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Each month, we share what we’re reading – fiction or nonfiction. (And you can do the same – details at the end of this post.) Here’s what some of us at AWC have been reading in June:   Bec: Memories of Silk and Straw: A Self-Portrait of Small-Town Japan by

Children’s book author Danny Parker (also one of our fabulous AWC presenters) recently made the shortlist of the Children’s Book Council of Australia’s Book of the Year Awards 2016 as well as last month’s Australian Book Industry Awards shortlist – for his picture book, titled Perfect. With the book set

Bestselling author and AWC presenter Natasha Lester discovered Scrivener after becoming fed up with Word, and hasn’t looked back! Check out this interview excerpt from our Facebook Live stream with Natasha at our recent Sydney meet-up, where she discusses how Scrivener was a game-changer for her novel writing process. From being able to

It’s almost that time of year again when over 100,000 literature lovers flock to Walsh Bay for the Sydney Writers’ Festival. This year the program is jam-packed with 300+ events held across 16-22 May 2016. And we are thrilled that some of our amazing AWC presenters are taking part and sharing their writing

Ask an author for their top tip for aspiring writers and it would be to READ. Read widely and read often. So once a month, we’ll be sharing what we’re reading – fiction or non-fiction. We’d love you to do the same – so share a paragraph on your latest

There has been much excitement in the literary world this week with the Australian Book Industry Awards (ABIAs) announcing their 2016 Book Awards shortlist. We were thrilled to see a familiar name amongst the authors. Our very own AWC presenter, Danny Parker, is shortlisted in the Book of the Year for Younger

After its successful inaugural event in 2015, the Queenscliffe Literary Festival will return again this year. This niche festival will take place across a variety of venues in the historical town of Queenscliff and the neighbouring town of Point Lonsdale, Victoria, with stand-alone events held across all weekends in May 2016. If

The Australian/Vogel’s Literary Award is one of Australia’s most prestigious awards for an unpublished manuscript by a writer under the age of 35. Katherine Brabon’s novel The Memory Artist has just been named the 2016 winner of this major accolade. Congratulations Katherine! From the press release: How can hope exist when the past

It’s awards season again in book world (but really, it’s a reward every time we read a book, right?). And kicking things off is the Children’s Book Council of Australia (CBCA) who on Monday announced their list of Notable Books for the 2016 CBCA Book of the Year Awards. Basically,

Be the first to find out about future Australian Writers’ Centre meet-ups – sign up to our weekly newsletter! When and where is the meet-up? We’re so excited to be hosting our meet-up on Tuesday 31 May 2016, 6.30-8pm At the  Australian Writers’ Centre head office Ground floor, 55 Lavender Street

We are thrilled for Australian Writers’ Centre graduate Miranda Luby for being shortlisted in the 2016 Commonwealth Short Story Prize. This year the competition attracted nearly 4000 entries from 47 countries. Miranda’s story, This Here Land, was one of 26 shortlisted and is now in the running for the major prize. Such

Once upon a time, there were very few festivals about writing. And if they did exist, they were reserved for the large cities and the focus was very much on the guest speakers. However, in recent times a shift has taken place. There are now dozens of festivals dedicated to

When it comes to publishing a book, every celebrated author knows they have to master the art of online marketing. 50 Shades of Grey started as an ebook and found a massive online audience, before it became a paperback. Online publishing sensation Amanda Hocking, also emerged from obscurity to best-selling

At the beginning of every year, prolific readers wanting to expand their horizons look to “reading challenges” to help them with such a task. Just like the one in the image above (you can find that full list here), the challenges are designed to get you to read a wide

This post is written by Matthew Curlewis, a descendant of Ethel Turner, who wrote Seven Little Australians. Matthew originally wrote this shortly before Australia Day 2016 and has given us permission to republish it. An attempt on behalf of my ancestor Ethel Turner, to correct some Koori history censored out

In December, Valerie asked the AWC community (via our newsletter and this blog) to let us know what writing goals they had for the coming year. We received a huge response – with the image above an actual word cloud of the most popular sentiments sent in from everyone. And

It’s no secret that we’re big fans of Downton Abbey and we love advancements in publishing. Downton Abbey’s creator Julian Fellowes is embarking on a brave new project that marries digital technology and Victorian serialised storytelling. From the press release: Ground-breaking new project will see story published in weekly chapters on

Kill Your Darlings are looking for a Contributing Editor to join their team for 2016! They’d love someone to write in one area. Potential areas of interest they’d love to hear from include: politics, society, film and TV, books and writing, pop culture, gaming and technology, music, sport, and art.

This position has now been filled – thanks for your interest! The Australian Writers’ Centre team is growing and we have room for a full-time Office All-rounder. Please note: This role is not a writing-based role. This role won’t be a stepping stone for you to publish your novel – but you