Talented young writers will share the work they created during residencies around Launceston at Junction Arts Festival.
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The six Northern Tasmanians won the Young Writers in the City residencies through a Tasmanian Writers’ Centre competition.
Seventeen-year-old YaYa Mackeddie spent four hours a week at City Park over a month, drawing inspiration for three short stories exploring “life lessons from City Park”.
She would approach people in the park and quiz them about their connection and experience with the iconic Launceston space.
“In the end I got quite a few people to talk to me from all different age groups,” Miss Mackeddie said.
“I’d definitely recommend [the program] to anyone who’s looking forward to doing it next year.
“In terms of shedding light on Launceston’s attractions …. it’s inspired everyone to be more creative about it.”
Miss Mackeddie said the experience forced her to consider portraying a setting rather than a character to her readers.
“Usually when I write, it’s so character-focused and plot-driven,” she said.
Tasmanian Writers’ Centre Twitch Young Writers’ Program coordinator Claire McCarthy said the program had been a “total success”.
“The residents are all delightful people … their writing provides insight to the places they were stationed and their individual experiences of Launceston,” Mrs McCarthy said.
“They demonstrated a huge amount of enthusiasm, pep and initiative as writer-advocates for City of Launceston and the TWC.
“Grace, YaYa, Eloise, Tessa, Claudia and Jasper have produced a wonderful collection of prose and poetry between them.”
Mrs McCarthy said the TWC was planning to run residency programs in Glenorchy and Devonport municipalities in 2017, and would love to roll out the program in Launceston again.
The Young Writers in the City participants will read extracts of their work at a free one-hour event at 1pm on Sunday, September 11, at the Soapbox at Prince’s Square.
