–NORTHERN BEACHES WRITERS’ GROUP–
The members of the Northern Beaches Writers’ Group are on a writing journey. Some of us seek publication, some of us republication, some seek awards, some seek merely to improve their writing skills. This forum displays our most recent writing achievements. Woot woot – all hear us, woot!
Image: Sonja K. Goernitz
–2013–
April
Finally, the official launch of Sue Steggall’s biography of art historian Joan Kerr A Most Generous Scholar. Congratulations, Sue, we’re all very excited to see your hard work in print!!
March
Zoya Nojin’s short story The Royal Link was published in the autumn edition Alphabet Soup Magazine and her story even inspired the illustration on the front cover. Go, Zoya!
Tony McFadden’s 8th ebook Unprotected Sax was released. Yay, Tony! Thanks for letting us help you with your polishing 
Two of Judy O’Connor’s stories – Full Circle and World View – made it to the long list of the 2013 Fish Short Memoir Competition, an annual international competition based in Ireland that attracted over 800 entries. This is the second year two of her stories (different ones) have been selected. Well done, Judy!!
Zena Shapter ranked semi-finalist in the internationally prestigious Writers of the Future contest (for this year’s 1st Quarter)! Well done, Zena!
February
Sue Steggall made it into the Manly Daily today, talking about her biography of art historian Joan Kerr A Most Generous Scholar. Good publicity, Sue!
January
Fantastic news too for Judy O’Connor, whose story Visit To Malcolm’s Father was shortlisted in the Margaret River Writers Short Story Competition. Judy’s story will be included in the competition’s anthology later this year.
Yay, Margaret Swan – her novel-length manuscript Love and Madness just scored second place in the historical romance category of the US competition Hold me, thrill me, organised by the Southwest Florida Romance Writers. Well done, Margaret!
–2012–
December
Congratulations Judy O’Connor, whose story Breathalyser received a commendation from the FAW North Shore Super Short Story Competition. Yay! Well done, Judy.
November
Well done, Zoya, for winning 2nd prize in the 10th Kathleen Julia Bates Memorial short story competition. Zoya is also now featured on the Creative Kids Tales website as an emerging author!
October
Fabulous news for Margaret Swan! Her novel-length manuscript Love and Madness has just been shortlisted in the historical romance category of the US competition Hold me, thrill me, organised by the Southwest Florida Romance Writers. Well done, finalist-Margaret! Fingers crossed for a win!
September
Zena Shapter won first place in the Fellowship of Australian Writers 2012 Manly & Peninsula short story competition. It’s the third year in a row she’s won first place. She also received an Honourable Mention in the prestigious Writers of the Future contest. Congratulations, Zena!
We’re going to be on the radio! Following on from Zena Shapter’s fascinating radio interview last month, we’ve now all been asked to critique a piece of writing… on air! So why not listen in to “Ringside“, the weekly radio show about all things written with Robert Salisbury, on Sunday 9th September, 10am, on Radio Northern Beaches: 87.7fm or 90.3fm, or stream it live via www.rnb.org.au/stream. Contact Zena if you’d like to read the story we review. Why not read it before the show and see if you agree with our critique?!
August
Zoya Nojin’s story Mud Day just won the Runner-Up prize in the Kids Book Review Unpublished Picture Book Award. Yay, Zoya!
Zena Shapter was interviewed on Radio Northern Beaches this month, talking about her writing! Congratulations, Zena – we’re sure it’s the first of many! She also won first place in the 2012 Oberon Writing Competition. Well done!
July
Zoya Nojin’s short stories The Best House and To Be An Archer were published in The School Magazine. Fantastic news, Zoya!
June
Tina Faulk’s play “Will Alice Go To Heaven” was performed this month – with not a spare seat in the house! Congratulations, Tina!
Liz Ottosson’s short story My Dad. What Might Have Been was published in The Hoopla online magazine. It went in their newsletter and was on the website front page. Her short story Homecoming was also shortlisted for the Pittwater Short Story Award. Congratulations, Liz!
Zena Shapter was interviewed as part of the 2012 Australian speculative fiction snapshot! The snapshot is a series of interviews designed to celebrate the breadth and depth of Australia’s speculative fiction scene. What an honour, Zena! Her short story Finding My Way was also shortlisted for the Pittwater Short Story Award.
May
Zena Shapter’s two short stories Made and Invisible Dirt were accepted for publication in two international anthologies – one in the UK and one in the US. She also appeared on Ebon Shores’ Wednesday Writers, talking about her writing journey! Well done, Zena.
April
Judith O’Connor’s two stories Dad on Coogee Beach and Vasectomy were long listed in the 2012 International Fish Short Story Competition. Congratulations, Judith!
Zena Shapter’s short story A Dragon’s Back was published in Parenting Express. Congratulations, Zena!
Sue Steggall’s letter Kerr the Contextualist (a response to ‘Crossing Cultures: A New Orthodoxy for Australian Art’, by Andrew Sayers of The Cambridge Companion to Australian Art, ed Jaynie Anderson, 2011) was published in the Australian Book Review. Very impressive, Sue! Her article Alpine Beach: My French Connection was also published in Mystery Readers Journal (Volume 28, No.1, Spring 2012, 58-59, Mysteries Set in France issue)! You’re on a roll, Sue!
March
Sue Raines taught a five-day course in creative writing at the University of the 3rd Age. Your students were lucky to have you, Sue!
February
Zoya Nojin’s short story Clever Mr Sato was published in Alphabet Soup Magazine. Go, Zoya!
Zena Shapter’s writing was studied at University! Her mini-story The Voice was selected by UTS Chancellor’s scholarship recipient Jessica Frawley for study in her thesis on how increasingly visual and multimodal the semiotic landscape is becoming. Wow!
January
Zoya Nojin’s super short story Facebook Friend was accepted for publication in the Short and Twisted 2012 anthology by Celepene Press. Congratulations, Zoya!
Zena Shapter won a Versatile Blogger Award for her “blogging contribution to writing, including help and good advice for writers”. Read her blog here! Her ‘member story’ was also published in the New South Wales Writers’ Centre enews. Well done, Zena!
–2011–
December
Zoya Nojin won 2nd Prize in the Spooky But True Warrambucca Books Short Story Competition, with her short story The Charred Chimney. Congratulations, Zoya!
Sonja Stagebuch launched her book Writing, Publishing and Marketing your Own Book at the Manly Wharf Hotel. Yay – well done, Sonja! Further copies can be purchased here.
November
Zoya Nojin’s poem A Lively Lunch Time Bunch was published in the Jelli-Beanz annual anthology Packed Lunch. Well done, Zoya!
October
Zena Shapter’s short story From Here to There was just commended as a ‘special entry’ at Conflux 7. Her mini-story The Voice was also epublished by mStories on their website. Enjoy it here!
Sue Steggall just heard that her biography Joan Kerr in Context: a Biography will be published later this year by Let Her Rip Press (South Australia). That’s amazing news, Sue!
September
Zoya Nojin won 2nd Prize in the Gold Coast Writers short story competition, with her short story Ruby Orange and the Yowie. How exciting!
Zena Shapter – winner!!!! Of the Fellowship of Australian Writers Manly & Peninsula Short Story Competition, first place with her short story Portrait of a Model. Yippee! Her short story Trigger was also published in the anthology Winds of Change (Canberra Speculative Fiction Guild, 2011). Woot, woot!
August
Zoya Nojin – winner!!!! Of an ASA Mentorship for her junior fiction novel The Medal, the Ghost and the Firestone. Read more about her win here. We’re very proud of you, Zoya
Zena Shapter – winner!!!! Of the Oberon Writing Competition, first place with her short story Invisible Dirt. Yay!
Sue Steggall was asked to judge – yes, judge – the Fellowship of Australian Writers Manly & Peninsula Article Competition. Go, Sue!
July
Zena Shapter won a highly commended award in the Stringybark Speculative Fiction Competition for her short story Breakthrough now published in the anthology A Visit From The Duchess (Stringybark Publishing, 2011).
June
Zoya Nojin won a highly commended award in the Stringybark Flash Fiction Competition for her flash fiction A Life Worth Living now published in the anthology Between Heaven and Hell (Stringybark Publishing, 2011).
Sue Steggall’s article Tradition and its Transformation: Joan Kerr, Housewife to Historian was published in the Journal of Art Historiography (Number 4, 2011). Well done, Sue!
May
Zoya Nojin won a highly commended award in the Nairda Lyne Short Story Award, for her short story Gyfu. Well done, Zoya!
April
Sue Steggall was the convenor of the “Turning Fact into Fiction” workshop held at the Society of Women Writers. Well done, Sue!
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