Shoalhaven & Kiama Literary Pop-Up Fund Recipients
The South Coast Writers’ Centre is thrilled to announce the recipients of our Shoalhaven & Kiama Literary Pop-Up Fund.
BIG (BELATED) BOOK LAUNCH
In 2020 and 2021, many local authors launched books not with a bang but with an online whimper. We propose to give those books a second chance! The Big (Belated) Book Launch will be hosted at Nowra Library and will showcase the work of local authors and illustrators who published a book between March 2020 and December 2021. Over the course of the two-hour event, each author will have the opportunity to pitch their book in approximately five minutes to the audience, followed by a group Q&A session and Big Book Signing. Partners will include Shoalhaven Libraries and a local bookseller. It will offer an opportunity for the local literary community to come together as one to celebrate (belatedly), and will give local readers, young and old, the opportunity to meet the authors. We hope to give these local book babies the celebratory shower they deserve – if only a little bit late…
BERRY WRITERS FESTIVAL
The Berry Writers Festival will be a celebration of the Berry community and the deep-rooted links to writers, readers and thinkers that the town enjoys. There will be three days of inspiration and engagement with regional and award-winning authors from around the country. We envisage panels and interviews as well as performance and workshops. The festival’s immediate and pressing need is to work on the creative face of the festival and to develop our new look web presence and other promotional materials. With this we will be able to get the Festival up and running and engage authors and presenters from all genres and all parts of society as well as the local community.
SALTBUSH: INHABIT
‘Inhabit’ unfolds digitally as three vignettes (or “digital portraits”) that reflect everyday life in the Shoalhaven — capturing responses from participants on how we inhabit the varied spaces and environments of our region, and how the routines and rhythms of living on the South Coast shape our daily lives. A minimum of two individuals will create each of the works, in collaboration.
The project will foster collaboration between writers, visual artists, musicians, photographers, filmmakers and other creatives, uncovering emerging talent and providing an avenue for the unique presentation of new work. Combining traditional practice, disciplines and creative technology, ‘Inhabit’ will conclude with a presentation of the works in an exhibition/event format — involving projections, music, and art.
The vignettes will also be accessible through a mini-site within the ‘Saltbush’ digital platform — produced in collaboration with local business Manta Publishing and Supernaut Pty Ltd, set for launch in Q2 2022. As a new hybrid-digital venture, the ‘Saltbush’ platform brings exciting potential for collaboration and reach, in a unique digital environment — one which has not existed in the Shoalhaven previously. Allowing collaborative opportunities for artists to work with web developers/designers to weave new creative practice — poets can collaborate with photographers, filmmakers with journalists, or sculptures with musicians to capture untold stories from the region. The scope for unique and exploratory connections while reaching new audiences will be a much needed addition to the region’s creative discussion.
This pop-up fund was made possible by support from Create NSW.