OOTA Creative Writing

We are pleased to announce that Dr. Bruce Russell’s prose writing classes will continue this year.

The classes will be held on the first Friday of each month, between 10am too 12pm, at Mattie Furphy House, Clare Copse, Swanbourne.

Class Dates: 2 February, 1 March, 5 April, 3 May, 7 June, 5 July, 2 August, 6 September, 4 October and 1 November.

Cost per session: $25 for OOTA members, $30 for non-members payable in cash at each session.

Bruce is planning an exciting program to stimulate and support your writing.

The overall goal of Bruce’s classes this year will be to build confidence is creating works that fit the forms of the traditional short story (1,000 – 3000 words), the essay or literary non-fiction. Longer forms, such as the memoir, novella and the novel will also be considered. The classes will begin with the study of extracts from published works written by masters of these forms. What makes these stories “work”? What draws us in, what makes us want to read to the end?

As in the past two years, Bruce will encourage new writing by setting short tasks in each class. Critiques will go beyond “I like it/don’t like it” to explore the above questions: what draws us in, what makes us want to read to the end … and further questions such as the role of research and the nuts and bolts of fiction: plot, character, voice, point of view, sentences, dialogue.

As the term progresses and some participants embark on the adventure of longer works, readings and discussion about the challenges of creative writing will continue, with particular emphasis on useful feedback.

Bruce Russell Is an award-winning novelist with many years of experience in teaching, mentoring and coaching people who want to write fiction and creative non-fiction.

His first published story, Dire Straits Rules, was picked up by the late Frank Moorhouse for his anthology Fictions 88. In the mid-nineties, Bruce’s first novel, Jacob’s Air, won the T.A.G. Hungerford Award and was published by Fremantle Arts Centre Press. He then published two more novels with the Press and a fourth with Vivid Publishing.

Bruce has a doctorate in Creative Writing from the University of Queensland and has done sessional work for three of Perth’s universities. Two of his novels have been short-listed for the WA Premier’s Book Awards. He has published two business biographies written on commission and ghost wrote early versions of Diamonds and Dust, by Sheryl McCorry. He has appeared as an invited guest at writers’ festivals in three states and for ten years chaired sessions at the Perth International Writers’ Festival.

Since moving to Mount Lawley in 2018 he has been leading a community writing class for the City of Bayswater.

LITERARY EVENTS 2023

We are also pleased to announce that our Literary Fridays will continue in 2024 on the third Friday of each month between 10am and 12pm in the Seed Room at the Fremantle Arts Centre.

The next event will be on Friday 21 June, featuring poetry readings and discussion with OOTA poets Rita Tognini and Jan Napier.

These sessions are for OOTA members only and a contribution of $5 towards the cost of the room hire will be payable in cash on the day. RSVP to ootawriters@gmail.com if you intend to attend.