Writers' Workshop
The International Writers'
Workshop was formed in 1976 by Barbara B Whyte, noted New
Zealand Poet and Writer.
We are "International" in that
we have had affiliation with writer groups in Israel and Australia.
Our multi-cultural national membership is diverse, and ages range
from school to retirement. Anyone at all interested in any aspect of
writing is welcome.
Aiming to foster and encourage
would-be writers, the Workshop caters for those who wish to express
themselves confidently and professionally by writing, whether it be
a letter to the local newspaper, or placing a manuscript for
publication.
Kathleen Grattan Prize for a Sequence of Poems
James Norcliffe is the winner of the 2012 Kathleen Grattan Prize for a Sequence of Poems.
Click here for the press release.
Update May 2013: The revised rules for the 2013
Kathleen Grattan Prize for a Sequence of Poems are now available from our
Competitions page.
Meetings
The Workshop meets on the 1st and 3rd Tuesdays of
each month from February to November. We meet in the Tindall Room at the
The Lake House Arts Centre,
37 Fred Thomas Drive, Takapuna (click here for information on how to get there).
The door opens at 10.15am for members to mix and mingle, with the workshop running from 10.30am
sharp to 12.30pm.
Socialising and informal peer groups may continue for a short time afterwards and tea, coffee
and other refreshments are available from the Lake House Arts Centre Café.
The meeting on the first Tuesday of each month is
usually a workshop and there may be a guest tutor or one of the club's own members may
run the workshop.
The 3rd Tuesday of each month is usually competition
day. The guest judge attends the meeting with the results and feedback of the
previous competition.
2012 will see an exciting program with a number of tutor workshops planned, many building towards the exciting Kathleen Grattan Prize for a
Sequence of Poems as well as towards our other competitions.
Check out the
monthly programme
page to see what is coming up next time.
Subscriptions
The annual subscription is $30, discounted by $5 if you receive your newsletter by email. Our subscription period is the calendar year and for new members the
subscription may reduce after the last competition of the year is due.
From 2012, a one-off $10 joining fee applies.
Click here to download a Member Application Form.
Prospective members may attend two meetings before making the commitment to join
the Workshop however, due to the popularity of some of our workshops and space constraints at our venue, some meetings may be 'Members Only'.
These will be advertised as such on the website.
Barbara Birbeck
Whyte
Barbara
Whyte was a steady and guiding light to members of International
Writers' Workshop (NZ) Inc., which she founded in 1976
and acted as Secretary until her death in 1986. To the world in
general, Barbara was a practical, down-to-earth, no-nonsense person,
but behind this brisk facade lived a poet - a mystical poet. She had
a passion for poetry, which she taught to members of
International Writers' Workshop with dedication, tactfully
guiding hopeful poets and always available. Because she worked so
hard herself, Barbara expected members to do likewise. "Work on it;
one must do the best one can," she'd state. She was a fellow of the
World Literary Academy of Poets, (Cambridge) and was made a
life fellow and Honorary Professor by the Temple of Arts Academy
International, (New York).
Though poetry was her greatest
love, Barbara was untiring in her efforts to encourage nervous prose
authors to send their efforts for publication, and it is mainly due
to her that many of our members have had work published both here
and overseas.
Publications
Beyond the Persimmon Tree
, fiction, non-fiction and poetry from members of the International Writers' Workshop, is our latest anthology, published in November 2010.
Click here for more information.
Previous publications include
The Word for Food - Recipes and Anecdotes from members of the International Writers’ Workshop
and others, published in 2008
Evolving Ideas - an anthology of member's work published in 1997
Seeds on a Summer Wind - an anthology of member's work published in 1991
Silent Symphony - an anthology of poetry published in 1982