Reading to Write with Tegan Bennett Daylight
Applications for this program have now closed.
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This intimate online class will teach you how to use deep reading to improve your writing. Each week, you’ll read and discuss extracts from great fiction and non-fiction by Australian and international authors, paying attention to the details. The group will examine voice, syntax, structure and subject matter, with discussion guided by expert teacher and critic Tegan Bennett Daylight.
In addition, you will be encouraged to produce your own work to share with the class. Short writing exercises will be set weekly, inspired by the readings, and each writer will have several opportunities for feedback from Tegan and the group.
In the final three weeks of the course each writer will be asked to produce a longer piece to share with the group. Constructive and thoughtful feedback will be provided by the group and guided by Tegan.
There will also be an online Q&A session with writer Julie Koh.
Think of Reading to Write as an extended masterclass. Or perhaps like a semester of a Masters in Creative Writing, but with less theory and more practice.
There will be six participants in this class.
How to Apply
Entry to this course is by application. Writers will be selected based on the creative potential of their work, commitment to craft, openness to collaborating with your peers, and the balance in the group.
Course fees are $1395, with a 10% discount for Varuna alumni. Payment terms are negotiable if you cannot pay the whole fee upfront. Feel free to call 02 4782 5674 to discuss your application.
Applications close 20 January.
Dates and Course Format
The Writer’s Process: Reading to Write will commence in the week beginning 16 July 2021, and will be taught online over a ten-week period in two-hour blocks from 4-6 pm on an agreed weekday. You will be using the writing platform WetInk to share your work and engage in extended discussion.
Week 1: Introduction to the course
Week 2: The short story
Week 3: The Novel
Week 4: Fragmented Stories
Week 5: The essay
Week 6: Biography
Week 7: Radical Memoir. Q&A Session.
Week 8: Guided Workshops
Week 9: Guided Workshops
Week 10: Guided Workshops
Tegan Bennett Daylight
About Tegan
Tegan Bennett Daylight is a writer, teacher and critic. She is the author of three novels and several books for children and teenagers. Her collection of short stories, Six Bedrooms, was published in July 2015, and shortlisted for the ALS Gold Medal, the Steele Rudd Award and the Stella Prize. Her book of essays, The Details, was published by Scribner in July 2020. She has taught English and Creative Writing at universities for 25 years, and lives in the Blue Mountains near Sydney with her husband and two children.
Julie Koh
Julie Koh is the author of two short-story collections: Capital Misfits and Portable Curiosities. The latter was shortlisted for several awards and led to Julie being named a 2017 Sydney Morning Herald Best Young Australian Novelist. Her short stories have been published widely, including in the Best Australian Stories and Best Australian Comedy Writing. She has written radio plays for ABC Radio National and the libretto for the satirical opera Chop Chef.