Did ya see me? Did ya? Over on the Emerging Writers’ Festival blog. That’s me, there, interning! I’ve not mentioned it here before, but I’m one of the three interns on board at EWF this year. I’m super-duper excited &#8211… Continue reading →

Over the next week we will be having the pleasure of introducing to you our Associate Producers for the festival so they can tell you a little more about themselves. Kicking us off in the series is Sam van Zweden!

Hello, writers, readers, bibliophiles and people who find any of these things downright attractive (an absolutely acceptable standpoint).

Today’s my first day of working as an intern at the Emerging Writers’ Festival, and I’ve been asked to do a little post introducing myself, so here goes:

I’m a student in the final year of a Creative Writing (BA) at RMIT. I’m the diminutive (in stature only) force behind Little Girl With a Big Pen. I write… anything. Fiction, non-fiction, poetry, reviews – anything. My work has appeared in a handful of places including The Big Issue, Voiceworks, Page Seventeen and Verity La. Right, now that the starchy bit’s out of the way, onto the excitement…

My role as an intern here involves taking ownership of an event and making it happen (!!! – I know, right? Head-and-shoulders above the ‘Go make me coffee, intern!’ type positions I’ve heard about). I’ve spent this morning starting to get my head around all that’s involved in the behind-the-scenes part of the EWF. Although I’ve been around the festival as an audience member and as part of the blogging planet last year, I had a pretty vague understanding of how this glorious word party comes to being. And mannnnnnnnnn – these guys work hard!

Looking over the reports from last year’s interns and staff is getting my imagination all fired up, thinking of all my favourite people who I might be able to approach about their involvement in the festival. Talking to Lisa about plans and possibilities for this year’s festival has me raring to go.

I can’t wait to see you at the Festival!

SvZ

Compiled by @ddonahoo using data from #ewf11. Click on image for larger picture.

You can download a PDF version: EWFdigital (info graphic).

Image Attribution: Flickr User - Fotero

You know what I’m looking forward to most – the people. It feels like the festival preparation activities are just starting to ramp up. More people are dropping into the office, program ideas are being cemented and there have been great chats and discussions with my fellow Geek Pierre and Festival Director, Lisa about what this all might mean in the digital realm.

EWFdigital is building to be something even more in 2012. We have been asking questions of ourselves like, “what makes a festival digital?” and “what does a digital/online festival look like?” This is helping to shape our plans for a host of online content that can only belong to the world beyond pages that we peer into through our screens and mobile devices. EWFdigital in 2012 will be a celebration, an exploration and an education on how writers engage and create where the virtual and real world intersect.

There are so many places where those who work with words can go in digital environments. Everywhere in virtual spaces there are a need for people to tell stories in video games and children’s apps, on blogs and social networks, in transmedia stories and games, in digital education, in short films and TV shows meant for the online world only. More and more there are more opportunities for those of us who write in the digital world. They are worth considering. It can be difficult. It takes us out of our comfort zone on many occasions, but writers’ need to go where words and stories are needed.

I’ve been enjoying clicking across a the story site CowBird, recently. It is a new service that is looking for a bit more depth in its words and pictures. The site is considering the bigger picture, of how all our stories make a whole and where they connect and intersect. They have been asking for stories on the theme of #occupy and binding together the personal stories and reflections from around the world.

What we are learning is that just because something is digital or involved with technology, does not mean it is void of emotion. Our default setting is that those worlds are metallic, cold, not human. But, emotion and connection and stories, those domains best inhabited by writers belong as much in the digital world as any other.

Just ask Ze Frank.

Wanted: designer (preferably emerging) to work on the the 2012 EWF publication. Must have experience with digital and print publishing and be willing to guide, collaborate and experiment enthusiastically.

This is a paid position. Please send an expression of interest to Karen at [email protected] and tell your people!

Our 2012 festival team is slowly growing. Today I’m thrilled to welcome Karen Andrews on board as our program manager. Here’s what Karen has to say about her new role…

I’m very excited to be joining the team at the Emerging Writers’ Festival. For the past four years I’ve been lucky enough to be a guest of the Festival – as a speaker, session chair and Planet EWF blogger – and in the course of that time I’ve seen it grow into the sizeable and well-respected reputation that it fully deserves. The EWF was the place where I got my first real exposure to other writers and writing styles and methods, in an environment that is always open and eager to hear from new voices and ideas.

As Program Manager I’ll be working towards delivering these similar experiences to audiences and I encourage anyone who might have any questions to contact me and I’ll do my best to help. For the writers out there, there is still time to express your interest in speaking at the Festival. Please do so! It is a fantastic way to create exposure for both you and your work. Plus, we’re a super-friendly bunch.

I’ll see you there!

Karen Andrews

The Emerging Writers’ Festival open panellist callout is an opportunity for you to let us know what is happening in your writing world. It helps us to discover new writers and new projects that might not (yet!) be on our radar. We love finding new writers, and we’re proud to be one of the few writers’ festival in Australia who actively encourages writers of all stripes and career-stages to apply to be in our festival. Yes, we have great networks, chat often with publishers and agents, read widely, and have an excellent Program Advisory Committee, but our open panellist callout ensures that we can touch base with the maximum number of writers possible.

You may not know this, but each and every event at the Emerging Writers’ Festival features a writer in their first-ever festival appearance – and one more who is well advanced in their career. Although we are called the Emerging Writers’ Festival, we are a festival for all writers at all stages of their career, and we don’t put arbitrary benchmarks on what is or isn’t considered ‘emerging’ or ‘established’. Our main requirement for writers taking part in the festival is: passion and commitment. We are looking for writers who are opinionated, informed, informative and inspiring… not to mention happy to speak in front of a large (but friendly!) audience.

If you’d like to be a considered as a festival guest in 2012, simply email us (writers @ emergingwritersfestival.org.au) with a simple explanation of:
1. what you write; and
2. why you write it.

Looking forward to hearing from you!

We are looking for three amazing individuals to undertake our unique internship program.

As a valuable member of the close-knit Festival team, you will take ownership of an EWF event, seeing it through from programming to production, and assist in the overall management of the Festival along the way.

If you’re raring to get hands-on experience in literary event management, and work with a fabulous organisation, contact us for a job pack.

This is a volunteer position, and would suit an arts management or communications student seeking a uni-placement intership.

Applications close Monday 23 January 2012.

Browse our Behind the Scenes category to see what last year’s Associate Producers got up to at EWF…

Goodbye 30 Rock desk-calendar/scrap-paper-generator. I’ll miss you but I’m glad you came into my life. Here are some other things I am grateful for in 2011. Continue reading →