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So I’ve not long returned from my week at Varuna, the National Writers’ House in the Blue Mountains, and what a magical week it’s been.
Picture this – chatting with fellow writers in front of a log fire surrounded by books knowing you have the whole week ahead of you to focus on your writing. Needless to say, I didn’t sleep much the first night because of a childlike excitement before a Christmas day morning! I was in the Green Room, one of two rooms in the house (there were six rooms all up) that had its writing space separate from the bedroom.
There were five other writers staying spanning all genres and it was incredibly interesting to hear what they were working on, about their process and what they hope to achieve after seven days there. My main focus was to review and edit poems, generate new ones and work out the structure my next collection will take. Reading, research and listening to podcasts was also on the to do list.
And so my days consisted of early starts, lazy breakfasts while working, morning walks, further work, light lunches, more work, afternoon walks, more work, then joining the group in the cozy lounge for pre-dinner drinks and delicious home-cooked evening meals.
Having arrived on a Monday, I didn’t write anything good (in my opinion) until the Friday, which intrigues me as I clearly needed that time to settle in and soak up the amazing creativity of the place. I could have easily done another week there, but I now have some sense of a structure, albeit one that’s continually morphing because what started out as one concept, has branched off into several others, so I’m letting it meander where it wants to go.
Being immersed in my writing, and in such stunning scenery too, gave me an amazing experience to remember, one I plan on repeating that’s for sure (because creativity, like nature, cannot be rushed!), with thanks again to Writers SA and Varuna for supporting me and for giving me this remarkable opportunity.
Although I’ll never get used to a hot Christmas, I do prefer January here than in the UK, but regardless of where I am it’s still a good time to review what’s important and declutter.
One of the first things I did was unsubscribe to a myriad of poetry/books/writing newsletters. I figure if I want something, I’ll look for it, rather than trawling through emails to the point where I just hit delete. I also want to explore my creative side more, hence my plain writer’s diary that I decorated with stickers above (loved doing this!) and learning to play the piano, something I’ve always wanted to do. I’ve also started burlesque classes for something a little different as I do like to dance.
But back to writing. So my year kicked off attending Clare Shaw’s and Kim Moore’s January Writing Hours where over the course of an hour via Zoom, we look at different poems and are given prompts to get us writing. I signed up for a week and it’s a fine way to generate words, until I realised my problem is not not being able to write but not having the time and/or head space to write, which is where some fabulous news comes in…
I’ve won a fellowship to develop my next collection! Through Writers SA, the week-long residency is at Varuna National Writers’ House in the Blue Mountains, a place completely dedicated to writers, their writing and everything in between to support them. I’ve booked to go in May and plan to take some time either side to get organised and come back down to earth, as I know my head will be buzzing when I return.
I’ve also signed up to do another online course through the Poetry School – Darkness into Light: Poetry for the Waxing Year with Jessica Traynor – to draft further poems for my new collection that’s slowly taking shape. Targeting where I submit my work is another approach I’m taking, speaking of which I’ve got two submissions due in the next couple of days, so best get on with these and finish this post!
August is poetry month here in Australia, a national celebration launched by Red Room Poetry to increase access to and awareness of our poetic landscape, and mine’s been filled with readings, applications and a writing retreat.
First up was the SA Poetry Month Showcase at the Wheaty, with readings by Jelena Dinic, Arantza Garcia, Tikari Rigney, Wallis Prophet and Dominic Guerrera. Hosted by Gemma Parker, it was a popular event. I liken Jelena’s work to a beautiful haunting and it was wonderful to hear from performance poets Arantza, Tikari and Wallis, with equally profound words from Dominic, who also hosted the open mic that followed.
Next was my turn to read in the bi-monthly Ern Malley series held at Australia’s oldest literary bar. These readings, courtesy of Stan Mahoney, take inspiration from Ken Bolton’s Lee Marvin ones (where I was also fortunate to read), by offering the same intimate experience equipped with desk and lamp. I shared work from my chapbook ice cream ‘n’ tar, as well as some new poems from the collection I’m working on at the moment.
Then I went on my first ever writing retreat at Island View Writers House! Run by the brilliant Heather Taylor-Johnson, this gorgeous place in Clayton Bay provides writers with the time and space to develop their writing, either through a focused or self-led residency. I chose the latter to further my collection and was absolutely amazed by what I managed to achieve over a long weekend there.
Having that thoroughly enjoyable immersive experience prompted me to apply for the annual fellowships with Varuna and Writers SA. Between them they offer a variety of opportunities to progress projects, and the application process helped me to focus the scope of my collection and identify what I want to achieve with its content, form and voice. So I have everything crossed one of them comes through!
J V Birch 