Out of the Asylum is an independent organisation which provides a framework for all writers – and new and emerging writers in particular – to develop their creativity and reach audiences through publication or performance. 

OOTA has previously published several anthologies of short fiction and poetry:  November Light, Tidelines and Friday’s Page.  A fourth anthology, developed in 2005, was a collection of poetry, The Weighing of the Heart, edited by Roland Leach, Shane McCauley and Donna Ward.  It has an introduction by John Kinsella and was published by Sunline Press in 2007.  Jukebox, edited by Shane McCauley (poetry) and Susan Midalia (prose) was published in 2013 and contained poetry, prose and creative non-fiction. In 2019 we published Locus, an anthology of prose and poetry inspired by the theme of place. Most recently, in 2022, we published Tempus a collection of prose and poetry inspired by time.

WHAT ELSE HAVE WE DONE?

In 2004 OOTA ran Finishing Line, an intensive mentoring course for emerging writers, funded by ArtsWA and supported by writingWA and the Fremantle Arts Centre.  These workshops took place at the Fremantle Arts Centre.  That year OOTA also spearheaded WA’s activities for National Poetry Week. For several years in Poetry Week we organised the Poetry Wall in conjunction with the State Library of Western Australia.  

In 2005 OOTA ran two projects for members only: a prose competition Spilt Ink and The Poetry Circle, a regular meeting of members to reflect and comment on each other’s poetry.

In 2006 OOTA developed the project Pruning Prose which enabled prose writers to work with an experienced editor and learn how to critique their own, and others’, work.  

A major project for OOTA happened in 2007 when we launched the new literary journal for Western Australian writers – Indigo.  Six volumes in total were published.

In 2017 OOTA launched a mentorship for four young writers. The three-month mentorships provided young writers with a chance to develop their craft through conversation and communication with a published author. Also in 2017, OOTA celebrated its 20th anniversary.

OOTA members have been awarded a number of major literary prizes including: the 2017 Blake Poetry Award, the 2018 Tom Collins Poetry Prize, the 2018 Dorothy Hewitt Award and the 2019 West Australian Premier’s Book Award

We have continued to run our biennial Spilt Ink Prose and Poetry writing competition; our monthly literary events continue at the Fremantle Arts Centre, featuring talks and discussion with well-known writers combined with poetry and/or prose writing activities; our monthly prose classes continue at Mattie Furphy House in Swanbourne, prose and poetry critiquing groups offer support, encouragement and advice to members, and we regularly come together to celebrate the launch of a member’s work.