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ASA ‘My Patch of Red Dirt’ competition: entries close 19 March

The Australian Society of Authors (ASA) is running a writing competition in March, as part of Red Dirt Writers’ Week. Entries to the ‘My Patch of Red Dirt’ competition close 19 March.

Entrants must share a picture/illustration and/or description of their favourite patch of red dirt (this can be anywhere in Australia) and describe how it best relates to Sue Williams’ quote below:

‘The Outback isn’t a place on a map. It’s a place in your heart. It’s an attitude, how you treat people, a way of behaving. It’s your belief system, and how a whole nation of Australians often long for a time when life was simpler, less complicated, more genuine.’—Sue Williams, ‘Welcome to the Outback’

The competition winner, to be announced on 23 March, will receive a 12-month membership to the society and a bundle of Australian books.

For more information about the competition, as well as terms and conditions, visit the ASA website.

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Local news

Full program announced for 2018 Perth Writers Week

The full program has been announced for the 2018 Perth Festival Writers Week, which runs from 19-25 February.

Events at the festival include the pairing of ‘literary giants’ Kim Scott and Helen Garner in a discussion on ‘why literature matters’; a preview of Tim Winton’s forthcoming novel The Shepherd’s Hut (Hamish Hamilton); dining events, such as breakfast with Miles Franklin-winners Josephine Wilson, Michelle de Kretser and Sofie Laguna and lunch with UK writer Alan Hollinghurst; and writer and photographer William Yang’s closing address on his career working with words and images.

Architecture receives a special focus in this year’s program, including guided heritage walks and a retrospective of documentaries by filmmakers Ila Bêka and Louise Lemoine.

As previously reported by Books+Publishing, international guests attending the festival include UK authors Hollinghurst and A C Grayling, Canadian writer Louise Penny and US writer Cory Doctorow. They are joined by local authors Robert Drewe, Maggie Beer, Tex Perkins, Tim Rogers, Rachael Johns and Claire G Coleman and more than 100 other writers and artists.

Children’s events include mural activities with Indian small press Tara Books; family activities in the ‘Paper Bird Kombi’, run by Fremantle children’s bookshop Paper Bird; and the ‘Curated by Kids’ program, a series of sessions staged with the involvement of 10 guest curators aged 10-12.

The 2018 program is curated by West Australian literary editor William Yeoman, who was appointed guest curator following the departure of long-time program manager Katherine Dorrington in 2017. The event has been extended from four days to a full week, and will be based in a new hub located at the University Club of Western Australia, as well as extending to libraries and bars in Perth. Boffins Bookshop will be the official bookseller.

To see the program, click here.

This news story first appeared in Books+Publishing on 19 January 2018. Books+Publishing is Australia’s leading source of print and digital news about the book industry, keeping subscribers up to date with the latest industry news, announcements, job advertisements, events, trends and more.
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International news

Amazon Createspace to close author services division; 58 jobs cut

Amazon’s self-publishing service in the US, Createspace, is cutting 58 jobs and closing its author services division this year, according to the Post and Courier.

‘After a thorough review of our service offerings, we’ve made the decision to discontinue Createspace’s paid professional editing, design and marketing services,’ Amazon said in a statement.

‘We will work closely with impacted employees through this transition to help them find new roles within the company or assist them with pursuing opportunities outside the company.’

Layoffs to Createspace’s North Charleston office will begin in March, and the subsidiary’s service division will close in July this year.

Createspace will continue to print books for authors looking to self-publish.

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