Find out all your need to know about getting published, who to contact, how to present your work, contracts, agents...the lot. Even if you don't have something ready to go, this two hour session presents the basics for all authors and illustrators:

ASA Getting Published, 6 - 8pm at Orange Friday 17 February in the West Room, next door to Orange City Library, 147 Byng Street, Orange. Refreshments provided. Cost: $15.

Bookings essential - book online at http://www.asauthors.org or call the office on 1800 257 121. Enquiries call the Central West Writers' Centre on 6393 8125. Don't miss this fantastic opportunity to learn from the experts.

A packed Sydney Theatre chose Luka Lesson (pictured) to be Australia's Slam Champion on Sunday 27 November. Two poets from each state and territory bound onto the stage. They poured out their wit, substance and powerful emotions in a competition judged by randomly selected audience members. A crowd of over 400 offered wild screams, applause and people leaping to their feet shouting, "yeah, that's right". Reminder: this is at a poetry event. We heard an 85 year old woman from Launceston discuss her online relationship with a Mr. N. Large Ment, an ode to a female parking inspector, a brilliant assessment by an indigenous woman of issues in Alice Springs, moving rant on the fate of Palestine and two strong pieces from runner-up Nadine Browne, a school teacher from Perth. Congratulations to Luka "Lesson" Haralampou. Australia's Poetry Slam Champion! Check out http://australianpoetryslam.com/ for youtube clips of Poetry Slam performances!

Kangapoo has left his bush camp and has been spotted in Orange City Library. Have you seen him? Local author Sandra Shepherd presents her unique books titled The Tail of Kangapoo, and Up The River with Kangapoo and Possumpoo.

These humorous and whimsical books illustrate the playful spirit and inquisitive nature of its characters. Children can meet Kangapoo (when they find him), have their face painted and get their books signed by the author. The book launch is supported by Boomers Bookstore and ABC Centre.

Join in all the fun with Kangapoo and Sandra Shepherd on Thursday 15 December 5.30pm at Orange City Library, Byng Street, Orange. Bookings essential: Ph: 6393 8132.

The Australian Poetry Slam NSW Final went well with Ted Webber (of Young) from the Forbes heat, performing well on the night. There was a Slam Off for 2nd place between Greg North from Katoomba and Zohab Khan from Wagga Wagga, which made things very exciting! Greg North won the Slam Off and was Runner Up with Chris Wright from Glebe winning the NSW Final! Check out the Australian Poetry Slam Facebook page - http://www.facebook.com/#!/pages/Australian-Poetry-Slam/171818636212729 for pics.

Next is the Australian Poetry Slam 2011- National Final - Write A Revolution! After dozens of heats and finals around the country, with almost 1000 writers performing their words for hungry audiences, the Australian Poetry Slam climaxes at Sydney Theatre. Two of Australia's top wordsmiths from each state and territory take to the Main Stage of Sydney Theatre on Sunday November 27 at 5pm. Tickets are $30 by calling (02) 9250 1999.

Visit the Australian Poetry Slam website for more details: http://australianpoetryslam.com/

Come along to these events at Orange City Library to meet the authors:

Illustrator Freya Blackwood celebrates Look, A Book!

Look, A Book! You never know where it might take you. When two ragamuffins stumble across a book in the dust their world begins to change. The familiar becomes fantastical, the mundane becomes magical, and a fractured community finds a focus. Set in a dreary, underprivileged, contemporary world, Look, A Book! is an exhilarating whirl through the magic of imagination. Come along and celebrate Freya's latest book at a fun event organised and supported by Collins Bookshop. Contact them on 6369 1333 for more information and bookings. Illustrator Freya Blackwood launches Look A Book! Sunday 27 November; 2.30pm, Northcourt, Byng St, Orange.

Local Author Elisabeth Edwards launches A Gentleman of the Inky Way

Local author Elisabeth Edwards' new book A Gentleman of the Inky Way marks the 150th anniversary of newspapers in Orange. The book brings together the articles of veteran Orange journalist Joe Glasson who had an unrivalled knowledge of the people who lived and worked in Orange, the houses they lived in and the development of businesses and organisations in the town. A Gentleman of the Inky Way by Elisabeth Edwards will be launched on Tuesday 29 November at 5.30pm by Janet Hansen of the well-known local family, a descendant of those who had been particular friends of journalist Joe Glasson. The launch is supported by Boomers Bookstore and ABC Centre.

History Talking by Helen McAnulty Book Launch

Author Helen McAnulty launches her book History Talking at Orange City Library on Friday 2 December at 11am. The book is a collection of oral histories from residents in Gulgong, Mudgee and Orange. It will be launched by Professor Alexander Jenkins whose war time story is included in the book and has been made possible by the people of Gulgong, Orange and Mudgee as well as the resources of the Marsden Memorial Rural History Research Centre. There is scarcely any aspect of life in those early years that escapes Helen's gaze - ranging from pioneering life through to settlements, natural disasters, railways, communications and foreign war service. Helen has been collecting and writing about oral history for the past 30 years. The launch will be held at Orange City Library on Friday 2 December at 11am. Please call 6393 8132 to RSVP.

The Tail of Kangapoo by Sandra Shepherd, Children's Book Launch

Inspired by her grandchildren and her passion for children's stories, local author Sandra Shepherd presents her unique books titled The Tail of Kangapoo and Up the River with Kangapoo and Possumpoo. These humorous and whimsical books illustrate the playful spirit inquisitive nature of its characters. Children can meet Kangapaoo, have their face painted and get their books signed by the author. The launch will be held at Orange City Library on Thursday 15 December at 5.30pm. Please call 6393 8132 to RSVP.

The Centre for Rural & Remote Mental Health invites you to meet two authors who have written about high profile subjects - Black Saturday Bushfires and Dr Patel, when they launch their books at Orange City Library on Tuesday 8 November with guest speaker Dr Kevin Sheridan AO.

Media Ethics and Disasters: Lessons from the Black Saturday Bushfires is by Dr Denis Muller. It gives journalists the chance to reflect on the ethical issues that arose during coverage of the Black Saturday bushfires in Victoria in February 2009. The book illustrates the range of ethical problems that journalists confronted at the fire ground.

Deadly Healthcare is by Professor James Dunbar, Professors Prasuna Reddy and Stephen May. The story of Australia's own Dr Death, Jayant Patel, is symptomatic of a tidal wave heading towards all modern healthcare systems. In this absorbing book, the authors have ploughed through the mass of public inquiry data to reveal in gripping details how it happened, who was to blame, and how it can be avoided. Dr Patel was convicted of manslaughter and grievous bodily harm in 2010 related to incidents when he was a surgeon at Bundaberg Base Hospital in Queensland. Co-author Professor Prasuna Reddy is currently Director of the Centre for Rural and Remote Mental Health, Orange. The launch is supported by Boomers Bookshop and ABC Centre.

Book Launch - Tuesday 8 November, 5.30pm - 7pm, Orange City Library, Byng Street, Orange. Please RSVP to the Library on 6393 8132 or CRRMH on 6363 8470. Orange City Library, Byng Street, Orange Please RSVP to the Library on 6393 8132 or CRRMH on 6363 8470

The stars and director of the Australian feature film Jucy are visiting Orange for a gala screening of the movie at the Odeon 5 Cinema on Friday November 4. Director Louise Alston and actors Cindy Nelson and Francesca Gasteen are coming to town as part of a nation-wide tour promoting the film's cinema release. Billed as a "womantic" comedy, Jucy is a feel-good movie about the relationship between two single best female friends, played by Nelson and Gasteen, and their attempts to prove to the world they are normal by scoring a dream job and the perfect guy.

The script, written by Alston's husband, AFI-nominated Stephen Vagg, was inspired by the real-life relationship between the two stars. The cast also includes Andy Ryan (Tomorrow When the War Began) and Ryan Johnson (Home and Away).

Jucy had it's world premiere at the 2010 Toronto International Film Festival, where it was named as one of the top fifteen films to watch, and was praised by the critic from Variety as "colorfully stylized, sweet and silly" with "terrific" lead performances. It subsequently sold out sessions at festivals in Seattle, London, Tel Aviv, Los Angeles, Seoul, Sydney and Brisbanev and is screening at the Odeon 5.

"I'm a farm girl and lots of my relatives live in Orange so it is a massive thrill for me to be showing Jucy there," says Alston, whose previous film All My Friends Are Leaving Brisbane, also screened in Orange.

The gala screening will take place at 7 pm on Friday November 4 at the Odeon 5. The stars and director will introduce Jucy and afterwards take part in a Q and A. Tickets are available at http://www.odeon5.com.au/. The film's website is at http://www.jucythemovie.com/

This is for writers! The Spring Central West Writers' Centre Words Out West Newsletter is now available. It has all the latest news on upcoming workshops including our Crime Writing Workshop with Peter Doyle and Moment Behind The Photo Workshop with ABC Open producer Luke Wong as well as writing competitions, opportunities, and lots more....To read and subscribe, head to the Central West Writers' Centre Words Out West Home Page: www.wordsoutwest.com.au Enjoy!

They say a picture is worth a thousand words, but often that's only half the story. Sometimes the best memories come from recalling the stories behind the photo.

The Central West Writers' Centre and ABC Open are inviting you to share your stories behind your favourite photos. Select three of your best photos and come along to the workshop to learn how to upload your photos to the ABC Open website and tell the story behind the images. It can be a family holiday pic, a photo of your ancestors and their story or just a favourite snapshot.

Maybe you vividly remember the moment it was taken, or maybe there is something captured within the image that speaks volumes about that time in your life. Whatever the image and story, we want to know about it. Select a couple of images to be emailed or brought along to the workshop:

Central West Writers' Centre

Orange City Library

Byng Street, Orange

Thursday 3 November

2.30pm – 4.30pm

Please book your place by calling: CWWC 6393 8125 or ABC Open 6393 2542. Free

Youth suicide is a growing concern in Australia. In an effort to help raise awareness, Australian authors have donated stories to the Hope anthology. All profits from sales of the book will be donated to charities offering help to those in need of it and to foundations who are conducting research into why our youth are affected in the first place.

The anthology called Hope includes thirteen short stories by some of Australia's best speculative fiction writers: High Tide at Hot Water Beach (Paul Haines), Burned in the Black (Janette Dalgliesh), The Haunted Earth (Sean Williams), Eliot (Benjamin Solah), Boundaries (Karen Lee Field), The Encounter (Sasha Beattie), The God on the Mountain (Graham Storrs), Deployment (Craig Hull), Flowers in the Shadow of the Garden (Joanne Anderton), Blinded (Jodi Cleghorn), The Choosing (Rowena Cory Daniells), Duty and Sacrifice (Alan Baxter) and A Moment, A Day, A Year... (Pamela Freeman). The stories are accompanied by essays written by Beyondblue and Dr Myfanwy Maple and Mr Warren Bartik, from the University of New England. The book will be released worldwide in paperback and digital formats on 7 October 2011.

Six people take their own lives each and every day in Australia. Each one of those deaths affect dozens or even hundreds of people as family and friends attempt to deal with the grief, the guilt and the nagging questions as to why it happened. Often suicide sets off a chain reaction, which causes family members and close friends to suffer depression and suicidal thoughts.

The anthology will be available through brick and mortar bookshops as well as online bookstores. The paperback will be available in Australia for $17.99 and various digital formats will be available for only $3.99. All profits from the sale of the book will be donated to Beyondblue and the Anika Foundation.

Kayelle Press is based in the Blue Mountains, NSW, Australia, Kayelle Press is a new independent publisher of speculative fiction, which includes fantasy, science fiction and horror. They will publish books for young readers, young adults and adults that will tempt your imagination and allow you to escape into unknown worlds. Find out more from their website: www.kayellepress.com

For more information about Hope visit www.kayellepress.com or contact Karen Henderson at 02 6353 1554.

If you or your friends need to talk call Lifeline on 13 11 14 or Beyondblue on 1300 22 4636.