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.

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!