Caroline Reid Writes

--> Last time I blogged I was about to compete in a Slam Poetry final. That was a whole lot of nerve-wracking fun and while I didn’t win (the winner was the wonderful Alison Bennett ), it sparked a fire in me. So I performed again at the Goolwa Slam on the Fleurieu Peninsula and, again, made it to the finals. Then, a few months later, I was a finalist in the Summer Slam here in Adelaide. I’ve been performing my poems at other poetry reading nights too. They’re a great platform to try out different things and are helping me get braver in my performances. Lo and behold, the heats of the 2017 state slam are just around the corner, so I look forward to getting in among it all again. Then there's the matter of employment. I needed to work. But first I needed to study. That took 5 months. Now I’ve got my Certificate 3 in Individual Support (Disability and Ageing) and I’m happy to say that it has led to me teaching poetry at Tutti Arts. Tutti describe themselves a...

Slam Heat #3   photo by Luxi Photography & Filmography My posts are becoming increasingly few and far between because I've been focussed on other writing projects and they are taking up most of my time. This is also partly a physical need - when I spend all day at the desk writing, I truly need to give my back and shoulders a break. But here's a quick update: Since July I've been writer in residence at the South Australian Writers Centre, working on my first novel. As part of that residency I've been lucky enough to sit in on workshops by Sam Cooney ( The Lifted Brow ) Rohan Wilson, recent Miles Franklin winner Alec Patric and the prolific and gregarious Kirsty Murray. These workshops have directly fed into the work that I'm doing. They have made me look at where the gaps are in my own writing (where I've tried to get away with taking shortcuts) and as a result I've made big decisions such as changing the pov in which the story is told and cutt...

I've been away from Australia and neglecting this blog but I'm back in the saddle this month, writing from the comfort of the South Australian Writers Centre in the city of Adelaide, where I'm writer in residence until September. Thanks to some funding from Arts South Australia , I'll be more comfortable bcs I'll be less anxious about money for the duration of the residency. I'm also continuing to teach at Mockingbird Lounge , the casual monthly class (first Tuesday of the month from 7-9pm) and, beginning in September, I'm offering the short course in short story writing again, an excellent intensive for anyone who wants a crash course in how to write a story. The small group and supportive environment is well-suited for beginners or those dabbling in writing and want to gain some confidence or simply need a deadline so they can finish at least one story ! Here are the details: Specialising in Story: Short Story writing course Over six sessions writers ...

Pre-loved plays A few weeks ago I finished the first draft of what will be my first novel. It's the story of a young girl who immigrates to Australia from Wales with her family under the Ten Pound Pom immigration scheme offered by Australia's government from post WW2 to the 1970s. It's loosely based on my own experience, but I found myself wishing I could remember the landscape of Wales more specifically than my faded memory would allow.  And then something happened. Poetry My mum rang me to ask if I would accompany her on a trip back home to Wales.    Ma is a dynamic Welsh lady who comes in at just under 5 feet, who loves music and singing, who lives with hearing loss (which is apparently the result of her factory-working years, back before they knew the value of ear muffs) and has recently  been diagnosed with the early signs of dementia.  This trip will most likely be her final trip home to visit family and friends, to say goodby to ...