March Newsletter
Everything to do with reading and writing
Hi there fellow edge-walkers.
My favourite season is here and I (Karina) thought I’d start off with a poem by Gideon Heugh in honour of autumn.
What does it look like to fall into autumn’s “sacred rest”? That’s what I’ve been asking myself recently.
Your creative self
We’ve been reminded recently how important connecting with the inner creative is. Myself (Karina) and a creativity coach ran a workshop recently that was well attended and the participants all agreed that there is a deep need in people today to slow down, connect with creativity and then from that, contribute to our weary world. Two resources that have helped us see things a little differently are
Julia Cameron’s The Artist’s Way and a Ted talk by Elizabeth Gilbert Your Elusive creative genius.
We also loved this article - an interview with Nastasya Popov a director and writer from Los Angeles on the need to make things
“The big thing was realizing that [filmmaking] is not really a medium that you can study. You just have to start making things.”
We think that’s the same with writing- you can attend as many workshops as you like but the important thing is just to start writing, and keep writing!
What was your first memory of you being creative?
Writer’s festivals
The Sydney Writers Festival is coming up in May. Check out the program as it’s available now. Our Writers studio will go to a few sessions together then debrief what we have heard.
Writing place
Does place matter for you as you write? One author who is known for writing with place in mind is Hannah Kent who now has two books set in her second home - Iceland. If place is important to you then this article will be of interest.
https://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/2026/feb/11/place-stayed-with-me-writer-iceland-hannah-kent
Kent makes the strong statement that she would not have become a writer were it not for Iceland.
Writing courses- New season program out for Writing NSW
Also- here’s a good little article about the benefits of writing:
https://www.timeshighereducation.com/campus/process-writing-forces-writer-be-present
Writing studios- Communal writing
Writing is known to be solitary pursuit. But there is joy when writers meet to read or write together. Read this piece on the joys of communal writing
https://lithub.com/katie-da-cunha-lewin-on-the-joys-of-quiet-communal-writing/
Regardless of these deviations, I always feel the magic as I enter, feeling how each day, the entrants agree to participate in the continuation of the space, asserting the importance of focused study and quiet writing. Sometimes I can’t believe how many people are there, in light of the devaluing of the humanities and the collapse of many higher education institutions, it’s heartening that it is still so plentifully occupied. In this shared writer’s room, suddenly I become a writer among others.
Competition to enter
We thought this was a worthy mention - Hunter Writers Centre is open for submissions on the topic Grieve.
https://hunterwriterscentre.org/grieve-2026/
Emerging writers
What does it mean to be an emerging writer exactly? Is that you? Do you feel like there are enough spaces for you to engage to hone your skill? What would you like to see in Australia to support emerging writers? The article below raises some interesting questions about writers who are emerging.
…….what are you reading? We’d love to know, tell us!
At the edges offerings
Writers studio is still on every Thursday morning at Surry Hills Neighbourhood centre. Would you like to join a monthly Saturday workshop? Let us know if yes.
Our new book is out! We had so much fun at the launch. See the cute cupcakes with the cover of our book on them at the top of this post.
In May our little writing community will go to a few of the Sydney Writers festival events together. Want to join us?
We may be starting a monthly zoom book club if there is interest. Are you keen? Let us know.
Also in May we are publishing our second book - watch out for this one - author reveal coming up!
Coming up in June there will be another Connecting with your creative self workshop.
And….an editing zoom workshop - how do you work with an editor? How do you find a good one? What are the kinds of editing available for you? Can you edit your own work? All these questions and more as we reveal the mysteries of editing in our workshop coming up in August.
We hope you have enjoyed reading this newsletter. Please comment and let us know what you liked and what else we can include. If you have specific resources to share, please pass them on.
At the Edges is….
A constellation of writers and readers drawn to the luminous, telling our stories from the edges.
Karina
and
Armen
(and so many more who contribute to and support our little venture)