Writers' Groups

I once thought I’d go check out a local writers’ group. I discovered they ran a prize and a publication called ZineWest. The year was 2015. Luke Carman was the judge.

 I realised I preferred solitude and didn’t want to be in a group. I did, however, ask Luke about publishing novellas and short stories, and we had a brief chat.

 I submitted Cigarettes and Smoke, the first piece in The House of Youssef. It won 2nd prize.

 The next year I submitted Unit 101. It won 1st prize, which was four hundred dollars.

 The following year (2017), I submitted The House of Youssef. It was included in the ZineWest publication but there was no prize.

 I decided I should seek my fortunes elsewhere by compiling the pieces I had written about Lebanese migrants in the local community.

 I sent the stories a few places. I included Giramondo because they sponsored ZineWest. There was no reason beyond that.

 I received an email a few months later. It was the second such email, and I hadn’t even seen the first one asking if I was up for a chat.

 In that conversation with Ivor Indyk and Nick Tapper in July 2018, I found out they were interested in my stories, but what I had submitted – Motherland, the first part of The House of Youssef – was too short on its own.

 Did I have any other stories?

 I didn’t tell Nick and Ivor that there were four boxes of stories at home.

 Roughly, that is how The House of Youssef came to have four parts.

 I set this story down to give people hope.

 I did not know any writers, let alone published ones, or anyone who could be considered inside.

 I set this story down also to thank Sue Crawford and Carol Amos of the NEW Writers’ Group who run ZineWest, as well as to thank Luke Carman, Ivor Indyk, Nick Tapper and Giramondo who gave me my start.

 In a different style, I wrote about the Parramatta set in the essay Three Ropes to Mars.