Kate O’Donnell tackles monumental issues in our society,  O’Donnell builds her world on the smallest of details, allowing for the narrative to fall into the reader's hands like a puzzle. 

Writers and and their friends and family gathered at the Wollongong Town Hall Music Lounge to celebrate the Refugee Week Writing competition on Saturday 23 June

The South Coast Writers Centre is proud to share what the participants of the 'Just Write', have created this school holidays. The program was packed with writing workshops, hands-on creative activities and events targeted at 12-18-year-olds. Our young creatives had the opportunity to work with and be inspired by award-winning authors, talented writers, and other creatives at Ulladulla, Nowra and Sanctuary Point Libraries, Shoalhaven Regional Gallery, and Wollongong Library.

Our 2023 Watkin Street Residency allowed us to provide one writer with the opportunity for a five-day writing residency in a studio in Newtown in March.

Throughout the recent summer school holidays, we connected with young people across the Shoalhaven through a series of creative workshops.

Workshops included How to Write a Book Review with Sandy Fussell, Screenwriting with Morna Seres, Poetry on Place with Nicole Smede, Untranslatable: Writing the Unwritten with Rhys Lorenc, Translating Yourself: Unique Ideas into Stories with Helena Fox, and Zine Art Collage with Angie Cass.

The event included the launch of the 34-37 Degrees South digital anthology produced by Poets In The City, as well as readings of new works by ten of the poets, hosted by Linda Godfrey with Peter Frankis.

Following this, residents from the 2022 SCWC / Wollongong Botanic Garden program—Karen Cummings, Rebekah Lambert and Katarina Mikac—discussed their creative works in progress and the experience of being a writer-in-resident with SCWC Director Sarah Nicholson.

‘I’m Not Making This Up’ brings truth to the forefront within a textual landscape that undervalues it. This festival celebrated the power of fact by highlighting some of the best and brightest talents in the non-fiction writing community today. By displaying their unique skills and distinctive voices to centre-stage, ‘I’m Not Making This Up’ reminded us that some of the most powerful stories are true.

In April, seven emerging and established writers were given the opportunity to come together as a group and work together to inspire inspiration and creativity amongst themselves.

During the recent Spring school holidays, we presented our free first school holiday workshops in the Shoalhaven, engaging young writers from twelve to eighteen years and inspiring them to write and draw their own stories.

On Saturday the 3rd of September, writers, illustrators, and audiences came together at Bundanon in a celebration of words and art to mark the end of Book Week 2022.