Year of Poetry and Year of the Novella
Our Year of Poetry and Year of the Novella programs invite students who want to stretch their writing muscles to spend an entire year writing either a collection of poetry or a novella.
In weekly after-school sessions with our dedicated storytellers, and with visits from professional authors, these young people work through all the stages of writing – from idea generation, to developing writing plans, problem solving, working through writer’s block, editing and completing a major piece of writing.
At the end of the year students work with professional editors to get their work ready for publication, and we celebrate their achievements with a launch. Family and friends are all invited.
We are incredibly proud of this program and the students who continually amaze us with their incredible imagination and perspective.
Like all of our writing workshops, Year of Poetry and Year of the Novella are provided free of charge to students who come from communities that may be under-resourced, for whom English may be an additional language or dialect, are Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander, or otherwise do not have access to programs like this one.
Congratulations and Thank You!
Congratulations to our 2020 graduates, and thank you to all our supporters whose support makes this program possible.
Thank you also to Aamina, who provided this behind-the-scenes glimpse into the program!
Past Alumni
All of our students create something special in the course of their year of writing, with some going on to achieve wider recognition.
Vivian Pham wrote an early version of ‘The Coconut Children’ as part of Year of the Novella which has since gone on to be published with Penguin Random House and is shortlisted for the Victorian Premier’s Literary Award for Fiction.
Duy Quang Mai’s poetry has been recognised internationally and published in many literary journals.
You can buy their writing through our bookstore.
Buy the Books
You can buy the work of all our students from Year of Poetry and Year of the Novella.
Many of our publications from 2020 are already sold out but order today for our first reprint in early 2021.
Interested in getting involved?
If you’re a teacher with students who might benefit from participation in these programs, or if you’re a student who loves to write, get in touch and tell us about yourself!
We can continue to offer programs like this through the generous support of our community. If you’d like to make a donation towards this program, just click the link below. And thank you!