Each monthly meeting is held on the first Sunday of the month.
12th November
The meeting commenced at 12 pm and apologies were received from Chris Lees.
Our special guest was Elizabeth Bezant who read her judges report for the Julie Lewis Biennial Literary Awards for Prose. John McMullan read the inspiration behind each story. The meeting finished at 12.53pm
23rd October
The meeting was commenced at 1.32 pm and apologies were received from Bev Cowcher and Emeritus Professor Andrew Taylor. John McMullan explained that the Peter Cowan Writers’ Centre (PCWC) was legally obliged to hold seven monthly meetings each year. As there was no member business to be dealt with, the proceedings began. Vivienne Glance, the 2011 Writer in Residence, interviewed Kevin Gillam about his poetry and Cello playing.
The Commended results for the Julie Lewis Biennial Literary Awards for Poetry were announced and local poet Penny Wood and Vivienne Glance
read two of the poems.
Gayle Malloy then interviewed Vivienne Glance about play writing and the progress of her residency and we adjourned for afternoon tea.
The Highly Commended results were then announced and Vivienne and Susan Stevens assisted with the reading. Kevin then played his cello and the final three placing were announced. Scott-Patrick Mitchell and Kevin Gillam read the poems for the second and third place getters and Roland Leach read his winning poem
The meeting was concluded at 4.00 pm
11th September
The well attended Monthly Meeting was commenced at 2.07 pm. The Master of Ceremonies, John McMullan, explained that the centre was legally bound to have seven monthly meetings a year and that the session would be run in that format. Apologies were accepted from Bev Cowcher.
John McMullan interviewed the special guest and
Judgeof the Patron's Prize for Poetry, Amanda Joy. The meeting then moved on to announce the successful entrants in the Patron's Prize and those in the audience who were successful, read their poems. This included Kevin Gillam, Jennifer Langley Kemp and John Ryan. Amanda Joy read the poems for those who weren't present
The meeting concluded at 3.45 pm and the guests adjourned for afternoon tea
2011 Patron s Prize for Poetry
Adult Section
1st Prize
Paula Jones "
Prawning at Maylands"
2nd Prize
Kevin Gillam "
Strands of Us"
3rd Prize
Spencer Davis "
Giselle"
Highly Commended
Ross Jackson "
Winter Gravy"
Paula Jones "
Blue Truths"
Frances Richardson
"Ice Coward"
John Ryan "
Quenda"
Commended
Jennifer Langley-Kemp "
The Lighthouse Keeper s Daughter"
Frances Richardson "
Shorebird"
Ken Morrell "
A Walk Without Wind"
Jason Wenman "
Spinning"
Youth Section
1st Place
Jacob Connelly "
Upon his Bones"
2nd Place
Tainui Thompson "
Halloween"
3rd Place
Sabrina McCarthy "
Open Windows"
Highly Commended
Tameka Kenny "
Rainy Night"
Commended
Paige Spence "Cat at My Window"
AGM 7 August 2011
2011PRESIDENT'SREPORT
Good afternoon Ladies and
Gentleman. I would like to welcome you to the Peter Cowan Writers Centre Inc 2011 Annual General Meeting and to my last duty as an elected office bearer.
During the past two years I have had a wonderful time. I have immensely enjoyed my involvement with the poets, storytellers and the volunteers associated with the centre. I have gaped in awe at inspirational writing, teared up at cathartic moments, smirked at bawdiness,
swelled with pride at our successes and warmed with delight in the friends I have made. And it is a joy to see our bank balance improve from $5.590 in 2009, to $11,848 in 2010 to $14,649 at the 30th of June 2011.
During the past year we have successfully arranged heavily patronised workshops on a range of genres that appealed to our members. These included poetry, short stories, competitions, novels, script writing and performance writing. Highlights for the year include our widely lauded Advanced Poetry Workshops, the four month waiting list for our 89.7 Radio segment, our upcoming Writer in Residence project with Vivienne Glance, the astonishing 388 entries we received for our Peter Cowan 600 Short Story Competition and the 158 entries to this year's Patron's Prize for Poetry.
I acknowledge and thank all those volunteers who have assisted me during my time as President. Each of those members, in their own way, has helped our centre soar to astonishing heights. But I feel it is important to single out five special contributions.
The three main writing centres in Perth, and indeed the writing fraternity in Western Australia, have benefited phenomenally from the untiring efforts of Professor Glen Phillips. I owe him a special debt of gratitude for sharing his wisdom with me, and for his unwavering support.
I could not have made it past my first year without the literary advice and common sense insights of Elizabeth Bezant. In particular she shone a light on my path, during my darkest moments, when I was getting the '
Alphabetical Amulet' ready for publication.
Bev Cowcher is all class. She has an uncanny knack of knowing when her help will make a difference and I thank her for camouflaging my ignorance and my lack of consideration for others.
Gayle Malloy was my inspiration for patience and persistence. It is her optimistic demeanour that we all should try to emulate.
And finally I hope everyone appreciates the gem that is Pedro Suarez. He is more than a Treasurer. He is computer competent, orderly, loyal and dedicated. He is an outstanding talent and a wonderful member of the human race
.
I want to wish you all well in your literary pursuits and thank you all for the encouragement and support you have given me.
John McMullan
3rd July 2011
The Monthly Meeting convened at 2.08 pm. Apologies were accepted on behalf of Beverley Cowcher, Charles Page and John Pritt. John McMullan welcomed the country visitors and special guest Shane McCauley. He then listed some of the exciting programs completed by PCWC in the previous 12 months and itemized some of the upcoming events.
Shane McCauley then shared his lifetime in writing with the audience and graciously explained his views on blank and rhyming verse, and literary writing compared with other styles. The proceedings then moved on to announcing the certificate winners and place getters for the PC600SSC.
The meeting then concluded at 3.35 pm and afternoon tea was taken on the verandah
5th June 2011
The Monthly Meeting commenced at 2.01 pm which is the new starting time for monthly meetings when they are held on Sundays. The President John McMullan reflected on the success of the Peter Cowan 600 Short Story Competition, the Book Sale and the Advanced Poetry Workshops. He was pleased to announce the appointment of Vivienne Glance as Writer in Residence in September and October and was confident our writers would benefit immensely from her visit.
There was a Michael Parkinson style interview panel with the special guests who had recently published books:
Allan Pritt with "
Emily's Destiny"
Jacquie Stewart with "
One Bite of the Cherry"
June Cornock with "
Do you believe in Fairies"
It was an enjoyable afternoon and we adjourned for coffee at 3.35 pm
2nd April 2011
The monthly meeting was held in conjunction with the
Writing for Pleasure session. It commenced at 10.00 am and Bev Cowcher sent her apologies. John McMullan thanked the volunteers who had supported the centre and announced that the committee had agreed to employ a
Writer in Residence later in the year and this would be a big boost to the status of the centre and enable our writers to get valuable feedback on their work. The centre has a legal obligation to hold seven monthly meetings a year and it was not always easy to get guest speakers. With this in mind the March meeting was conducted as an open mike session and the April held on the Saturday morning.
A writing exercise was set and the 15 in attendance read their efforts to the class. After morning tea the homework was read from the previous week. The meeting closed at 12.08pm.
6th March 2011
The monthly meeting commenced at 1.33 pm. Performance Sunday produced an intimate group with a diverse and varied selection of poetry and storytelling. Allan Pritt, Irene Herry, John Trewin, Beth Martin, Ern Williamson and Bev. Cowcher joined each other around the table and shared poignant and humorous writing pieces. An enjoyable afternoon tea followed with the added bonus of Beth’s homemade scones! Pedro Suarez was the chief listener providing any critique he thought necessary. The meeting concluded at 3.32pm.
6th February 2011
The monthly meeting on Sunday 6thFebruary opened at 1:35pm and saw the launch of the Peter Cowan 600 Short Story Competition. Our special guest for the launch was Delys Bird, Senior Honorary Research Fellow, Westerly Editor, English and Cultural Studies of UWA. Delys was interviewed by Andrew Taylor. A videotape of Peter Cowan being interviewed by Glen Phillips was played, and lively a discussion around Peter Cowan's life and work was enjoyed by all who attended.
5th December 2010
Thepresident of The Peter Cowan Writers' Centre (PCWC), John McMullan, opened the meeting at 1.35 pm. He thanked all the volunteers for their wonderful effort and preceeded to interview special guest, Morgan Yasbineck. Ms Yasbineck is a sucessful Western Australian poet and novelist. A number of her works are attached to prestigous awards, including; Anne Elder and Mary Gilmore Awards. She has also been shortlisted for this year's NSW Premier's Kenneth Slessor Award. In addition to writing, Ms Yasbineck has taught creative writing at tertiary and community levels in Australia and abroad.
Results for The 2010 Trudy Graham Biennial Literary Awards for poetry were announced by Ms Yasbineck.
1st place:
Paula Jones - Old Cheese and Pears
2nd place:
Julia Wakefield - Language/Caution
3rd place:
Kevin Gillam - Rebreving
Highly commended:
Kevin Gillam - Operculum
Irene Wilkie - Touching Down
Belinda White - On The Grand Canal
Belinda White - The Fisherman
Commended:
Renee Pettitt-Schipp - Song to Self
Paula Jones - Ocean Dreaming
Paula Jones - Bibbulmun Dust
7th
November 2010
The Peter Cowan Writers' Centre (PCWC) President, John McMullan opened the meeting at 1:32 pm and thanked the members for their extensive volunteer support. He warmly welcomed special guest, Janet Blagg, who has her own editing and self-publishing business. She was interviewed by PCWC member Kate Meredith . and Ms Blagg offered sound advice on a wide range of issues in the literature industry including competitions, first time writers, electronic publishing and appraisals.
Midway, through the meeting members and guests enjoyed a 20 min recess while they anticipated who would win the 2010 Trudy Graham Biennial Literary Awards (prose). The meeting commenced and the place getters were announced. Extracts were read out by attending place getters.
1stplace:
Michael Giacometti - Elijah Upjohn, public hangman
Equal 2nd:
Alison Craven - Waiting for Whoever
John Millet - Salt on the Tongue
Highly commended:
Gita Mammen - Dit, Dah & Pixel
Ken Moore - Charlie and Andy
Lindsay Fogarty - The False Wallet
Commended:
Madeleine Tingey - Convict Kid
Nicky Buller - The Outsider
Frida Rowe - Backyard Princess
Ken Moore - Mr Thompson's Conchita
The meeting closed at 3.35pm.
3rd October 2010
The Peter Cowan Writers' Centre (PCWC) President, John McMullan opened the meeting at 1:35 pm. He welcomed special guest and long term member of PCWC, Alwyn Evans. He thanked all the volunteers for their assistance over the previous year and said he was pleased with the progress of the centre as we now have someone coming in every Thursday to read their material on Twin Cities 89.7 FM, there are 10-12 people every Saturday at 'Writing for Pleasure', the autobiography courses are going very well and we recently completed a successful project where Vivianne Glance ran 4 x 3 hour scriptwriting workshops and the best six plays were workshopped and played by WAAPA students from 16thto 20th August.
The well attended meeting was then treated to a wonderful 70 minutes of Julie Bowyer interviewing author Alwyn Evans about her book ' Walk in my Shoes'. Alwyn then shared her life of writing which includes over 35 picture books, being a freelance writer, editor and publisher.
Six members read their own works and received valuable feedback from Julie and Alwyn.
The meeting closed at 3:45 pm.
12th September 2010
The Peter Cowan Writers' Centre President, John McMullan, opened the meeting at 1:31 pm. He announced apologies from Mez Cheshire, Kevin Gillam and Judy Paice. He thanked the volunteers for their invaluable contributions over the past year, and welcomed special guest and Patron's Prize judge, Andrew Lansdown.
Gary De Piazzi took over as the Master of Ceremonies and interviewed Andrew on his life long association with poetry. The audience was treated to a wonderful afternoon of insights into Andrew's impressive achievements as a poet and teacher. After afternoon tea the placegetters for the Patron's Prize were announced. Meeting closed at 3:32.
AGM Sunday 1st August 2010
2010 President's Address
Good afternoon Ladies and Gentlemen. I would like to welcome you to the Peter Cowan Writers' Centre 2010 Annual General Meeting.
The past 12 months have proved to be very fruitful for our little group. We improved our Balance Sheet from $5,590.62 at the end of June 2009 to a very healthy $11,848.74 at the end of June 2010.
We enjoyed some wonderful entertainment at our monthly meetings by inviting a string of talented literary individuals. These included: Scott-Patrick Mitchell, Rose van Son, Dr. Ffion Murphy, Dr. Amanda Curtin, Professor Glen Phillips, John Ryan, Jake Dennis, Sue Clennell, Jeremy Balius, Elizabeth Bezant, Charles Page, Dr. Andrew Burke and Kevin Gillam.
We provided first class workshops for the benefit of our members and these included the Autobiography course by Elizabeth Bezant, Poetry course by Maureen Sexton, Script Writing Course by Vivienne Glance, Workshops by Alan Boyd the Antipoet, Crime Poetry by Scott-Patrick Mitchell and a heavily booked session by Humorist Helen Child.
Our competition entries were up by 70% in the Julie Lewis Literary Awards, 100% in the Patron's Prize and our inaugural Peter Cowan 600 Short Story Competition is Australia's second largest of its kind in its first year.
We have a fixed expenditure on Advertising, Subscriptions, Insurance, Postage, Parking, Guest fees, Telephone and Internet, Wages, Website fees and Stationary of around $800 per month or $9,600 annually. Our membership subscriptions can be estimated at around $6,000, our other revenue from 'Writing for Pleasure' 'Poetry Editing' 'Raffle' donations etc can be estimated at around $2,000. To break even each year we must raise $1,600 from book sales and surpluses on competitions. This target is easily obtainable.
We received a $3,000 grant from the City of Wanneroo which enabled us to publish an anthology edited by our Patron, Emeritus Professor Andrew Taylor, 'An Alphabetical Amulet' and while revenue generated from the book was modest, the prestige it brought to our centre was substantial. It dramatically lifted our literary profile because it contained the works of many well know writers and we received many accolades from those who read it. We also received a benefit of around $4,500 from the Lotteries Commission to update our computer and printing technology.
And finally I want to pay tribute to the sound advice that was unreservedly offered from present and past office bearers and I am humble in my appreciation of the tireless and wonderful support I have received from volunteers, without whose assistance our Centre would have suffered a miserable year.
For the next year we should just continue to do what we have been doing. That is we should continue to support our 'Writing for Pleasure' sessions and Autobiography workshops and not overstretch ourselves with an ambitious agenda. In other words Do what we do, do well. With no members contesting the places on the committee all nominations were elected unanimously. They were:
President - John McMullan Vice President - Vacant - no nominations Secretary - Linda Ugarte-Kemp Treasurer - Pedro Suarez Committee Members - Gayle Malloy, Elizabeth Bezant, Kay Saunders, Alison Craven, Beverley Cowcher. ECU Liaison - Professor Glen Phillips
Sunday 4th July 2010 John McMullan opened the meeting at 1.31 pm and welcomed his special guests Amanda Curtin the judge of the PC600SSC, Kate Meredith from PCWC and Lynette Washington who had flown in from South Australia for the prize giving. He thanked the volunteers for their on going support and the stirling effort they put in behind the scenes. Kate Meredith interviewed Amanda Curtin about her career and in particular about her novel 'The Sinkings'
After afternoon tea the prizes were awarded. The meeting closed at 3.30pm
Sunday 6th June 2010
Gary De Piazzi interviewed honorary Associate Professor Glen Phillips and Post Graduate student John Ryan.
Glen and John shared their early lives and the landscapes and people that were influential in their development, Glen with his wide-open spaces of the Australian outback, John with his mountains of the USA. Both benefited from wandering their respective countries and the world agreeing that is not until one leaves their familiar surroundings that a deep appreciation develops for the uniqueness of each place.
Each shared their methodologies in writing, current projects and future intentions. Both espoused a deep appreciation for landscapes and nature and the influences they have on humanity, which is reflected in their involvement in the International Centre for Landscape and Language.
The interview ended with Glen and John reading selected works of their own.
Sunday 2nd May 2010
The monthly meeting was replaced by a book sale of donated and new books which raised $1700 towards our administration costs.
Sunday 11th April 2010
The meeting commenced at 1:30 pm and the President thanked the members for their continuing support and emphasized the valuable contribution of the volunteers. He said he was pleased with the wonderful support received for the Wicked Wednesday evening and at our Writing for Pleasure sessions. He asked the members to make the special effort for the second hand book sale and the anthology launch. Below is the account of the meeting.
The launch of the Peter Cowan 600 word Short Story Competition took place on a lovely warm afternoon on Sunday, April 11th. It was attended by 25 people including well known writers and poets like Professor Emeritus Andrew Taylor, Professor Glen Phillips, Dr. Susan Ash and Dr. Ffion Murphy. The afternoon was a celebration of Peter Cowan's life and works as well as the official launch of the first Short Story Competition this year for the Peter Cowan Writers Centre.
Ffion Murphy, who launched the competition, spoke of her time as Editor-in-Residence at the Centre and what a privilege it was to be invited to read other people's works in progress. She described the importance of valuing and editing one's own work and the impact a well written short story has on the reader.
Andrew Taylor read a story of Peter Cowan's that had the audience spellbound. He described the short story as having more in common with a poem than a novel.
Glen Phillips also read a story (exactly 600 words) and spoke of Peter Cowan's almost deceptively simple style. He shared anecdotes from the life of Peter Cowan and Peter's concerns with sustainable landscapes before it was fashionable to talk about such things.
In the lively discussion that followed the launch and the readings, the point was made that there is always room for editing. Glen said that he has up to 20 different versions of a single poem, while Andrew commented that a story can conceal as much as it can reveal, citing the example once again of Peter Cowan himself. Both Susan and Ffion mentioned that rhythm, language and characters that stay in the reader's mind are some factors that make a short story memorable. Ffion also spoke of the importance of close reading and writing several draft versions before submitting a story for publication.
Audience members shared anecdotes of their own successes and challenges and debated on the lack of support for science and fantasy short fiction as a literary genre. Ffion stated that she has noticed an increase in this genre from student submissions and hoped that there would be an increased market for science and fantasy fiction at a local level.
It was an enjoyable and informative session and I have been newly inspired to start writing a short story for the competition. If I start today, I will have time to do the 50 rewrites before it is ready for submission!
Rashida Murphy
11 April, 2010.
Sunday 7th March 2010
The meeting commenced at 1.32pm with the President thanking the members for their continued support and emphasised the valuable contribution by volunteers. A request was made that members support the "Wicked Wednesday" sessions and the Second Hand Books sale. Kate Meredith interviewed Elizabeth Bezant and Charles Page about their books and the journey to publication. The meeting concluded at 3.37pm.
Sunday 7th February 2010
The meeting commenced at 1.38pm with a welcome from the President and an expression of his appreciation to the volunteer support he is receiving in the operation and services offered by the Centre. He welcomed and introduced Jeremy Balius who performed the duties of MC. The guests interviewed by Jeremy were Sue Clennel and Jake Dennis who shared their poetry and the raison d'etre for their writing. The meeting closed at 3.45pm.
The Peter Cowan Writers' Centre (PCWC) President, John McMullan opened the meeting at 1:35 pm. He welcomed special guest and long term member of PCWC, Alwyn Evans. He thanked all the volunteers for their assistance over the previous year and said he was pleased with the progress of the centre as we now have someone coming in every Thursday to read their material on Twin Cities 89.7 FM, there are 10-12 people every Saturday at 'Writing for Pleasure', the autobiography courses are going very well and we recently completed a successful project where Vivianne Glance ran 4 x 3 hour scriptwriting workshops and the best six plays were workshopped and played by WAAPA students from 16thto 20thAugust.
The well attended meeting was then treated to a wonderful 70 minutes of Julie Bowyer interviewing author Alwyn Evans about her book ' Walk in my Shoes'. Alwyn then shared her life of writing which includes over 35 picture books, being a freelance writer, editor and publisher.
Six members read their own works and received valuable feedback from Julie and Alwyn.
