About
Mission Statement
To see North Queensland and in particular, Townsville, recognised as a vibrant hub of writing activity and creativity, by advancing writing and publishing opportunities in Queensland, for both emerging and established writers.
About the TWPC
The Townsville Writers and Publishers Centre is a resilient, accessible not-for-profit organisation sustained by our people, place and partners, and programs of creative writing practice and collaborations.
Our Values
· People
o Number of emerging and established writers
o TWPC members and their support
o Hard working volunteers
o Passion for literature and the creative arts
· Place
o In a vibrant region of North Queensland with unique locals and visitors
o Place of historical relevance
o A creative community
· Partners
o Community, in particular businesses and volunteers
o Collaborations with local artists and writers
o Financial supporters and investors – government sponsors and donors
· Programs
o Local and financially accessible activities
o Quality workshops
o Stretching the boundaries of the imagination
o Engage communities to expand literacy
Vision
We will achieve our mission by:
· Providing opportunities for emerging and beginner writers to develop their craft and knowledge of writing.
· Enhancing member service to retain and grow our membership base.
· Promoting writing across North Queensland, particularly in the Townsville region.
· Strengthening creative partnership opportunities with practitioners of a variety of creative art forms to grow the literary industry in the region.
· Provide effective governance and sustainable financial management of TWPC.
The TWPC presents an annual program that includes:
· Opportunities for adults, catering for a range of genres and interests.
o All Genre meeting (for writers of any genre, evening meeting)
o Kids Literature (For both illustrators and writers of kids’ literature).
o Popular Fiction (Romance, YA, thrillers, crime).
o Speculative Fiction (Speculative fiction, fantasy, sci-fi, horror).
o Words Into Writing (all genre daytime meeting)
· Annual Writers Retreat
· Workshops run by the TWPC, Queensland Writers Centre, Australian Writers Centre, and other reputable hosts.
· Literary dinners for Queensland Writers Centre presenters
We support the literary community by:
Supporting and promoting:
· Regional writing groups, literacy awards and festivals including:
o the Townsville CityLibraries Short Story Competition,
o Townsville City Council's Our Townsville and Beach Day Out events,
o the Colin Roderick Award and The Foundation for Australian Literary Studies (FALS).
· Supporting Townsville City Council and other community organisations to deliver services.
· Providing workshops to local schools and other community organisations.
· Providing resources, including the Human Writes newsletter and online guides.
The Team
Anita Berry
President
Anita is a proliferate writer across a range of genres. At present she is focusing on poetry and short stories with a focus on fantasy. Her one act play, A Question of Time, was performed by the then Tropic Sun company and she's had poetry and short stories published in anthologies. Anita has also self published two small anthologies. She was formerly the president of WITS and is now a highly valued TWPC board member.
Lynn Scott-Cumming
Secretary
Lynn Scott-Cumming is a visual artist and writer with 35 years’ experience. Lynn writes fantasy novels and likes to ‘paint with words’, bringing to life characters and scenes by using words for the sheer joy of them. She has a Master of Creative Arts from James Cook University.
Ernie Bunt
Treasurer
Our mysterious treasurer. He's a fantastic volunteer from Volunteers North Queensland who has absolutely no interest in writing but earnestly wants to help such a great organisation. We wouldn't be here without his hard work and dedication.
You can visit the VNQ website here.
Alyson Walton
Board Member & Facilitator
Alyson Walton has been a member of the TWPC for many years. Although she has always been writing, her passion ignited when working at a small mining town newspaper where she had the opportunity to write a regular soapbox column. Alyson has written several novels and novellas, but it wasn’t until last year she published her first novel, a fantasy, Black Blood and Stone. She is also the host for the QWC Writing Saturday held at the Riverway Library and will be a guest facilitator for the All Genre group during the year.
Phil Heang
Board Member
Phil Heang has been on committees for the past twenty-five years. You’d think he’d learn not to scratch his head when they say, ‘Who wants to be on committee?’
He loves poetry. This started in grade two with an eisteddfod performance, about a giraffe. ‘Two little horns will be perched like fawns, at the very tip top, where he comes to a stop.’
He’s self-published a book of poems, Just Some Poems thanks to encouragement from Anita Berry and Lynn Scott-Cumming. He is presently writing about larger-than-life characters met during his working life.
Linda Wright
Board Member & Facilitator
I grew up in the African bushveld surrounded by storytellers which forged my love for children's literature. We immigrated to Australia and settled here in Townsville in 1992.
I have two short stories published in the Creative Kids Anthology and another was awarded a highly commended. I have self-published a picture book and am currently working on a YA novel.
I am excited to be a part of the TWPC committee and facilitator for the Kids Lit Group. Most days you'll find me sitting in the shade of a mango tree surrounded by five kids, three dogs and an untidy house where I conjure stories from my bowl of life.
Rosa Christian
Board Member & Facilitator
Rosa is an Australian living in northern Queensland, though she has lived in many countries for periods varying from 6 months to 3 years.
Poetry was Rosa’s introduction to writing and her first steps were with Bush Poetry under the guidance of Melanie Hall. This was a great base from which she branched out into free verse.
She gained her Master of Arts from James Cook University in 2012, where she was mentored by Professor Lindsay Simpson. Rosa is now writing novels (Crime novels as Percy Rose, children’s as RosieO’Grady, and all other writings as herself.)
When not writing Rosa can be found in the garage splashing paint, or on the beach walking her dog, Sinbad.