9th

This event features individual writers and/or organisations or businesses  and their books to view/buy, in a range of writing genres and themes, sitting at tables in City Focus.

At each table will also be Writing Kits of clipboards, pens and paper, and a list of up to three starter lines. Each kit will be headed with event’s email address for future use; a place to insert name, phone number and email address; and a double-ticket number (eg from a raffle book).
Three times through the event, probably at 10.20am; 11.00am and 11.40am, a signal will indicate the start of a 15-minute ‘quick-write’ session, ending on a second signal.

At City Focus there are many park seats, benches and tables, kerbs and street garden walls where folk can sit and write. Participants can enter more than one quick-write.

Writing Kits will be handed back to the source table, where one half of the raffle number will be returned to the contributing writer..

(Writers who’d like a brief assessment of their writing can take their quick-write to the Business Media Service desk for a brief ‘taste test’ from Mike Smith )

 

Later, but within the half hour and before the start of the next ‘quick-write’, a lucky number will be drawn. The prize will be a book chosen from a selection donated by authors at the forum.

The forum is seen as a ‘kick-starter’ for would-be writers to explore their fledgling desire to write. Some may feel your writing has no worth and you may be reluctant to hand it in. However, all of you will be encouraged to return your writings. We accept some of you won’t. But, only those who do hand in their piece after each ‘quick-write’ will be included in that draw.

School-aged writers will be encouraged with age-categories: primary/intermediate/ secondary

Contributions may be acknowledged/published by:

• a) being posted on Facebook or Blogspot (by site administrator Lynne), and mentioned and linked back to on Twitter (by our administrator there, Katie)
• b) appropriate material may be posted by Rotorua library on their on-line Kete.
• c) event administrators will review the contributions and consider the potential for publishing in book form a collection of local talent.

The following categories will be represented:

•  Fiction
•  Poetry
•  Writing for families: memoirs; family history
•  Non-fiction: newspaper reporting
•  Writing for children
•  Writing for the community
•  Writing to be heard

 

 

Rotorua Library's events and activities in March

Rotorua’s WriteUp Here in 2013 – at the library

*          Children's department holds a competition featuring NZ authors

*          A crossword competition of NZ authors with the prize being a selected book

*          Library-Live sessions in March:

Thursday 7th, 10am - 12noon: Robyn Sparrow, bookbinder

       "                  pm - 2pm: 100 Words! A fun writing workshop with author Tina Shaw at the launch of the (6th edition) of the Bateman New Zealand Writer's Handbook.
Following Tina’s workshop which will focus on conveying to participants the concept of ‘structure’, participants will be encouraged to join the QuickWrite Writers’ Forum on Saturday March 9 to hone the skills they’ve learned from Tina.

Wednesday 13th, 4.30pm: Getting published - find out at this free event how you can get an idea from manuscript to print. Mike Smith from Business Media Services will host this event with input from four local, published authors.

Thursday 14th, 10am - 12noon: Robyn Sparrow, bookbinder

Wednesday 20th, 4.00pm: A Ka Pai Time with Aunty Bea. Gold coin entry - there'll be waiata, pakiwatara and loads of ka pai fun.

Tuesday 26th, 10am - 12noon, Mary Longson from Literacy Rotorua

Thursday 28th, 10am - 12noon. Robyn Sparrow, bookbinder

Rotorua's Book Shops, ongoing during March

Idle Hour Book Inn

Ailsa and Neal Hawes operate a secondhand book shop and book exchange. They invite the public to bring in any books by Rotorua writers or about Rotorua that they’d like to sell so that the bookstore can mount a window display promoting Rotorua writers.

The Hawes would like to include in the display independently and/or privately published memoirs, wartime tales and family stories.
If you’ve got anything suitable, call in to discuss it with Neal and Ailsa.
We know there are dozens of family stories out there

Take Note                 

i           Window display featuring New Zealand writers and books about New Zealand and if  there are books by local authors in stock Heather will feature those authors,  including self- published. Authors who’d like to be part of the display need to contact Heather asap regarding supplying some copies (on S/R basis) to sell.

ii          Event, Saturday 16: Festival of Children’s Books*****! (Details to follow)

Books Alive

Greg will feature his small selection of secondhand and new books by New Zealand authors and several by Rotorua authors, such as Rotorua 1880 – 1980, considered a rare and historical book, edited by Don Stafford, Roger Steele and Joan Boyd. This is a limited edition and one copy is signed.

McLeods Booksellers

Will display, in-store, Rotorua authors’ books which are there for sale. The manager suggests the display includes authors’ bios plus pics, and asks authors to supply both their books and their bio-pics. Authors, please discuss with manager Fraser Newman. Fraser may refer to this programme in his weekly Weekender opinion column.

Sonshine BookShop

Will feature what few NZ authors it has and display the Rotorua’s WriteUp Here in 2013 posters in thewindow.

Ngongotaha Books

Will display the Rotorua’s WriteUp Here in 2013 poster in window and sell books about Rotorua by Rotorua authors on a S/R basis.

 

Paper Plus     
Will be concentrating on literacy.

Waiariki's Creative Writiing Challenge

Waiariki Institute of Technology’s Creative Writing Challenge starts in February.
It ends at QuickWrite Writers’ Forum at City Focus on March 9 with Sue Emm’s announcement of the winner.
The prize, valued at just under $700.00, is a Waiariki Institute of Technology creative writing course of the winner’s choice, in the year 2013.

Participants are challenged to write 500 words to demonstrate their flair, imagination and emerging talent in their preferred genre – fiction or nonfiction, on any topic and in any style, except poetry.

Writers bring their contributions, printed on A4 paper, to Sue Emms at Rotorua’s WriteUp Here in 2013’s QuickWrite Writers’ Forum at City Focus on Saturday March 9 at 10am. Author’s name, phone number and email address must be at the top of their story. Sue will read these contributions as they are delivered, and decide that morning who will receive the prize. She will make the announcement at about 12 noon.

Competitors are encouraged to participate in this event’s QuickWrite activities while they await Sue’s decision. The QuickWrite is a separate event from the Waiariki Challenge. (Watch for details in a separate post.)

This Waiariki Challenge reflects the commitment of Sue’s department to supporting people to discover the stories within them and encouraging them to develop the skills needed to bring those stories onto the shelves of bookstores and libraries as well as to their computer screens.

Wha's Happening In March?

Well, throughout March, many of our local bookstores will be displaying books by Rotorua's authors.
These book stores will be: Mcleods Booksellers, Take Note, Books Alive, Idle Hour Book Inn, and Ngongotaha Books all have window and/or in-store displays featuring N Z and Rotorua authors. (More details in a following post.)
                       The Rotorua Library's programme of events throughout
                           March will include a focus on local authors.

Saturday 9th March:
Rotorua’s Write Up Here in 2013 – QuickWrite Writers’ Forum, City Focus, 10am -12.30pm

Saturday 16th March:
Take Note will be featuring a Festival of Children's Books by NZ, maybe local, authors,

Thursday 21st March:
Books ‘n’ Baths at Queen Elizabeth Hospital. 4.30pm – 7pm.

Saturday 23rd March:

Jenny Argante’s Memoir Writing Workshop, hosted by Rotorua Writers Group. At RAVE. Pre-bookings essential.

Exact dates/times not known at time of writing, but for Rotorua Write Up Here 2K13, the Rotorua Library is planning ...

*          Children's department holds a competition featuring NZ authors

*          A crossword competition of NZ authors with the prize being a selected book

*          Displays to do with NZ books and authors –
            possibly including screenings of Rotorua interviews on DVDs by Kerry Fowler

*          Library-Live sessions in March: Detailed in a separate Post.

March hasn't been such fun for years!

Wha's Happening - Pre Book Month Programme

Rotorua’s WriteUp Here in 2013 ~

 Pre-programme - Through February and March

We'll continue bringing you on-going publicity about the actual coming events, and raising awareness of the aims of the programme as well as encouraging discussion within Rotorua's communities, leading to widespread participation in March.

February – mid March

 

Waiariki’s Creative Writing challenge starts any moment you're ready, and ends at WriteUp Writers’ Forum at City Focus on March 9th. Write 500 words to demonstrate their flair, imagination and emerging talent in their preferred genre – fiction or nonfiction, on any topic and in any style, except poetry.