The Writer’s Space Writing Group - Katoomba
A free, 6-week writing program for writers with disability in the Blue Mountains, meeting on Sunday mornings at Katoomba Library.
Dates: Sundays 10.30am-12.30pm, 22 June - 27 July 2025
Venue: Katoomba Library, 30 Parke St, Katoomba NSW 2780
Places: 12 places are available.
Who should apply: This program welcomes writers with disability at all levels of experience, working in any genre.
Facilitated by Fiona Murphy and co-facilitated by former Writer's Space participant Shannon Anima, each session of this free writing course will focus on a different theme – from idea generation to developing compelling characters.
Using writing prompts and exercises, we’ll spend time writing in a fun and supportive environment. We will also chat about the writing life, including submitting work for publication and how to stay motivated!
In the final week, there will be a special Q&A session with a guest writer.
Places are limited to 12 participants.
Notes on building accessibility: Katoomba Library can be accessed via the Coles Car Park located on 34 Park St where there is direct lift access to the library entrance. If you have specific access requirements, please get in touch with wei@varuna.com.au
TESTIMONIALS
“The workshops have helped me in more ways than I could have anticipated. Fiona and Shannon created a truly inclusive and safe space for us to reconnect each week, allowing me to bring my authentic, raw self to every session. Their generosity-with their time, their works in progress, and the resources they shared-was invaluable, as was the support and openness of my classmates. I will miss these weekly sessions, and we all agreed: six weeks at two hours per session flew by too quickly. Though our in-person meetings have ended for now, I will carry forward the vulnerability, spirit, and encouragement we shared in the Writer’s Space and use them to guide my future writing.”
“I’ve walked away from the program feeling really inspired and truly ‘seen’ for the first time. I didn’t think I was ready or good enough to consider publishing before, but now I’m ready to take the next steps and pursue my dreams. And it was incredible to connect with people who understood me on a deeper level, to have conversations about difficult topics or ‘taboo’ things within the realm of being a disabled person navigating life, and overall it was just so incredibly lovely to come together to write with such talented creatives every week!”
ABOUT FIONA MURPHY
Fiona Murphy is an award-winning writer and editor. Her work has appeared in ABC, The Saturday Paper, The Guardian, Big Issue, among many other publications. Her memoir, The Shape of Sound, was highly commended in the 2022 Victorian Premier's Literary Awards.
ABOUT SHANNON ANIMA
Shannon Anima is a psychotherapist and emerging writer. Recent accolades include a Varuna Flagship Fellowship, Varuna Writers Space Fellowship, WestWords Writer-in-Residence, WestWords-Varuna Residency, Dentro la Terra Residency Italy, Ireland Writers’ Residency; shortlist the Deborah Cass Award, the Tasmanian Women’s Fiction Prize, and a Mascara Varuna Residency; longlist the Spark Hardie Grant prize. She has published short stories in Australia and Canada.
This program is generously supported by Blue Mountains Library, Create NSW and the Australian Government Department of Social Services.
FEATURED UPCOMING COURSES, FELLOWSHIPS AND EVENTS:
