Minutes Tuesday, 18 February 2020, 10.30 pm start – noon Campbelltown Library (HJ Daley) 1 Hurley St, Campbelltown
1. Welcomed We were welcomed by Melissa Arriola. Library tours took place after the meeting
2. Attendance: Melissa Arriola Campbelltown Michael Campbell WestWords Jessica Bruce Liverpool Bernadette Fleet Camden James Roy WestWords Amanda Gitzel Parramatta Suzanne Micallef Parramatta Margaret Redrup-May Blacktown
3. Apologies Joanne Russo Hawkesbury Sonia Ward Hawkesbury Kirsty Plumridge Cumberland Laurence McDonnell Blacktown Vicki Edmunds Blue Mountains
4. ACTIONS from previous minutes Placing material on the WestWords webpage Michael showed us the page Only Liverpool has sent the material to WestWords Here is an opportunity to advertise your events
ACTION: Everyone Send information to Michael@WestWords.com.au
Michael needs This is Liverpool information and also the blurb and details of events
ACTION: Amanda Send Michael hires copy of WestLit Libraries logo
Western Sydney Illustrators Exhibition – to tour across Western Sydney, sister cities and beyond. This is in the process of looking for sponsorship. The initial lead has dried up but Michael is always on the lookout for appropriate leads.
IFLA and WestWords ACTION: Margaret to do an email introduction to Jan Richards to Michael
All members to search for grants
Current Grants
Catherine du Peloux Menagé’s Sydney Crime Festival listy of authors was sent out to whole committee ACTION Everyone Follow up with Catherine for these authors if they are required
5. Library reports Parramatta New building for Parramatta on paper Arthur Phillip High no libraries but they can use the public library (Example of cost shifting) WSU author talk in April Riverside Candice Fox in May Podcast at Wentworth Point Fortnightly Launched for Library Lovers Day Youth Write Competition Could be a joint event for 2021
Blacktown Mobile Library on the road Lots of self published authors approaching us and so we are developing a form to be our filter Summer Reading Program has had a growth in the number of people being involved Margaret Read McDonald is coming to Australia in June and we will be running a professional development day for library staff We will be running a poetry slam in August with WordTravels and WestWords
Camden New Website Local author in March April Scfi April running a workshop Write for Yourself a guide to self publishing Have an ongoing relationship with Rockpool and Penguin Random House How can we reach different audiences
James Writers’ Rooms in Blacktown and Katoomba Is doing fortnightly podcast for WestWords Monthly meeting at Avalon Cocktail Bar Hemingway’s Polydactyl Kitten Club and Speakeasy
Working with some schools like The Ponds High, finding it hard to crack into primary schools Now have a pop up recording suite Running first masterclass at Blacktown Museum Discovery Centre approached him to run stimulus writing workshops and have employed Deb Abela to do this
Liverpool Summer Reading Program have introduced an activity booklet Seniors festival working on “Touching Stories” in hospices and to display in library on what is loss and grieving and death Arabic groups International Women’s Day having Christine Sykes for Dress for success and a high tea
Campbelltown Involved in Sydney Writers Festival Embargoed until March Having some Crime writers Cricketing stories and actually playing cricket Summer Reading Program was simplified and getting more numbers 2020 Bicentennial project
6. WestWords report Launch of WestWords’ podcast ACTION: Everyone Every library promote the podcast as broadly as possible
Developing a Western Sydney Festival (Like the Children’s festival we had in October with SWF) Michael has been approaching a number of publishing houses and we could do joint projects but he needs to have information to assist in his selling
ACTION: Everyone URGENT Send Michael What can your library do the make the author events work Venue sizes Can you guarantee audiences EG We have # schools in the local area and we have a healthy relationship with # of them Do we want to bus them into the library or is it about a road trip around to the schools How much time do you need to arrange this Do you have a friendly book seller
We talked about if we have it all ready for schools the more interested they would be Order forms, how much books cost
ACTION: Everyone Share your to do lists for author visits Send to Margaret for compiling
CreateNSW is working on Multiyear funding for next 4 years, so working on many plans Successful grants are now project based. Michael happy to listen to your ideas, you will need to look at social impact and demonstrate that impact and getting the data to prove it
WestWords has a pathway of opportunity; moving from school based programs to having stepping stones assisting authors to move from a want to being on the professional track with mentorship
Number of exhibitions are available from WestWords
ACTION: Everyone Please promote the Blake Poetry Prize
Celebration of Writing 21 March Panels and lively discussion ACTION: Everyone Please advertise to your networks
ACTION: Everyone How do we reach different audiences Who are we reaching Working with local history groups Working with the ATSI community
What is our role with the Laureate’s plan of reading for life
7. Committee Priorities and purpose 1. Brand recognition 2. Webpage 3. Joint programming What is our role?
8. Other Business Joint plans for 2021 YouthWrite competition across western Sydney for Youth Week 12-25 years 1 April to 30 April Three controversial topics 4-600 words 2020 • Mental Health • Employment • Climate Change For ours create a book
ACTION: Amanda Share terms and conditions for each partner to check with governance ACTION: Everyone Think about themes (refer to Triple J Youth Survey)
9. Close meeting 12:30
10. Next meeting - 2020 schedule Third Tuesday of fourth month
Locations: 16 June WestWords 20 October Hawkesbury