Writers SA, registered as SA Writers' Centre Inc. and formerly known as the South Australian Writers' Centre (SAWC) and also known as the SA Writers Centre, is a resource centre for writers located in

Adelaide Adelaide ( , ; ) is the list of Australian capital cities, capital and most populous city of South Australia, as well as the list of cities in Australia by population, fifth-most populous city in Australia. The name "Adelaide" may refer to ei ...

South Australia South Australia (commonly abbreviated as SA) is a States and territories of Australia, state in the southern central part of Australia. With a total land area of , it is the fourth-largest of Australia's states and territories by area, which in ...

. Established in 1985, it was the first such centre in Australia. Its newsletter for members, produced from 1997 to 2014, was called ''Southern Write''.

History

The centre was established in 1985, the first and prototype of many subsequent writers' centres throughout Australia. One of its co-founders, and its first chair, was Andrew Taylor. It was situated at 187

Rundle Street Rundle Street, often referred to as "Rundle Street East" as distinct from Rundle Mall, is a street in the East End of the city centre of Adelaide, the capital of South Australia. It runs from Pulteney Street to East Terrace, where it becomes Ru ...

. From 1 December 2017 the Centre changed its name to Writers SA. With the rebranding came a move to the

State Library of South Australia The State Library of South Australia, or SLSA, formerly known as the Public Library of South Australia, located on North Terrace, Adelaide, is the official library of the Australian state of South Australia. It is the largest public research li ...

’s Institute Building, and plans to extend its reach, which would include "more free events, more writing workshops and three targeted year-long programs for writers at all stages of their careers".

Description

The

not-for-profit A not-for-profit or non-for-profit organization (NFPO) is a Legal Entity, legal entity that does not distribute surplus funds to its members and is formed to fulfill specific objectives. While not-for-profit organizations and Nonprofit organ ...

organisation exists to encourage and support writers of all ages and experience. It works with a range of other organisations to promote and encourage writers and literature in society. Members of the public can participate in many of their workshops, but membership of Writers SA gives access to additional services and discounts, including advice, information and support; opportunities for writing as a career, such as a professional referral service and a means for publication and promotion; access to other professionals of all kinds in the industry. The organisation is a registered

charitable organisation A charitable organization or charity is an organization whose primary objectives are philanthropy and social well-being (e.g. educational, Religion, religious or other activities serving the public interest or common good). The legal definitio ...

. It is funded by the

Australian Government The Australian Government, also known as the Commonwealth Government or simply as the federal government, is the national executive government of Australia, a federal parliamentary constitutional monarchy. The executive consists of the pr ...

through the

Australia Council Creative Australia, formerly known as the Australia Council for the Arts and the Australia Council, is the country's official arts council, serving as an arts funding and advisory body for the Government of Australia. The council was announ ...

, the

Government of South Australia The Government of South Australia, also referred to as the South Australian Government or the SA Government, is the executive branch of the state government, state of South Australia. It is modelled on the Westminster system, meaning that the h ...

through

Arts SA Arts South Australia (previously Arts SA) was responsible for managing the South Australian Government's funding for the arts and cultural heritage from about 1996 until late 2018, when it was progressively dismantled, a process complete by early ...

, both governments and other sponsors via

Country Arts SA Country Arts SA is statutory corporation created by the South Australian government under the provisions of the ''South Australian Country Arts Trust Act (1992)'', for the purpose of delivering arts to regional South Australia. Responsibility for ...

, corporate sponsors through

advertising Advertising is the practice and techniques employed to bring attention to a Product (business), product or Service (economics), service. Advertising aims to present a product or service in terms of utility, advantages, and qualities of int ...

, and members' subscriptions and donations.

People

In February 2024 Laura Kroetsch, who directed

Adelaide Writers' Week Adelaide Writers' Week, known locally as Writers' Week or WW, is a large and mostly free literary festival held annually in Adelaide, the capital of South Australia. It forms part of the Adelaide Festival of Arts, where attendees meet, listen, an ...

from 2011 to 2018, was appointed CEO by the chair, Tanya Wilkins.

Events and programmes

The South Australian Writers' Centre co-hosted the biennial South Australian Writers' Festival (2001–2011), renamed the South Australian Readers' and Writers' Festival (2013–2015) with the

City of Onkaparinga The City of Onkaparinga () is a local government area (LGA) located on the southern fringe of Adelaide, South Australia. It is named after the Onkaparinga River, whose name comes from ''Ngangkiparinga'', a Kaurna word meaning women's river. It ...

. The

City of Salisbury The City of Salisbury is a local government area (LGA) located in the northern suburbs of Adelaide, South Australia. Its neighbours are the City of Playford, City of Tea Tree Gully and City of Port Adelaide Enfield. Encompassing an area of ...

, the SA Writers' Centre and the Salisbury Library Service have co-hosted the Salisbury Writers' Festival since 2005. From May 2014 until December 2016, Writers SA ran a blog curated by an Australian writer, rotating every few months, known as the Writer in Residence. In 2018, the Writers and Readers in Residence Project was launched "in which South Australian and international writers undertake an artistic residency in regional communities to activate reading as well as writing in the town". With funding assistance from the

through the

Australia Council for the Arts Creative Australia, formerly known as the Australia Council for the Arts and the Australia Council, is the country's official arts council, serving as an arts funding and advisory body for the Government of Australia. The council was announ ...

, the programme was intended to take place from 2018 to 2020. Participating writers included

Bernice Chauly Bernice Chauly (born 1968, Georgetown, Penang) is a Malaysian writer, poet, educator, festival director, actor, photographer and filmmaker. Biography Born to a Chindian teacher couple, she read Education and English Literature at the Universi ...

, Jane Howard,

Karen Wyld K. A. Ren Wyld, also known as Ren Wyld, and formerly Karen Wyld, is an Aboriginal Australian writer of fiction, non-fiction, and poetry. She is known for her 2020 novel, ''Where the Fruit Falls'', and her 2021 non-fiction picture book for childr ...

, and Manal Younus in 2018, and Alexis West,

Whiti Hereaka Whiti Hereaka (born 1978) is a New Zealand playwright, novelist and screenwriter and a barrister and solicitor. She has held a number of writing residencies and appeared at literary festivals in New Zealand and overseas, and several of her books ...

, Royce Kurmelovs, and Jennifer Mills in 2019.

Publications

*''Southern Write'', formerly ''S.A.W.C.: Newsletter of the South Australian Writers' Centre'', or ''Writers' Centre Newsletter'' (February 1997-September 1997), was produced monthly from December 2003 until February 2012 and then quarterly until June 2014.

References

External links

*{{official, https://writerssa.org.au 1985 establishments in Australia Culture of Adelaide Australian writers' organisations Australian literature