Free Workshops and an Evening Showcase in Wodonga
25th May 2024
10am - 4pm at Hyphen Wodonga Library Gallery
6pm - 10pm at Wodonga Senior Citizens Centre
Free Day Events at Hyphen
10:30am - Kids and Families workshop with Jasper Peach
11:45am - Workshop "Life writing/memoir" with Sam Elkin
1:15pm - Workshop "Writing Comedy" with Lucy Best
2:30pm - "Fantasy and Speculative Fiction for Young Adults" with Liz Sutherland
10:30am - 11:30am
Family Zine Workshop
with Jasper Peach
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Family is the people we love, the homes we make, the ways we live. Logical or biological, all families are beautiful. Bring your family (or represent them solo!) to reflect and then get crafty. We'll do some simple paper folding together, and you'll receive guidance in decorating and expressing all that your family is in a cute keepsake to take home. We'll supply the crafty bits and the how to, you just need to turn up and enjoy. An expansive and reflective hour where you can come as you are.
Jasper Peach is a trans, non-binary and disabled writer, speaker and parent. They are passionate about equitable access and inclusion, focused around the dismantling of misplaced shame via storytelling. Their written work has been published in The Age, The Big Issue, Archer, The Guardian, and more. Jasper has a background in Auslan interpreting, broadcasting, and civil celebrancy, and their first book, You’ll be a Wonderful Parent, is a celebration of rainbow families of all kinds.
11:45am - 12:45pm
Life-Writing
with Sam Elkin
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In this workshop, we’ll discuss the power of life writing and tips to retrieve memories, utilize sensory details and access your authentic voice across memoir, narrative non-fiction and experimental formats. We’ll query whether we can ever tell the ‘whole truth’, and consider how we can stay safe while sharing our words.
Sam Elkin is a writer, lawyer and host of the 3RRR radio show Queer View Mirror and co-editor of Nothing to Hide: Voices of Trans and Gender Diverse Australia (Allen & Unwin). Born in England and raised on Noongar Land, he now resides on unceded Wurundjeri land. Sam's essays have been published in Kill Your Darlings, Australian Book Review, Griffith Review and Overland Literary Journal. His debut book Detachable Penis: A Queer Legal Saga will be released by Upswell Publishing in May 2024.
1:15pm - 2:15pm
Writing Comedy
with Lucy Best
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Lucy Best will lead this session on writing for comedy, with a focus on performance such as stand up comedy, storytelling and cabaret. Topics covered will include 'finding the funny', pacing, how much time it takes for tragedy to become comedy, reading the audience, being curious, and tackling sensitive topics.
Lucy Best is an Australian-based British comedian, actor, compére, writer, and producer. Lucy regularly writes comedy, poetry, and stories, as well as content for a range of print and digital outlets, as a communications and engagement specialist on projects for environmental and social justice. She also dabbles in song writing! Lucy regularly performs Stand Up Comedy, Cabaret, Music, and Theatre around Australia and internationally. Her solo show, Disgraceful, toured Australia in 2023 to critical acclaim, and had sold out shows in Sydney and Melbourne. She also regularly produces and hosts Queer Cabaret Variety nights. Lucy has made multiple appearances on the Joy 94.9FM’s Spoken Word show, as well as being featured as part of Generation Women, Melbourne. She has a Story By credit on a feature film currently in development. Lucy’s work regularly includes her hilarious hot takes on themes of feminism, mental health, social justice, sex positivity and gender and sexual diversity.
2:30pm - 3:30pm
Writing New Worlds
with Liz Sutherland
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Explore the natural wonders, magical systems, authentic people, and compelling histories of worldbuilding for a young adult or adult fantasy story. Learn to create depth and boundaries within your fantastical world, and a sense of trust and wonder in your readers.
Liz Sutherland (they/them) lives on the unceded lands of the Wurundjeri people of the Kulin nation. Liz is studying a Master of Arts (Writing and Literature) at Deakin University, is the COO of a nonprofit organisation, and is the Treasurer of the Board of Overland. They were a finalist in the Pearl Prize 2024 and the 2023 OutStanding LGBTQIA+ Short Story Awards. Their writing has appeared in StylusLit, Swamp Magazine, Left Brain Media, ScratchThat Magazine, Say It Out Loud, at Q-Lit festival events, and more.