Writing with Your Own Voice – EOI closed

Trans, Gender Diverse, and Intersex Creative Writing Workshops

A Gender Agenda is hosting a series of eight free creative writing workshops for new and emerging Trans, Gender Diverse, and Intersex writers of all ages from ACT and surrounds! These workshops will guide attendees through the writing basics, writing from lived experience, and how to write a short story; every final short story will then be published in a very first AGA Anthology!

So what do you get out of it?

Our creative space supports and welcomes every attendee to explore your lived experience through creative writing, and engage with peer based social support and community building.

Our staff and facilitator all come from lived experience within the LGBTIQA+ community. AGA staff also offer one on one peer support to discuss any tough topics for attendees during the workshops, encouraging you to explore your chosen topics in a safe and affirming way and share your stories while protecting yourself.

At the culmination of the workshops, each attendee will have the opportunity to publish your work in an Anthology, which can also be accessed for free by the larger community. Each story published in the final anthology will be offered a rate of $100.00 for publication, but there is no pressure to publish a final piece if you do not wish to. This will be a unique opportunity for our community, who are often unable to tell our own stories and are underrepresented in media, and to be given the tools to write works with your own creative voice with the assistance of AGA.

Our Facilitator:

Alex Henderson teaches creative writing and literary studies at the University of Canberra, where they are completing a PhD on queer representation in young adult fiction. Their short stories have been accepted into literary magazines such as SWAMP and EnbyLife, and appear in several of UC’s annual anthologies. Way back in 2012 they were a finalist in the Sydney Morning Herald’s Young Writer of the Year competition. You can also find their work as an essayist and editor around the web and follow them on Twitter @TheAfictionado.

The Workshops

The workshops are hosted at AGA House throughout August and September on a Thursday or Friday. Each workshop will be delivered over 1.5 hours and will include flash fiction activities and exercises, theory presentations, snack breaks (snacks and drinks on us!), and working time/feedback on the final short stories.

	Date	Time	Theme
Workshop 1	4/8/22	4-5:30pm	Character, Narration, and Voice
Workshop 2	11/8/22	4-5:30pm	Atmosphere and Tone
Workshop 3	19/8/22	4-5:30pm	Genre Writing
Workshop 4	26/8/22	4-5:30pm	Writing from Lived Experience
Workshop 5	1/9/22	4-5:30pm	Plotting and pacing
Workshop 6	8/9/22	4-5:30pm	Short story 101 and starting the final story
Workshop 7	16/9/22	4-5:30pm	Editing 101
Workshop 8	30/9/22	4-5:30pm	Bring in the potential short story

*workshop theme may change or move

FAQ:

Who can attend these workshops?

Anyone is welcome to submit an EOI if you:

Identify as Transgender, Gender Diverse or Nonbinary, and/or are Intersex.
Live in the ACT or Surrounds – we define the surrounds as being any town close to the ACT such as Murrumbateman, Yass, Queanbeyan, Cooma, Goulbourne etc.
Can attend AT LEAST 6 of the 8 workshops. (We prefer for each attendee to attend all the workshops, but understand that you may be unable to.)
Are a new or emerging writer.

How do you define a new or emerging writer?

We define a new or emerging writer by publishing experience, rather than age. Our qualification is that any attendee has not yet published a novel-length work (not including short story collections) by a major publisher at the time of these workshops.

What do I need to bring?

You are welcome to bring your own writing implements and/or digital device. We will be supplying writing supplies (pens, pencils, paper etc.). You are also welcome to borrow reading inspiration from our small community library during the workshops.

If you have any questions or concerns about this workshop series, or your expression of interest, please contact us at support@genderrights.org.au or call us on 6162 1924.

This project is supported by ArtsACT and the ACT Government.