In news just to hand (I've always wanted to write that) Minister Assisting the Premier on the Arts, Virginia Judge today congratulated Sydney author Margo Lanagan, who has been awarded the 2008 NSW Writer's Fellowship. Ms Lanagan will use the $20,000 fellowship to write a literary fantasy novel set in colonial northern NSW. Ms Judge said "the Rees Government is committed to supporting our writers and encouraging the creative industries. Margo Lanagan is a well-respected writer and deserving winner of this prestigious award. Over a 17-year career, Ms Lanagan has published novels for a diverse range of readers, including children, young people and adults". Ms Lanagan won the 2007 Children's Book Council of Australia Book of the Year Award (older readers) for Red Spikes. The 2008 selection committee of Anne Brewster (Chair), Stephen Measday and Mark Tredinnick also commended authors Georgia Blain, Chris Mansell and Mandy Sayer.

Nominations are invited for the New South Wales Premier's Translation Prize, presented every two years with the NSW Premier's Literary Awards. The prize is offered by the NSW Government through Arts NSW and the Community Relations Commission for a multicultural NSW in association with Sydney PEN. Valued at $30,000 the prize is open only to literary translators who translate from other languages into English. Translators should be able to demonstrate a body of literary work which has been published or performed in recent years. This work can include poetry, stage and radio plays, and fiction and non-fiction works of literary merit. Translators may nominate themselves, or be nominated by authors, agents, publishers, translation and literary associations, theatre companies or radio broadcasters. The closing date for nominations is Friday 5 December 2008. The winner will be announced in May 2009. Guidelines and nomination forms may be obtained from Awards Staff, Arts NSW PO Box A226, SYDNEY SOUTH NSW 1235 Ph (02) 9228 5533, Fax (02) 9228 4722 or Email: jean.moylan@arts.nsw.gov.au or download them from Website: www.arts.nsw.gov.au

Listen to the Grand Slam Final of the Australian Poetry Slam 2008 broadcast nationally on ABC Local Radio webcast live across Australia via the internet, on Thursday December 4. The webcast starts at 6.30pm to introduce the finalists before crossing to the Sydney Opera House at 7pm hosted by Andrew Daddo, presenter of 702 ABC Sydney Evenings. Poets compete for $5,000 and the title of Australian Poetry Slam Champion. The night is the culmination of a three month search for Australia's best poetry slammers, consisting of state winners, plus the ABC Local Radio online winner. The online winner 'Butterfly', submitted by Elise Batchelor from Karratha (WA), was selected from 77 entries by judges: Alicia Sometimes (poet, writer, musician); Dr Wendy Were (Artistic Director and Chief Executive of the Sydney Writers Festival); and Miles Merrill, the Australian Poetry Slam co-creator. Alicia Sometimes said of the winning entry: "It was the performer's succinct and powerful images within the piece that won me over. It was so well written." She describes the quality of the overall entries as having a "great freshness and some pieces had shining lines like 'our early night weezes in the rain' and 'Detox is the new Club Med'. The Australian Poetry Slam 2008, now in its second year, is organised by State Libraries and supported by ABC Local Radio. For more details about the Australian Poetry Slam 2008 or to view the online entries go to abc.net.au/poetryslam.

Join us in wishing our Australian Poetry Slam Regional Heat winners all the best when they take to the stage on Friday night for the State Final of the Australian Poetry Slam 08. Shannon Elliott, formerly of Canowindra, won the regional heat with his energetic rap "Self Acceptance" - about life, along with Josh Simpson, of Bathurst, who performed a moving poem about poetry. They each won Sydney flights and accommodation sponsored by The Orange Regional Arts Foundation and a spot in the final on Friday 21 November at 6.30pm at the State Library of NSW, Macquarie Street, Sydney. Spoken word artist Miles Merill will also be there introducing 22 contestants from across the State. Good luck guys!

Vietnamese Australian author Nam Le has won the 2008 Dylan Thomas Prize for his first short story collection titled The Boat. It is one of the richest literary prizes in the world ($140,000) and is awarded for the best writer in the English language aged under 30. Judges described Nam Le as a "phenomenal literary talent and said his work demonstrated "a rare brilliance that is breathtaking both in the scope of its subject matter and the quality of its writing". The chair of the Dylan Thomas Prize judging panel, Peter Florence, said Nam tackles his own background and circumstances as well as that of others with a clear eye, focused intelligence and wonderful use of words. "He is, in this panel's opinion, a phenomenal literary talent, and I look forward to following his career as it progresses." Nam Le has previously won the Pushcart Prize, the Michener-Copernicus Society of America Award, and fellowships from the Iowa Writers' Workshop, the Fine Arts Work Centre in Provincetown and Phillips Exeter Academy. Nam Le was one of six finalists. The other writers shortlisted for the prize, sponsored by Wales University, were British writers Ross Raisin (for God's Own Country), Edward Hogan (Blackmoor) and Caroline Bird (Trouble Came To The Turnip), and South African-born Ceridwen Dovey (Blood Kin) and Ethiopian Dinaw Mengestu (Children Of The Revolution).

Writers Link is a series of workshops designed to help people put pen to paper and write - whether it be for their personal records or a new career. A special Writers Link Workshop will be held at Gilgandra Shire Library on Wednesday 3 December from 9.30am. Titled Retool and Remix, this workshop aims to give you the skills to compose books which include multimedia elements (audio, video, animation, interactivity) as well as words. Retool and Remix will enable participants to create works for podcasts, blogs or CD/DVD distribution. The workshop facilitator will be Dr David Reiter, an award-winning poet and writer of fiction, and Director of Interactive Publishing, a print and digital publisher based in Brisbane. Cost of the Workshop is $25 per person. This includes all refreshments. For more information call 02 6817 8704 (Orana Arts) or 02 6817 8877 (Gilgandra Library) Please RSVP by Monday 1 December.

You are invited to a special screening of the 2 minute trailer of locally made film Piet and the Wooden Statue on Friday 14th November, 4:45pm at the Australia Cinema, Lords Place, Orange. The film's director Luisa Machielse said it is very exciting to see all the images coming together so beautifully, and according to what she had envisaged. "Although most of the editing is complete, there is still the special effects to be done. This is going to require a lot more funding, and although we narrowly missed out on government funding, it's time to call in other resources. Hence the screening of the trailer. The producers and I would like to extend this invitation to providing an opportunity for members of the general public to be involved by making a donation to the cause, and getting your name, or business, up in the credits. Every little bit helps, so bring your family and friends and come along to have a first glimpse of this magical local movie, " she said. To find out more about the film and how you can help go to http://cherrypip.com.au/piet/.

Did you know Bathurst Memorial Entertainment Centre (BMEC's) participates in Local Stages, a Performing Arts Development Program introduced by federal, state and local government to support the growth of regional theatre-making? It offers local performing artists creative advice, support, and development opportunities, and engages professional outside artists to help develop strengths within the community's local talent. From Local Stages has come Cabaret Kite, BMEC's regular cabaret, which showcases local talent, and plays to sold-out houses. It has been described as "the best night out, for the price, in the world"! Find out about Caberet Kite or come along to the next Soiree to be held on Wednesday 10 December at 7pm in the Wattle Foyer at BMEC. Try out an act, sing a song, recite a poem – get on stage. There is no entry fee. The Local Stages program, which continues to expand, is supported by Australia Council for the Arts, Arts NSW, and Bathurst Regional Council. To find out more about Cabaret Kite and Soirees contact Local Stages Creative Producer Kylie Shead on 6333 6144 and check out www.bmec.com.au

If you have signed up for National Novel Writing Month – how is it going? I'm at the pathetic total of 300 words which is really bad because the total by the end of today should be closer to 10,002! So I have some catching up to do. The aim is to get you writing quantity not quality and into that habit of writing. A good tip is keep a chart of your word totals each day alongside what you're aiming for, (which should be 1,667 words per day) then note the difference to see how you are faring. The goal is to write a 175 page novel (50,000 words) by midnight 30 November. This event encourages writers all over the world and of course a huge sense of satisfaction is yours for the taking if you make it. Writing is its own reward. NaNoWriMo has been going for 10 years and now attracts more than 100,000 participants. You can check it out at http://www.nanowrimo.org/ Bring on the coffee and chocolate and keep writing.

You may recall a review of the Arts NSW Cultural Grants Program (announced in March this year) recommended a closer look at NSW Writers' Centre operations to develop a better understanding of the needs of professional, semi-professional and emerging writers. The reviews are currently been conducted across the State by consultants Positive Solutions. The review also includes analysis of each writers' centre, operational structure, governance, objectives and funding as well as interstate models and the role of the NSW network within the national context. Arts NSW expect the review will be completed in early 2009.