About
Mission Statement
To see North Queensland and in particular, Townsville, recognised as a vibrant hub of writing activity and creativity, by advancing writing and publishing opportunities in Queensland, for both emerging and established writers.
About the TWPC
The Townsville Writers and Publishers Centre is a resilient, accessible not-for-profit organisation sustained by our people, place and partners, and programs of creative writing practice and collaborations.
Our Values
· People
o Number of emerging and established writers
o TWPC members and their support
o Hard working volunteers
o Passion for literature and the creative arts
· Place
o In a vibrant region of North Queensland with unique locals and visitors
o Place of historical relevance
o A creative community
· Partners
o Community, in particular businesses and volunteers
o Collaborations with local artists and writers
o Financial supporters and investors – government sponsors and donors
· Programs
o Local and financially accessible activities
o Quality workshops
o Stretching the boundaries of the imagination
o Engage communities to expand literacy
Vision
We will achieve our mission by:
· Providing opportunities for emerging and beginner writers to develop their craft and knowledge of writing.
· Enhancing member service to retain and grow our membership base.
· Promoting writing across North Queensland, particularly in the Townsville region.
· Strengthening creative partnership opportunities with practitioners of a variety of creative art forms to grow the literary industry in the region.
· Provide effective governance and sustainable financial management of TWPC.
The TWPC presents an annual program that includes:
· Opportunities for adults, catering for a range of genres and interests.
o All Genre meeting (for writers of any genre, evening meeting)
o Kids Literature (For both illustrators and writers of kids’ literature).
o Popular Fiction (Romance, YA, thrillers, crime).
o Scriptwriters (Focuses on film & television but also covers plays, radio, and game script writing).
o Speculative Fiction (Speculative fiction, fantasy, Sci-Fi, horror).
o Words Into Writing (all genre daytime meeting)
· Annual Writers Retreat
· Workshops run by the TWPC, Queensland Writers Centre, Australian Writers Centre, and other reputable hosts.
· Literary dinners for Queensland Writers Centre presenters
We support the literary community by:
· Creative supporter of the Biennial Savannah Writers Festival
· Supporting Literacy Awards and Festivals, including the Townsville Eisteddfod, Townsville City Libraries Short Story Competition and Townsville Literacy Festival, Celebrate Townsville, Colin Roderick Award and The Foundation for Australian Literary Studies (FALS), Sydney Writers Festival (with JCU and FALS).
· Supporting Townsville City Council and other community organisations to deliver services.
· Providing resources, including the Human Writes newsletter and online guides.
The Team
Anita Berry
President
Anita is a proliferate writer across a range of genres. At present she is focusing on poetry and short stories with a focus on fantasy. Her one act play , A Question of Time, was performed by the then Tropic Sun company and she's had poetry and short stories published in anthologies that no longer exist, including those published by the now defunct Writers in Townsville Inc. (WITS). Anita has also self published two small anthologies: Starlight and Ashes and Visions of Splendour. Anita was formerly the president of WITS and is now a highly valued TWPC board member.
Lynn Scott-Cumming
Secretary
Lynn Scott-Cumming is a visual artist and writer with 35 years’ experience. Lynn writes fantasy novels and likes to ‘paint with words’, bringing to life characters and scenes by using words for the sheer joy of them. She has a Master of Creative Arts from James Cook University.
Ernie Bunt
Treasurer
Our mysterious treasurer. He's a fantastic volunteer from Volunteers North Queensland who has absolutely no interest in writing but earnestly wants to help such a great organisation. We wouldn't be here without his hard work and dedication.
You can visit the VNQ website here.
Barbara Strickland
Board Member & Facilitator
Barbara is a writer whose varied background provides endless creative material. She is a self-published author of romance with a family saga twist and aware of all the joys and pitfalls of independent publishing. Barbara also enjoys writing Japanese poetry and has had her work published in Australian, New Zealand and Canadian poetry journals. She’s a strong advocate for Australian authors, as her blog, Instagram and Facebook platforms demonstrate and is keen as a TWPC committee member to help rejuvenate the Townsville writing community, a community she believes essential to north Queensland.
Terry Mullins
Board Member & Facilitator
Terry is one of our general board members and the facilitator of our Speculative Fiction Group. He holds a Bachelor of Educational Services, a Bachelor of Arts (History with Honours), and a Master of Arts (Writing). Terry has a long history in mentoring and has spent much of his time working as a tutor for school students and as a learning support tutor at James Cook University.
Jasmine Jarvis
Board Member
Jasmine Jarvis is a published author of speculative fiction short stories and micro fiction. Her stories have been published by Black Hare Press, Little Quail Press, and Nordic Press. She is currently part-way through a Bachelor of Arts degree. Jasmine and her family are glad to be back in Townsville, and she looks forward to being a part of the Townsville Writers & Publishers Centre.