This is a paid position. Please send an expression of interest to Karen at editor@emergingwritersfestival.org.au and tell your people!

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

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!

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…

Tina Fey 'gets' Jack

I definitely laughed more than once a day over the past year but thanks to my ’30 Rock’ desk calendar I also almost always STARTED each morning/day at the computer in my study with a smile on my face. And for my cheery get-going into the cruel world of blank digital pages I have many people to thank. Perhaps none more so than Ms Tina Fey.

“Thanks Tina.”

And thanks to your friends too. And thanks to everyone at the desktop page-at-a-time calendar company who helped deliver—every day—a fresh quote from a scene from my favourite TV show for 2011, 30 Rock.

There is so much to love about 30 Rock:

Tina Fey is awesome. When watching the entire series on DVD I always knew If she’d written an ep I could count on belly laughs from go to ‘woah baby’. And, of course, she’s hysterical too—a wonderful comic actress.

But then the whole cast of 30 Rock is fantastic.

So much so that as I tore off a new page each day throughout 2011, and as I read the tiny scene fragments from various episodes, I could clearly hear the voices and see the mannerisms of the crazy bunch of players who brought me so much joy and happiness and so many inspirational images (like, for instance, Tina in her ‘hot’ jeans).

Whilst I am sad to see the end of my calendar (couldn’t find another one for 2012—SAD FACE) I am grateful for the good times we had.

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.

- iPhone 4. I know it is also a CIA/FBI personal tagging and tracking system but you can TWEET with it too! I think I have a ‘proper’ camera somewhere but since getting my iPhone this year I’ve hardly used my old snapper. (PS. If you are looking for a good camera app I really like Camera Plus Pro—even though I’m not paid to say so.)
- Emerging Writers’ Festival. Melbourne has lots of festivals and I discovered this one in 2011. After attending the pre-launch party and then posting a bit of gonzo journalism (I hadn’t heard that term until 2011) about it on my blog I ended up being one of the official bloggers for the EWF too. Met some awesome writers and got to spruke a bit about my first novel.
- Melbourne Writers’ Festival. Told you Melbourne had a lot of festivals. I am also thankful to Fiona Scott-Norman for hosting the official launch of The Last Great Day at the MWF 2011. Thanks Fiona.
- Nell O’Bryan. If you are in Melbourne and looking for a brilliant book publicist I highly recommend Nell. She’s not just great at her job she’s fun too.
- Stuart Wilde. I’ve enjoyed checking into his website and blog (now merged HERE) all year. A metaphysical teacher with a sense of humour? Really? Yes. In fact, I might do a follow up post about why I’ve bought almost every Stuart Wilde book twice.
- Honey Rose. To say I am grateful for my first child is not only an understatement it surely goes without saying. She may have come into our family’s life in 2010 but Honey blossomed beautifully in 2011 reminding me what is most important in life: not having a nappy full of shit.
- Pauli. Wife is like REALLY preggars as I write this but even with her relatively new role of mother and mother-to-be-again Pauli still finds time to listen to me read first drafts of novels and yap on about new blog ideas—and all while helping me find my keys.

“They were in your jacket.”

This list is in no way exhaustive. I could go on and on about what I am thankful for in 2011 if not for one more thing: I’m also thankful I learned how to blog in under 700 words a post.

Happy New Year!

The strength of the Emerging Writers’ Festival is in its community, and without your support and willingess to talk, share, wonder, write and get involved, we wouldn’t have enjoyed the phenomenal growth that we have seen over the past eight years. Thank you.

Our office will be closed from Thursday 22 December until Tuesday 3 January.

Hope you get to carve out some writing time this festive season…

Lisa

Congratulations to the organisers, staff, and volunteer for putting an amazing 30th edition of the Sharjah Book Fair. And thanks to all the publishers, booksellers, writers. social media types and readers who made it such an inspiring, informative and fun festival. It truly was an awesome celebration of the written word.

Lisa

Just a small selection of the books available at Sharjah International Book Fair… can’t wait to start reading.

- Sarah al Jawan, Emirati novellist

In another two sessions on the Arab novel at Sharjah Book Fair, two diverse novellists spoke about their need for isolation when working.

I have certain ways and manners in writing. I have set up a nice place in my house to write in, however, I never use this space. It is a space that people are always coming in to. When I write I feel like I need to be isolated from the world. I like to write in a corner at a hotel; some people might call it a luxurious writing experience because I’m in a hotel. But it is not the Four Seasons. I use my days to write. At night, I don’t feel relaxed.

- Dr Amir Tag al-Sir, Sudanese writer

Lisa

Cooking demos returned to Sharjah this year. The demo kitchen was set up in one of the book halls and all the sessions that I’ve seen so far have been really well attended. The smells coming from the kitchen draw people in from across the fair – and the promise of taste testing of course!

There was a whole cookery program this year with plenty of amazing chefs appearing from all corners of the globe including Amy Riolo, Anissa Helou, Aisha Tamimi, Suzanne Hussein, Kimiko Barbar, Sophie Grey and Robert Arbor. The kitchen was super-pro in its set up as well!

A cute addition this year were recipe cards so the audience could follow along with the chef and also take to try at home.