Renmark to host launch for young writers and creatives
The latest edition of a national literary journal featuring new writing and art by young Australians will be launched in the Riverland next week.
Megan Koch will be reading at the launch of the "Grain" Voiceworks issue in Renmark.
Voiceworks magazine and Express Media are collaborating with Writers SA to launch “Grain” – the 128th Issue of the magazine.
The magazine will feature the works of eight young South Australian artists and writers, along with 18 other contributors – including writers, artists, designers, illustrators and editors – from across Australia.
The launch will take place on Friday December 9 from 7pm at the Chaffey Theatre in Remark and will be simultaneously live-streamed through the Express Media and Writers SA YouTube accounts.
Based in Victoria, Voiceworks is a national literary journal that features the literary and artistic works of Australians under the age of 25.
Over three decades, Voiceworks has provided development and publication opportunities for writers and editors across Australia with notable alumni including Ben Law, Anna Krien, Christos Tsiolkas, Bhakthi Puvanenthiran, Tom Doig, Ellen van Neerven and Lili Wilkinson.
Voiceworks editor Zowie Douglas-Kinghorn said she was launching this issue in Renmark because she was interested in “reaching out to different states [and] expanding opportunities around the country”.
Douglas-Kinghorn said she also wanted “[to] bring the event to a palace where there are a lot of regional writers and where Writers SA has worked before” and was helped by the Federal Government’s Restart Investment to Sustain and Expand (RISE) fund for Renmark.
Douglas-Kinghorn said the issue showcased the works of South Australia’s youth.
“The arts and literature are naturally dominated by older people,” Douglas-Kinghorn said
“[Voiceworks seeks to provide] a platform for young people to have an entry point into writing and publishing.”
Besides writing, the “Grain” issue also features young South Australian artists, including cover design by 19-year-old Tyberius Larking, illustration by 25-year-old Emma Hough Hobbs and visual art by 24-year-old Mia Guerrieri and 22-year-old Dean Plesa.
Adelaide contributor Helen Karakulak said the launch will help the creative voices of South Australia’s youth to be heard and valued. The 23-year-old will speak at the launch about the editorial processes at Voiceworks and her experience as a young writer in South Australia.
“It’s an opportunity to connect with like-minded people who are interested in literature and writing in South Australia,” she said.
Other South Australian writers will also perform their work at the Renmark launch, including 23-year-old Sudhashree Somers, whose essay ‘Ableism at Work’ comments on the inaccessibility of employment schemes for autistic people, and 23-year-old j.s.n’s short story “We Are the Tide”, detailing a post-apocalyptic future through the narrative of two lovers on a beach
“Tonsil Jar”, a short fiction foray into friendship and formaldehyde at a music festival by InReview contributor Megan Koch, will also be performed.
Douglas-Kinghorn said the issue’s name, “Grain”, was the most popular theme selected by the Voiceworks committee.
“We thought it worked with the seasonal vibe of spring and summer, combined with the regional image of the grains,” she said.
The launch will be co-presented with Writers SA’s “No Limits: Young Regional Writers” program which supports coordinators in regional SA locations, including the Riverland, Eyre Peninsula and Limestone Coast.
“The goal after this event is to see more works from young South Australian writers and artists. We want to grow these opportunities and provide a national audience for this regional voice,” Douglas-Kinghorn said.
