Here's a chance to learn from someone who knows the business of writing for children. Author Paul Stafford will host a second workshop, titled "Writing Children's Books",Saturday 31 July, 10am - 4pm at WPCC, Kurrajong Room, Community Arts Centre, in Dubbo. Paul's workshop covers all aspects of creating children's books, including brainstorming, developing ideas, collaboration, shortcuts, pathways to publication and overcoming obstacles to creativity. Paul is the author of 13 novels including the Pants On Fire series for Crawford Publishing and is also a literacy consultant with a focus on developing literacy in reluctant boy readers. This workshop will give direct access to a published author and allow participants to discuss and overcome any particular problems they are experiencing with their own work. New ideas generated in the previous workshop can be refined. This session will follow on from the first and look at works in progress. If you did not attend the first workshop, you will still find this one highly informative. Cost is $35 including lunch. Contact Peter Dargin on 02 6882 8880.

Time to Write will be held at Goulburn Library - Saturday March 27, 10 am-3.30 pm. Always wanted to write? Need a refresher? Published writer Lizz Murphy invites you to take a walk with words. A walk through memory or imagination, a walk through town or around a corner shop, a walk by the river, a walk through your own day ... Turn your walks into poems or prose pieces. Add detail, develop your characters, pick up your step, pick up the pieces... Go for a real walk (just a short one, weather permitting). You never know what you might find. Lizz Murphy lives in Binalong and has published ten books including five poetry collections, and five literary or community anthologies. Date: Saturday March 27, Time: 10.00 am-3.30 pm, Venue: Goulburn Library Civic Centre Bourke Street Goulburn Cost: $25/$15 unwaged; members of ACTWC or Miles Franklin Writers Group. Payable on the day please. Bookings: Phone Lizz on 6227 4393 (Coffee is available from the library coffee machine; please BYO lunch arrangements.)The Time to Write workshops are supported by the ACT Writers Centre (ACTWC) and Goulburn Mulwaree Council.

Three opportunities for poetry publication:

1. Melaleuca is a free e-zine of Australian poetry, delivered monthly through your email in-box. For submissions and subscriptions, contact the editor, Phillip A. Ellis, at phillip.a.ellis@gmail.com

2. Meuse Press is publishing an e-anthology - "from this Broken Hill" - of poetry, short prose & photography celebrating the people, culture, history & landscapes of Broken Hill which is currently being considered for National Heritage listing. The anthology will not appear on paper & there will be no money in, so no payment out to contributors. You are invited to submit up to 3 pieces. Submissions should be in the body of the e-mail, single spaced Times New Roman 12p & be accompanied by a 3 line bio. Prior publication is no problem but you should include acknowledgement. It will be edited by Barbara de Franceschi, Marvis Sofield & Les Wicks. Send to leswicks@hotmail.com, deadline 30 October.

3. dotdotdash is taking submissions for Issue 2. The inaugual issue of dotdotdash will hit the streets on September 5th! So get writing or drawing again because submissions are now open for dotdotdash Issue 2. The theme is 'ugly', but unthemed work is also sought. Submissions close 30th September. To submit visit http://.dotdotdash.org/

And a poetry workshop on publishing with Les Wicks will be held on Sunday 30 August from 1 - 5pm at the West Room, next door to Orange City Library, Byng Street, Orange. Cost $20. Please book on 6393 8125.

Join in this poetry workshop designed to help poets of all ages. Participants will benefit greatly from learning insider's hints on how the poetry scene works. Poems are examined with a view to finding outlets that fit your own style. Other topics include running your own projects, establishing a poetry audience, taking up opportunities offered by the internet and getting published. Les Wicks is widely published both in Australia and overseas with 8 collections to his name. He's also been involved in dozens of editing projects over his 30 years as a writer. Bring along multiple copies of one poem and writing materials for this poetry workshop on Sunday 30 August from 1pm - 5pm at the West Room, next door to Orange City Library, Byng Street, Orange. Cost $20. Please book your place by calling the Central West Writers' Centre on 6393 8125. For more about Les and to see his work please go to his website: www.les wicks.tripod.com/lw.htm

Local Stages at Bathurst Memorial Entertainement Centre is teaming up with 2MCE for a special live broadcast of Cabaret on 1 August. The Cabaret will be hosted by 'Bright Eyes' Mr Phil Glen, and along with guests Mr Aaron Hopper, Michelle Griffin, EQD, Fat Wombat and others it will bring together Bathurst's best music, comedy and physical performers. The special guest is legendary verse spinner, Miles Merrill, who brought poetry slams from his hometown Chicago, to Australia. Merrill mixes spoken-word with surreal vocal FX and intense narratives. As a multi-award winning writer and performer, he has presented in Krakow's Audio Art Festival, dozens of international writer festivals and hosted Poetry Slam in the Central West for the past three years. While in Bathurst, Miles will also be running a 'wordshop' on Saturday 1 August from 12noon – 3pm at BMEC. This is a great opportunity for writers and poets in the region to work with Miles. The workshop combines writing techniques with public speaking skills. From book to stage. Miles will help you present your work to an audience. Workshop is only $50.00 for adults, $25.00 students. Places in workshop are limited. Please contact BMEC Box office to book tickets or register for workshop on 6333 6161.

Places are still available for the beginner writers' workshop series designed to boost your writing skills and confidence. Angela Malone is a Central West based writer and experienced teacher. She holds a Masters of Arts in Creative Writing, is the author of Lucia's Measure, won the Gwen Harwood Poetry Prize and was most recently shortlisted for the ABR Poetry Prize. Fees for each class are $12 with total fees per participant $72.

Classes are to be held at the West Room next door to Orange City Library, Byng Street, Orange on: Thursdays from 7 - 9pm: May 28, 4 June, 11 June, 18 June then break for time to work on writing and resumes 30 July and 6 August.

If you would like to take part please contact Jasmine Vidler, Central West Writers' Centre Coordinator on 6393 8125 or email: writing@orange.nsw.gov.au or call if you would like further information. Please note this workshop series is for adults.

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.

Poets on Wheels climb aboard the train to tour regional NSW soon. When they arrive in Orange you can hear three accomplished poets David Brooks, Mark O'Flynn and Marvis Sofield read their own work, quiz the writers, read your own poem in the open section, with prizes awarded for the best local poems, while enjoying wine tasting with Rolling Wines and bring a gold coin donation. It all happens during a wine tasting and poetry reading to be held at Orange City Library on Tuesday 21 October at 6.30pm. The next day join in a poetry workshop for adults from 12pm to 3pm with the Poets on Wheels at the West Room, Orange Regional Gallery, Byng Street. It will be a lot of fun and inspiring to learn from published poets. Cost is $10 and bring along ten copies of one of your poems plus pen and paper. Please book your place by calling the Central West Writers' Centre on 6393 8125.

On Saturday 23 August from 1-5pm Sydney poet Liz Allen will lead participants through a number of fun writing exercises designed to stimulate the imagination and increase technical flexibility and control. Participants are also encouraged to bring along a couple of samples of their writing to workshop with the group. Number Forty Seven is a gallery located in the main street at 47 Louee Street, Rylstone. Elizabeth Allen is a Sydney poet, publisher and bookseller. She has published work in journals and magazines as well as a book of poems called 'Forgetful Hands'. She is sales manager of Vagabond Press, a small press dedicated solely to publishing poetry. The workshop will be followed at 6 pm by supper (optional) and a poetry reading and open mic section. This will give workshop participants and others the chance to listen to established poets and then perform their own work in front of a live audience. Workshop $30 and Supper $10. Poetry reading Free. For more info contact Virginia Handmer on 6379 1345 Thurs - Sat, 6457 5010 on Mon-Wed or 6379 1338 after hours.

Inspirational poet and educator Deb Westbury hosts a writing workshop at Orange on Saturday 5 July. Deb has been a familiar and respected voice in Australia poetry since her work was first published in 1975. Her poetry has since been widely anthologised, including the Oxford Anthology of Women's Verse. She has been a teacher, sculptor and writer, and has completed an undergraduate degree in teaching and a Master of Creative Arts degree in writing. In 1999 she was guest lecturer at the Catskill Poetry Workshop in the United States of America. In 2000 Wesbury was writer in residence at James Cook University, Queensland. She is actively involved with the Poets' Union and teaches courses in creative writing at university and high schools. Her latest work is called The View From Here.

For beginner writers: Writing from the Senses: The best writing is generous. To show readers what you saw, felt, touched, tasted and smelled is to enable them to enter into your original experience. To simply 'tell' them leaves your readers on the outside of your experience. Saturday 5 July, 10am to 1pm in the West Room, Orange Regional Gallery, Byng Street, Orange. The cost for the workshop is $35. To book your place, please call the Central West Writers' Centre on 6393 8125.

* Please note a previously promoted poetry workshop for 6 July has been postponed.